Lion Stores

Lion stores has been on North Street for over eighty years, selling absolutely everything you could want from a hardware shop. They sell string, teapots, sandpaper, gloves, bird seed, balloons and a million other things besides. The shop is extremely cluttered, with use being made of every inch of the small space, so you may find that it is easier to ask for what you want rather than trying to squeeze round and find it yourself. The staff have worked there for years, and therefore usually know immediately whether or not they stock something, and where to find it. Lion stores do camping gas canister refills, at a very reasonable price, and you can usually just swap an empty cylinder for a full one so you don’t even have to wait. The shop also sells fireworks, if you are over eighteen, and these are available all year: a great way to spice up a birthday party or other event.

This little store is rather shambolic. Steptoe and Son would certainly have been at home here, amongst a multitude of household and gardening objects, most of which look somewhat archaic. Don’t get me wrong, though. This shop has a definite charm to it, and sells some incredibly useful bits and pieces. After all, where would we be without pots and pans, paint brushes and pet food?

As you’d know if you read an earlier review of mine you could tell i’m a massive fan of shops like this.
This one is especially brilliant because it feels like it’s going to implode at any moment. I went in the other day and they had two people working in the shop and there were just 3 customers inside (me included) and I asked the chap inside if he had any Yellow electrical tape (at this point in my life I needed about 30 roles of the stuff! … don’t ask!). So there was this brilliant choreography as the 5 of us in the shop moved around each other to let the guy look for the electrical tape, it was crazy, messy, unmanigable, unthinkable, but boy, oh boy was it a joy to behold!
Unfortunatley he wasn’t able to find any electrical tape, but I was so pleased to have discovered this gem of a shop, I ended up buying a really thick bristled broom. Maybe I felt like I needed to offer some sort of thanks to the effort he had gone to in order to move around his shop to find an obscene amount of yellow electrical tape, or maybe I just needed a thick bristled broom…

Looks a bit like a yellow mess sat there on North street, in actual fact sells everything you’ve ever needed and some things you haven’t.
By definition it’s a hardware store, they describe themselves as selling ‘all those thingummy bobs and what-​you-​ma-​call-​its’ like brooms, cloths, screws, paint, brushes, bolts, polish, pet food etc, etc.
Their DIY section including quality branded tools and ironmongery is second to none, with prices that surpass B&Q and knowledgeable staff to go with it. A good combo.
Despite it’s very traditional appeal and seemingly like it’s stuck firmly in the 1970s (Open All Hours, anyone?) it’s also a good place to get fireworks all year around (should you need them).

This is a really old fashioned little shop in North Street Bedminster. What ever you want to buy you will find it here. The shelves are packed with goods and outside you will even find plants and vegetables for planting. Some of the items are difficult to locate however if you ask an assistant they are normally able to get there hands on items in record time. Please buy your hardware products here instead of the big DIY chains so that we can keep our local shops alive.

What a gem of a place this is! Its like stepping back in time! This is an original hardware store where you can buy practically anything. I cant remember a time when I’ve gone there looking for something and haven’t been able to find it — from seeds for the allotment to international socket adaptors. Its also far better to buy essentials such as batteries etc from here as they generally turn out to be a fair amount cheaper than buying in the big chain stores like Tescos. Also, you are supporting the local economy. The Lion Stores is an institution on North Street, Bedminster, it’s been there for well over one hundred years. I just hope that it doesn’t eventually get priced out by the fairly local large supermarkets.