Utopia: Alice’s Wonderland for Gifts

Just off the beaten track, locally described as ‘out the back of Boots’ you will find the fanciest little gift store in town. Utopia has the widest range of gifts for everyone, from little Friday pocket treats for kids to something fancy for your granny.
While it does have a fantastic selection, and lots of lovely modern design items that I don’t need but want really bad, I do have to say it is pretty spendy. Price aside you will find things here that you won’t find anywhere else in town, and if you want that special someone to think you are great, this is definitely the place to go.

This shop has its merits and some nice wares however two things from a con aspect have ruined my experience in shopping here.
1: I have purchsed quite a few items on sale in the shop from outside sources ie other shops and the internet at vastly reduced cost (in quite a few cases one tenth the price offered at Utopia
2: Most important from my own experience and friends, there is one (isn’t there always)
particularly nasty and caustic staff member (long term by the way) who by her very, like you or like you not discerning nature, completely ruins what would otherwise be a pleasant shop.
I see the past 2010 reviews seem generally positive, so obviously this staff member liked them or they didn’t encounter her.

One of those shops that will please any of your older relatives for a suitable birthday present or just something to keep them happy.
Utopia sells a plethora of figurines and other trinkets, many of which do seem quite pricey in my jaded eyes but apparently people are willing to spend it.
The staff are friendly. I was in here once looking for something a bit kitsch and daft for a friends birthday and although I ultimately left empty handed they were more than helpful while I was there.
Recommended.

This shop is über sweet if there’s a new arrival to buy a present for. There are so many old fashioned toys and lovely wooden thingymabobs to decorate nurseries with that it almost makes me wish I had a baby of my own to buy them all for (ALMOST).
There’s also a lovely selection of quirky home wares, most notably a hell of a lot of chess boards. There are classic chess boards, novelty ones, artistic ones — everything really.
It’s also one of my regular ports of call around the start of December when I go Christmas decoration shopping. The stuff they stock at that time of year is truly beautiful and I’ve picked up loads of interesting baubles and garlands over the years.

This Utopia is definitely no Fruitopia as Stephen Hawkin’s character from the Simpsons would say! Instead it is one of the best shops in the centre of Belfast to find gifts and random items in the home!
It is really a great little place, and one that might be overlooked due to its slightly awkward location, but a visit here is always worthwhile. The people in the shop were very nice and pleasant, as in the past they have helped me pick out a frame for my mother’s birthday and have also went out looking for spare stocks of finger puppets in the back for me to get for my girlfriend’s birthday!
It is family run and the passion and enthusiasm of staff shines through to the product range which is always top notch! Some items verge on the very expensive bracket, but usually everything is of much a high quality that making that bigger dent in the bank account than expected is more acceptable!

Yeah I have no complaints about Utopia. I’m glad there is only one of its kind in Belfast as that keeps the family who run it in trade and the customers flocking back.
I love to go in at Christmas time as my mum has a thing for Christmas decorations and this is the best place in town to get a quality piece at a really good price.
It houses such a mixture of goodies you could spend hours just browsing. There is a massive selection if ornaments such as statues of dogs, animals and fairies. They also have a large collection of really nice inexpensive costume jewellery.
You can pick up anything in here from a rubber chicken to a ceramic panda. It is definitely the place to go for gifts of any sort. I was bought a poker set from here many moons ago and I still treasure it as although it wasn’t really expensive it has the feel of a luxury item.

Another little treasure trove in Belfast, Utopia is the first port of call when a big event is coming up. ie. birthdays, new babies and anniversaries. It has everything and more. I can’t resist its charm and I love all the beautiful frames and old fashioned kids toys that you wouldn’t get anywhere else!
Whilst for the most part it is a little expensive, all in all its worth it because the items are quite unique. Much like Still, a similar shop I’ve reviewed. I love the girlie feel you get as you enter and the staff are really nice and helpfull which really goes far. As my friend recently had a baby I thought I’d venture in to get something a bit differrent and got afew lovely things which I’ve never seen anywhere else. A great gift shop which keeps on giving.

Utopia is my first port-​of-​call when I know someone’s birthday is coming up, or at Christmas time… you’re pretty much guaranteed to find something in here you know that person will like. The variety is huge — massive wooden chess sets to quirky key rings and everything in between. There’s nothing cheap or tacky, just beautiful gifts at incredibly affordable prices.
The last time I was (it was only last week, due to their being a friend’s birthday on the horizon), I was served by the most friendly lady I’ve ever had the pleasure of speaking to. She really was genuinely lovely, and that really made the trip for me. There’s nothing better than decent customer service, and I definitely experienced some top class service that day.
With some of the loveliest ranges in town, and wonderfully helpful staff, Utopia really is a must see… you won’t be disappointed.

Utopia is another fantastic shop in Belfast. It sales all sorts of decorative accessories for the home at reasonable prices. Although frankly, I don’t care about all those little throws or lamps or plates. The reason I go to this shop is for a little section at the back. This amazing little cove of awesome contains lots of little toys that I haven’t seen since I was 5! It’s an absolute nostaliga explosion! These aren’t big, expensive toys, they are the little things you’d pester your mum for at the til and she actually didn’t mind getting you them because they were so cheap.
I honestly never thought I’d see one of those plastic snakes that looks like it’s moving when you hold it horizontally. More to the point I never thought I’d care if I ever saw one again! But it turns out I do! I’ve bought more of these little silly toys and lost them the same day than I care to remember but the nostaliga is just so worth it. People my age, people of any age, need to go to this shop and enjoy your childhood again!

What a great name this shop has, and it’s always been somewhere that Mum and I have never been able to resist walking past — we always have to pop in to have a look at the beautiful products, be it designer chess sets, colourful glass vases, old fashioned toys or interesting jewellery. I think recently, Utopia has leaned a little too close to the more commercial mass produced gift items that you now see so often in shops that they become rather mundane, but every so often it still stocks something really lovely and special, which is why we always go back. What I personally love also, is their range of gift cards and birthday cards — they have some lovely ones with gorgeous art deco designs, in glitter and feathers — really pretty. This is a must for tourists wanting to buy something special, and locals looking for that unique item. Their selection of Christmas decorations is always first class and worth checking out.