Helios Fountain

This is a great shop that we (happily) stumbled upon our last day in Edinburgh. We had some time to kill before lunch, so we wandered over to the Grassmarket area, and my husband spotted Helios Fountain at the bottom of the street.
When we walked through the door and I saw the large selection of beads, I was instantly happy, as I’m a crafter and had wanted to visit a bead shop anyway. When I saw the selection of Celtic knot beads, though, I literally squealed with joy, causing my husband to shush me!
Knowing I would be buying beads, I decided to wander around the rest of the store first, and I’m glad I did. This is a lovely shop for the young, or the young at heart. Tons of craft items, interesting cards and gifts, toys, trinkets, and more cover literally every spot of available space (and hang from the ceiling and shelves as well)! Really, this is the perfect place to buy a gift for pretty much anyone in your life… or yourself. I could’ve spent hours browsing.
I ended up showing some restraint and «only» buying my beads, a few other jewelry-​making items, and an interesting polished fossil for the collection on my desk. If I lived in Edinburgh, I could see this shop being a favorite of mine, and will definitely be back for more beads and fun gifts if I’m ever in the area again.

This may be a random comment, but I love this place for felt and origami supplies. That’s all I have to say really.
But I like to talk so…
This place is like a toy shop on the telly, all colours and dangly things and you feel that if you walked too far back you’d fall into a children’s television programme where puppets come to life.
I always go in intending to buy only what’s on my list, but come out with some interesting bits and bobs too.

For some reason, whenever I talk to people about Edinburgh, about the time they spent there when they were kids, they remember Helios Fountain as being a truly magical place. A land full of sparkling beads and shining badges. And cakes that just didn’t amount to anything next to the other shiny things.
It’s in the same group as other Grassmarket businesses. It sells quirky things you really don’t need. But everything’s so shiny and appealing you really do think you need them. I’ve been warned quite a few times against going there for the sake of my pocket and I normally listen, but I’ve been in a few times to browse. It’s a great place to buy presents when you can’t really think of anything to get.

Helios Fountain has a name which sounds like a spiralling burst of light and colour. It conjures up images of magic and vibrancy.
It’s appropriately named, since inside the shop is bursting at the seams with beads, dangly gifts and quirky items.
Like Emma, I was also pleased to see the Fimo blocks. I used to love this stuff when I was a kid, and relived the pleasure of modelling with it when I worked in an after school club. As a general rule I would only ever make wee clay cats and dogs as a child (I was a freak like that) but there are enough colours in here for you to make your own lively, alternative universe (or at least a splodgy, multicoloured dinosaur!)
Helios was more like an art store, but they also sell a number of crafty books, not to mention some lovely gift items of all shapes and sizes. They have some cuddly stock geared towards children, and unusual offerings such as books about dragons!
There is something magical about Helios Fountain that makes you realise you’re a bigger kid than children these days. This place would be great for teachers looking for arts supplies, but what actually happens is adults get more excited about the crafty goods than you could anticipate! Bewitching.

Helios means sun and this place is certainly sunny. Beads beads and more beads. This shop is like an explosion of colour, and trinkets hang all over the place like some sort of Aladdin cave.
If you are into crafts or after something a bit more different for a gift then this is a good stop. I was looking for a small chain and particular earring hoop and was told at other craft shops in the City to head here, so it certainly has a good reputation for its stock.

Once upon a time I could be found in Helios Fountain nigh on every Saturday afternoon with a gaggle of other eleven year old girls. Our irresponsible parents let us make the pilgrimage down to the grassmarket on our own to um and ah over the superfluous treasures that they sell. I was always drawn to the many different bright colours of Fimo (that modeling clay stuff that you bake in the oven) and the millions upon millions of beads which come in every shape and size imaginable (slight over-​exaggeration…). Invariably I would leave clutching a tiny paper bag filled with bits and bobs for making some rubbish jewellery with, 50p well spent. Not much has changed since I was last there, except I could have sworn there used to be a café. It still sells everything you could possible need to make some hideous home-​made accessories and they still sell Fimo. I can’t wait til I have kids to introduce to the joys of crafts.

A charming quaint little shop, perfect for buying gifts from. They sells lots of little curiosities and toys as well as some lovely candles and beads. I love this shop. You can spend hours in here browsing so only go in if you’ve got something specific in mind or at least 30 minutes to spend in here. A must visit :)

An aladins cave! Everything from jewllery making supplies to cuddley toys. I remember a birthday when I was still at primary school, being taken into Helios fountain to buy some gifts and they had the most amazingly funstuff!
i still love to browse and always seem to find something nice to buy (last time it was a cuddley moose)

I love this shop its got gifts traditional styled kids toys as well as some beading and jewellery making stuff. Not to mention dragon soft toys which i adore. Small but nice range of gemstones really got a little bit of everything.

This is a wonderful shop for all thing unusual, a great selection of cards, things, stocking fillers, music boxes, puzzles. The list goes on, call in and become a child again!

Helios Fountain is a small shop at the end of the Grassmarket. It sells unusual gifts, wooden toys, some books and craft materials. My favourite area sells lots of beads and jewellery making materials: It stocks unusual stones and gems as well as wire/​thread and clasps. It is small but it is a lovely shop to look around. You’ll find lots of random craft materials and old fashioned toys as well as handmade paper and cards.