Oliver Bonas

Oliver Bonas isn’t the kind of shop I would normally wander in to as I’d assume it was a bit snobby, over-​priced and with nothing much that fits my taste. But one day I found myself on Byres Road in desperate need of a last minute birthday present so I thought I’d give it a chance. I was wrong on 2 counts and only partially right on the other.
The shop stocks quite a wide range of items for a relatively small store, including clothes, toiletries, jewellery, homewares and gifts. Since my first visit I’ve been back several times for gifts for friends and family. I’ve found the jewellery range in particular to be great for gifts, offering a good selection of different styles for reasonable prices. The greetings cards are also really nice, and a bit unusual, but watch out, the price tag on some is pretty steep! I’ve yet to buy anything for myself but have gazed longingly at lots of bits and pieces in the homewares section, although like the cards the prices aren’ft cheap. The glasses are especially nice and they have some great a Japanese-​style items I’d quite like. Visits are also pleasant as the staff are always super friendly and helpful without being too in your face.
So in the end it proved to be a store that is not at all snobby, sometimes a bit pricey but with plenty of reasonably priced items too, and definitely at least a few things to interest almost anyone. If your in need of some gifts I’d definitely recommend a visit.

I’d only been in this store a few times but somehow found myself browsing their website and came across a chunky necklace that I knew my sister would like for Christmas.
I called the store to see if they had it in stock as at £30 for custom style jewellery it wasn’t the cheapest and I prefer to see things in the flesh. The lovely assistant said she would hold one for me for a week and so the next day I took a jaunt out to the shop.
I had a wander round the shop and spotted lots of goodies I was tempted by, including kitchenware and books, clothes and accessorises and some other jewellery. I resisted the urge to spend on myself and got to see the necklace I had came for. The sales assistant was genuinely enthusiastic and helpful (you know the kind of lovely assistant where you walk away feeling like you want to make her your new BFF), and even tried it on for me so I could see the length. The extended full refund policy made up my mind and my first Christmas pressie of the season was in the bag.
Although some of the items in store are a little bit more expensive, the quality is really nice and the sales assistants are lovely. I’ll definitely be making a return visit or indeed creating a wish list of items from the shop!

Oliver Bonas is pretty and bright. — A delight to browse! It is near impossible for me to walk by without popping in for a quick meander.
It’s a little more expensive, although justifiably so, as there’s real variety in the items they stock. — Clothes, jewellery, books, furniture; such lovely, lovely furniture. Leaving empty-​handed is a real exercise in restraint, and it’s one I fail at again and again. — But it’s all just so lovely that I can’t help myself.
Whether you want a little something to give a room some new life at home or you’re looking for the perfect birthday present, I’ve no doubt that you’d find just what you need here. Oliver Bonas is the kind of place you go to buy a gift for a friend and leave with something for yourself too, just because.

I can’t walk past this place without popping in for a quick look.
It’s full of lovely things to buy from ornaments to furniture to clothing to jewellery and lots more. There stuff can be on the more expensive side, but they do great sales.
Great for buying gifts or treating yourself. Staff are nice and friendly. Defo worth a wee look.

Having just met with a friend, I decided to take the long way home and stop in to a few shops along byres road. I absolutely love this shop and don’t frequent it enough in my opinion. I want to buy everything I can get my hands on, and that doesn’t bode well with my checking account, but I do it anyway!
Today, however, I decided that I would simply be browsing, to kill some time before heading home, and that’s exactly what I did.
Not only do they have an amazing spread of dresses and socks (cute as anything socks) but they also have books, jewlry, cards, candles and a wee section of kids stuff. It really is a shop full of quality products at reasonable prices.
The staff are friendly to boot which is a nice touch in little shops such as this. They make you feel like the want you in their stores, even if just to have a look. There was one girl in there who knocked over and smashed a mug. One of the girls working in the shop quickly came over to help clean up the mess and the girl was so beyond apologetic, it took nothing short of actually giving the girl the broken mug to convince her that it was ok and that these things happen.
I love this shop for a quick gift when my brain can’t come up with ideas, and I love this shop for decorating tips, as the always have the shop decorated so perfectly. Well, I’d love my home to have many things from this shop.
Check this place out, you won’t be sorry that you did!

Oliver Bonas sells a range of beautiful and quirky items — the sort of thing you’d maybe buy as a present, or if you wanted a lovely thing for yourself. I guess you’d call it a ‘lifestyle shop’ — I’m sure I’ve heard that term recently, I didn’t just make it up.
They have good cards — ie not naff, and some really cool kitchen stuff — nicely patterned mugs and such. They have books, and also bizarrely, clothes. Plus other stuff — photo frames, furniture, jewellery — you know, lifestyle stuff.
I was in recently looking at their sales items. I got a brilliant ceramic owl for 80p. 80p! That’s an amazing bargain. And a beautiful elegant swan trinket holder. I don’t really have any trinkets to put in it but I’ll find something. That’s the sort of place that Oliver Bonas is — you end up buying something you don’t really need, just because it’s a lovely thing.
It’s worth a pop in, particularly at sale time. 80p for an owl!

How did I resist the lure of Oliver Bonas for so long?
They always have great window displays and I finally managed to pop in for a quick visit before dining at Ubiquitous Chip. They sell much more than books and dresses — there’s also some body products, statement necklaces and accessories as well as selection of homewares. A while back I got two really sweet bowls from a friend and Oliver Bonas had similar ones so I got another couple to add to the set. On the way to the register I also glanced at the cards and saw a perfect birthday card for my Mum, so I grabbed that. Then, while waiting to be served I turned and noticed the Korres body washes were two for £8 (normally £8 each) so grabbed those as well.
As you can see, I’m like a bull in a china shop when I go into places like these. There is simply too much stuff that I want (need) and I can’t resist. The service was friendly (although possibly a little robotic as the staff member who was serving me asked me the exact same question the other staff member asked her customer), and the prices aren’t too bad — for that haul it was around £20.
Will I be back? Of course — I can’t stop thinking about their great selection of dresses. Oh dear.

I’ve passed this place several times since it opened, but hadn’t gone in, mainly because I don’t know how to classify it. What is it that they actually sell? Furniture? Clothing? Soft goods? Books? Designer knick-​knacks? Chic yuppie toys? It would seem that the answer is, ‘all of the above’.
Anyway, I was on the lookout for a birthday card and happened to spot a rack of cards through the window, so went in for a look. I like the way the card stands were segregated by purpose, so there is one for birthdays, one for ‘thank you’ cards, and so on. Made it a breeze to find one that I liked.
I can’t say that I spent much time looking at the rest of the items, as I still feel sort of intimidated by this shop — it’s like my mind can’t get a handle on the place. Most shops you can put in a neat little pigeon-​hole of ‘stationer’ or ‘bookshop’, but I just don’t know where to file this place. ‘Pointless junk to waste your money on when you don’t have any better inspiration for a gift’. perhaps?
Anyway, I’m sure I’ll get my head around it at some point. In the meantime, if you’re passing, it’s worth a look purely for the bizarre variety of stuff they sell.
Hmm… bizarre… bazaar… hey, that’s it! It’s a bazaar!

I’ll keep this review short, since I didn’t spend a whole lot of time in the shop. I popped in just to take a look while heading elsewhere on Byres Road. I ended up only buying a lip balm for myself, but it seems like the kind of store you’d hit up when you’re trying to find a nice present and don’t have anything specific in mind. It was a Saturday and the shop seemed fairly busy, but the women behind the counter were still very friendly.