Broomhill: We visited fantastic Sheffield shopping area and loved these amazing Christmas gifts

Instead of heading to the most common places for shopping, we took a bus up to the popular Sheffield suburb of Broomhill, apparently once home to a Rolls Royce garage, and found a rich variety of gifts available without having the stress of Meadowhall, or resorting to the internet.

Instead, as part of our #LoveYour campaign, we took a tour of the shops of Broomhill, just a short bus journey from Sheffield city centre, and found things to suit a vast range of budgets and tastes.

Broomhill lies just up from some of Sheffield’s best known hospitals, the Hallamshire, The Children’s and Weston Park. Jump on a 52, 51, or 120, and you are there in a few minutes.

And when you get there, you find a concentration of shops, with many of those independents selling things you’re unlikely to find everywhere else.

The first shop you arrive at is Richer Sounds. They’re not an independent, but they’ve been in Sheffield for nearly 35 years, and offer hi fi systems including old fashioned turntables, as well as televisions. And if you’re looking for something smaller, there are headphones or Bluetooth speakers.

Walking a few yards up along Whitham Road, you reach Good Taste – the Sheffield Fair Trade Shop. Some of its profits go to a charity which provides clean drinking water in Africa.

Selling fair trade goods, founder Jenny Coleman said its most popular items when it came to Christmas gifts were usually their chocolate range that they sell. She said: “Broomhill is a great place to come and shop because there are loads of independent shops, including mine.

“Our best seller probably is chocolate,” she said. “But we do sell a lot of Christmas decorations, jewellery and other gifts.”

Further up we reached the junction with Crookes Road. Near the bus stop are three charity shops, St Lukes, the RSPCA, and the Sheffield Cats Shelter, each selling a number of items which would make Christmas gifts.

And across the road is a newly opened independent women’s clothes shop, Frocks. All the clothes they sell are under £50.

Irene Ball, who runs the shop, said: "Our doors are open for everyone to find something special that makes them feel wonderful - no matter their age.”

A few yards down the road is Twinkle Toes, on the corner of Nile Street. They sell shoes for both children and women. Staff say Roka handbags are among their most popular items at this time of year as well as shiny children’s party shoes. The shop has been there for 25 years.

Back on Whitham Road is one of Broomhill’s best known shops - Record Collector. Dating back to the 1970s, the shop is among the best places in the city to buy vinyl.

Staff member Mark Elliott said he thought Broomhill was a good place to shop. He said: “We’ve been here since 1978 and we sell new and second hand records and CDs. We sell some books. So we have a good range of stuff for people to choose from.”

He said classics were most popular with customers when it came to Christmas shopping - including Radiohead, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd and Taylor Swift.

Martin Greaves at Williamson’s Hardware, which expects things like headphones to be among its Christmas top sellers, agrees Broomhill is a good place to shop. They also sell a vast range of practical items like pots and pans and tools.

He said: “It’s very friendly, very busy and there are lots of things to buy.”

On the other site of the road is Charles Brooks - an outlet selling both high end shoes, from manufactures such as Loake, as well as other leather goods, like belts.

Then around the corner on Glossop Road, there are two specialist jewellery shops. Nickolas Jewellery, and George.

George has been run for over 40 years by George Hempshall. He has sold everything from £50 ear rings up to diamond rings worth thousands of pounds.

But George, who says he remembers a time when Broomhill had a Rolls Royce dealer, says when it comes to Christmas shopping, the main gifts he sells are usually pendants and ear rings.

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We also found somewhere selling children’s books - they are among the stock available in Broomhill Post Office.

Wreaths and Christmas trees were available at Pavilion Flowers, on Glossop Road, along with chocolates and flowers, while pots, vases and candlesticks could be bought next door at Worth.

Meanwhile, other shops available are a large Oxfam, which has toys, as well as an Age UK shop, and a gift emporium which sells Harry Potter merchandise inside the Steel Cauldron on Spooner Road, in the building which was once the South Sea pub.