R K Tailoring

R K Tailoring, Unit 6, 26 Kingly Street, London W1B 5QB, Tel. 020 7734 3222
Nearest tube - equally close to Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus
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The aim of this blog is to give retail recommendations, and this is from the top drawer. Unlike the other entries here it's not a shop, but it still qualifies because it's an alterations tailor.
Everyone needs an alterations tailor for three reasons:
1 - Stuff very rarely fits. I used to have a friend who had a job pinning up clothes that were used in magazine and catalogue shoots - that is, the clothes didn't fit the models, so they had to be made to fit to look good in the pictures
2 - Don't get stuff altered in the shop if it's cotton. Cotton always shrinks the first two times it is washed - including pre-shrunk cotton - so if they take up your trousers they won't fit as well after a couple of washes. Take it home, wash it twice, then get it altered
3 - Some stuff only fits in some dimensions, but with a skillful tailor it can be made to fit properly.
R K Tailoring comes highly recommended, but ring up first to check on their opening times

Lina Stores

Lina Stores, 18 Brewer Street, London, W1F OSH
Nearest Tube - pretty much equi-distant between Oxford Circus, Tottenham Court Road, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus
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When I started this blog I didn't want to include food shops, but I'll make an exception for Lina Stores. In a city full of Italian shops, it is near the top, with excellent pasta, meat, cheese and bread, and they even make their own ravioli every day. Highly recommended!

Learn To Dream

Best accessed online - www.learntodream.co.uk & by phone - 0845 456 4033
Learn To Dream is a photo developing studio that does work to a super-professional standard. While I've used Snappy Snaps before to put images on canvas to pretty amazing effect, but for my photo of Hong Kong at night I wanted something special.
The Proud Galleries used to run a service, and have now discontinued it, but they gave me the details for Learn To Dream.
What you do is email a photo to them, and then they ring you up to discuss what they could do with it. I had my photo done A1 size, with a silver finish and now the lights in the photo glow a bit like they did on the night. I've very happy with the result, and can recommend it to anyone. It's not cheap (£270 for mine), but compare that to professionally finished and framed pictures that you can buy.

Smudge Gallery

Smudge gallery, Commercial Street, London E1 6BG Nearest Tube - Liverpool Street, Aldgate East or Whitechapel Map
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The Smudge Gallery is at one corner of Spittalfields market, and is the place to go to buy good quality prints of graffiti and street art - your genuine Banksys, basically. Lots of sizes available, and a pretty quick turnover of new designs

Edwards & Todd

25A Museum Street, London , WC1A 1LY
Nearest Tube - Totenham Court Road or Holborn
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Edwards & Todd is a small shop near to the British Museum that sells a wide range of cards, jewelry, gifts, and things for the home. The perfect place for Valentines gifts, or unusual soaps, or teddy bears, or...

Duke of Uke

22 Hanbury Street, London, E1 6QR
Nearest Tube - Liverpool Street, Aldgate East, or Whitechapel
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The Duke of Uke is a music shop that only sells Ukeleles and Banjos. Sitting a couple of streets away from Spittalfields market it is a very strange place to browse, and perfect for that very unusual present for a musical friend. The shop also has a recording studio (see website for details) and sometimes has musical events in the shop. It's also notable for featuring in a Jimmy Carr stand up routine: "Near where I live there's a shop that sells only ukeleles. I can never resist ringing my girlfriend to say 'I'm just passing the ukelele shop - do you want anything?'"

Traditional Toys

Chelsea Green, 53 Godfrey Street, London, SW3 5SX
Nearest Tube - Sloane Square
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Traditional Toys is hidden away in Chelsea Green, an an area a few streets away from the Kings Road in Chelsea. The shop is tiny, and crammed to overflowing with unusual and very traditional toys, many of which are made of wood. Perfect for presents for small children, and in the past I've bought a toy theatre, a bow and arrow, and a sailing boat. Everyone wanted to know where I found them!

Freud

198 Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2H 8JL
Nearest Tube - A dead heat between Tottenham Court Road, Leicester Square and Covent Garden
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Freud is a small shop at street level at the top end of Shaftesbury Avenue. Underneath is the slightly better known cocktail bar (also call Freud), but both are largely undiscovered gems given that I know people who've worked two minutes away who haven't discovered either. Freud (the shop) sells the most beautiful fans, glasses, coffee makers and other things that would make you the best giver at any wedding. Oh - and for some reason they spell it FREVD on the door, but it's definitely FREUD...

Lisa Stickley

74 Landor Rd, Clapham, London SW9 9PH
Nearest Tube - Clapham North
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Lisa Stickley is textile designer, and her shop showcases her elegant, classical and quirky designs. It's the perfect place to browse for unusual takes on common household items like tea towels or ironing board covers, and also the perfect place for that difficult 'aunt present'. Also check out the window display, featuring their joke of the week.