scrapbook supplier in central London?

[sprout]

I'm a newcomer to scrapbooking, but am hooked already. I don't live in the UK, so mostly order stash on-line. I'll be in central London on Monday and would love to go somewhere to browse (and probably spend too much :o ), but haven't a clue where to go. Any recommendations? Anywhere within the Circle Line would be fine.

Cowling & Wilcox, Broadwick Street. Its an Artists store in Soho, but they have lots of papers, embellishments and bits & bobs. It's not hobbycraft but it's the only one I have found in the West End to visit whilst at work and need a crafting fix. They do big bits of card and have their own guillotine which you can cut to whatever size you want. Nearest Tube Oxford Circus or Piccadilly Circus. I do go in there tons and they seem to be getting more & more stuff in.

Oh and they do massive bits of mulberry textured paper for 1.5o check out the stand on the right as you walk in the door.

Oh and the John Lewis store by Oxford Circus tube has a good art & craft dept. Lots of kits, cutters embellishments etc. It's by haberdashery on the ground floor which has tons of fibres/flowers etc as well. God you can tell I am obsessed. I have searched for a decent shop in central London and those are the only two I've found, the rest are all outside of the circle line & I haven't visited.

I've popped in to that John Lewis a couple of times and adore their haberdashery department. I don't think it has regular stock though - when I've gone back it's different. I dunno. Will have to look for the one in Soho. Thanks for the tip, UCM.

Have you been in there recently Kiwi, their arts & crafts dept. has grown in leaps & bounds

John Lewis?? Maybe a month or so ago. It might be time for another look :) I was really impressed with John Lewis at Bluewater... bought Little MissE lots of crafty b&ps for her birthday.

Oh right, you have been in there more recently than me, I went to the Oxford St one about 2.5 months ago.

Haven't managed to go on-line since Friday - and now there are tons of replies! Thanks UCM and kiwibella your tips. Now all I need tomorrow is some self-restraint... :o

there's a shop called blade rubber, stamps and stuff but scrap stash downstairs, not been there before but was reccomended to me. I'll look for addy for ya....

ok, here's addy!!:
12 Bury Place (near the British Museum)
Bloomsbury
London WC1A 2JL
Tel: 020 7831 4123
Fax: 020 7831 4242

\link{http://www.bladerubberstamps.co.uk\website}

that rings a bell for me too, Champs. I might have been told about it but I haven't been there. UCM, I usually have some time to kill on a Saturday while my dd is at a club on Haymarket!

kiwibella:)

ucm, JL has lovely beads and ribbons

They must be new, I have never heard of them [prumphhhhhhhhhh] . I went to the shop in southampton row recently to look at papers and it was an old fashioned bookbinders, I did, how ever buy some sb posts very very cheaply, but the papers were like 20.00 per A1

Hi, just to report back: had a great time in JL (haberdashery department is now on 4th floor, and is HUGE) and then in Cowling & Wilcox. Didn't make it to your recommendation, champs, but it's on my list for next time.

Hi, what do you make of C&W?? I keep nagging the staff to get more craft stuff in.

C&W was good for basic stuff I needed like adhesives, lots of pens and stamp pads (heavy to post). Not so good if you're looking for cardstock or printed papers to drool over, but then I knew they weren't a scrapbooking specialist. But keep encouraging them to expand their stock, and I'll check them out again next time I'm in London.

glad you liked your stash shopping, sprout

lol@ ucm's prumphhhhhhhhhh