Mother’s Day is right around the corner, leaving Exeter students anxious to find the perfect gift. As we are currently mid-academic year, many of us will be limited to searching within the city. Thus, I have created the ultimate guide to buying the best present in Exeter. Apart from Mother’s Day, if you have a partner, friend or family member’s birthday coming up, this would also come in handy!
CLOTHING
If you know their size and have an idea of their style, clothes always make for a nice gift. From big retail shops to small independent stores, there are plenty of places to choose from. Plus, many do sales throughout the year. If you keep your eye out, you might stumble upon a great deal! If you want an easy staple piece, you can shop at your go-to clothing stores. They are likely to be at the High Street or in the Princesshay/Guildhall Shopping Centres.
Moreover, if you want fashionable statement pieces, you can check out smaller shops. Seasalt Cornwall at Gandy Street, Fore Street’s Roundel and Frocks In Swing Time and Busby & Fox by the Cathedral are all great places to visit. For even more unique vintage pieces, there’s also Flamingo’s Vintage (Gandy St), The Real McCoy (Fore St) and Aurora the Hoarder (King St).
I do have to give a disclaimer that many of these stores are not the most cost-effective for students. Worry not, though, charity shops come to the rescue! There are over seven charity shops at Exeter’s city centre, mostly located near Sidwell St and South St. So, regardless of your price range, you won’t struggle to find clothes to gift your loved one.
FOOD AND DRINKS
Going in the complete opposite direction, your loved one might be more of a sweet treat lover. In which case, the local Exeter cafes have your back! If your giftee is a chocolate enjoyer, why not try Knoops (High St), Hotel Chocolat (High St), Nicola’s Chocolate (Blackboy Rd) or Chococo (Gandy St)? And if that’s not their cup of tea, there is always Whittard (High St), Bird & Blend (High St) and The House of Hope & Mercy in the Jungle (Fore St).
There’s also plenty of choice for gifting foodies. Candy lovers will be delighted to receive some goodies from Roly’s Fudge (Queen St) and SoSweet (Sidwell St). Meanwhile, cake fans can be satisfied with the delicious products at Cake or Death (vegan shop in Bartolomew St), The Little Dessert Shop (Sidwell St), JP Cheesecakes (St Matthew’s Crt) or Pink Ginger (Japanese café in Paris St).
If bread and pastries are more their type of treat, there is The Sidwell Street Bakehouse for homemade bread, as well as many bakeries, like Warrens Bakery, Cornish Bakery and Oggy Oggy, for pastries. If your loved one is not from the Southwest, a Cornish pasty might make for a nice small gift. Once again, as a disclaimer, prices in the stores I have listed vary tremendously, but there are food options for a range of gift giver’s budgets.
JEWELLERY AND TRINKETS
This is what you might imagine when thinking of typical gifts. Exeter has so many independent shops that naming them all and what they offer would be impossible. I’ll just say that for homemade jewellery and other nice trinkets, the shops by the Quay and in Gandy/Fore Street are your best friend.
There are also a few big brand jewellery shops and toy shops (with very nice plushies!) scattered throughout Fore and High Street. Princesshay and Guildhall in particular are great places for gift shopping (did you know the Exeter WHSmith has newly opened a ‘Toys R Us’ section?). Though don’t forget to browse through the other streets in the city centre as they might surprise you. For example, Queen Street’s Hyde and Seek doubles as both a café and a shop!
If your loved one is a crafty person, Exeter has its own very craft shop in the middle of Sidwell Street, making it the perfect stop. For giftees with a green thumb, Hutch Houseplants (The Depot) holds a variety of plants, and Floren Flowers (Gandy St) has a selection of bouquets especially for Mother’s Day.
We must also not forget our dear booklovers, who I am sure would enjoy gifts from Bookbag or Waterstones. You can also get them a whole pile of second hand books from the many charity shops (costing as little as £1!) or Bookcycle (who use ‘pay what you can afford’). Bookonahook then takes this gift-giving to a whole other level by offering products such as book earrings and tote bags!
This is just a small list of shops where you can start your gift shopping journey in Exeter. Several of these stores and many more do pop-ups and stalls in the Forum, so keep an eye out for those as well. From plants and posters to brownies and crocheted animals, you might not even need to leave campus to find the perfect gift!