Nerd Nirvana - Buy Sci-Fi Collectables At Forbidden Planet in Leeds

Would you classify yourself as a geek or a nerd? Are you the kind of person who watches Big Bang Theory and identifies with Sheldon? (Or not only identifies with him, but remains puzzled at why his behaviour and utterances merit special treatment from the laughter track.) Then the shop Forbidden Planet, located at Eastgate in Leeds 2, adjacent to the Headrow, was probably created with your needs in mind.

Forbidden Planet in Leeds is part of a chain of stores in big cities across the country, and if you’re a sci-fi obsessive, Buffy nut or collectible figurine accumulator, then you may already have had reason to drop in and browse there.

Where Can You Buy A VCR Now?

I became familiar with Forbidden Planet back in the good old days of VCRs. (The days when you could actually buy a decent VCR for a price that didn’t make your hair stand on end… Can you tell that I’m researching hard-drive DVD recorders with Freeview and getting frustrated in my search for the perfect replacement for my dying VCR?) Back then my Buffy devotion/obsession meant that waiting for Amazon to eventually deliver the newest Joss Whedon box-set was quite horrifically unthinkable - what, three days delay?! Instead I was up at the crack of dawn, setting off to Leeds, where I would run into Forbidden Planet and grab the precious cargo, throwing banknotes at the staff in my hurry to get home and begin many hours of Buffy delight.

Buying Merchandise At Forbidden Planet

Of course Forbidden Planet don’t just stock box-sets (of the DVD variety now). Figurines, books, board games and all kinds of paraphernalia will meet your gaze as you wander through this emporium. And all of it connected to nerd delights – superheroes, supernatural fantasy, gaming, science fiction, graphic novels, comics, etc. etc. (Why do Giles figurines (from BTVS) never sell, and always wind up sad, lonely and discounted in the bargain bin? It makes me melancholy! Giles can handle himself, and a stake too! He’s a superhero!)

I have always found the staff at Leeds Forbidden Planet to be friendly and pleasant: I guess it’s in the nature of the nerd to happily connect and communicate with those who share their interests! (Now I’m sounding like David Attenborough.)

The shop itself is a touch shabby and worn, but that’s in the nature of stores that attract devoted browsers – they start to show the effects of the concentrated footfall. This branch seem to hold sales and offer discounts quite often lately, so I wonder how business is and if online sales are impacting the business model of places that cater to geek interests. (Not surprising if so: they seem to be impacting pretty much everything else, and geeks will surely shop online more than anyone else). I guess with numerous shops and their own online empire that the Forbidden Planet organisation aren’t that worried though. But I love the Leeds branch of Forbidden Planet and hope it remains to serve the needs of the Leeds geek population for many years to come.

Studying At Leeds Metropolitan University For A Great Student Experience - Vocational Studies, Languages and More

Are you looking for a place in the UK to pursue your undergraduate or post-graduate studies (perhaps in West Yorkshire)? One institution of academic learning worth your consideration is Leeds Metropolitan University.

‘Leeds Met’ is one of the two major universities in the great city of Leeds in West Yorkshire, and in some respects might be considered something of a competitor with the other, Leeds University. It was created in its current incarnation in 1992 and currently hosts more than forty thousand students and post-graduate students. Famous alumni include Marc Almond and Austin Healy.1

Studying At Leeds Metropolitan University

The university is based on more than one site. One is located in the centre of town and hosts much of the college’s computing facilities. The other is further out of the town centre in the popular student area of Headingley, and is set in very attractive grounds with student residential accommodation, a handy refectory and a great student library with excellent facilities.

So what kind of courses does Leeds Metropolitan University offer? Looking at the prospectus, there is a heavy emphasis on vocational, useful and career-minded courses that can easily be applied to real world jobs and activities, such as accounting, health studies and sports coaching. These may be undergraduate or post-graduate courses e.g. the post-graduate qualification in Dietetics for those looking to qualify as a dietician.

Undergraduate and post-graduate courses aren’t the only educational offerings available to Leeds Metropolitan University students. The Leslie Silver International Faculty at Leeds Met also offers a very wide range of part-time language courses, both during the day and as evening classes. You can study Swedish, Mandarin or French, or any one of a whole range of other languages at any level from beginner to advanced. I think that’s pretty cool! (And of course, the existence of language courses suggests a sustained requirement for language teachers…)

The Leslie Silver part-time vocational language courses are funded at least in part by public money and therefore the tuition fees are really offered at bargain rates and are very good value indeed. I would however like to sound one single note of caution: this is that the deadlines for putting in an application to study on a particular language course are very, very strictly enforced, due to the public funding provided. If you really want to get on a language course at Leslie Silver, don’t get your application in late!

Of course there are other places to study in Leeds besides Leeds Metropolitan University. You could attend the University of Leeds, to start with, or All Saints University College. There are also multiple other specialist and further education colleges such as Leeds College of Art and Design, South Park College and Leeds College of Technology, some of which offer undergraduate study. But my own experiences of Leeds Metropolitan University have been great so far, and it’s certainly an institution of learning that’s well worth your consideration!

References:

1. 'Leeds Metropolitan University'. wikipedia.com 18/07/2010. Available at Accessed 18/07/2010.

Supplies Shopping For Crafters in West Yorkshire - Craftwise in Leeds

Do you love crafts? Are you into painting, drawing, modelling, making jewellery, papercrafts or one of umpteen other possible craft hobbies? Then you will know how important it is to find a retailer you can rely on to stock all the dozens of items you may need in the course of your crafty projects. If you live in West Yorkshire and shop in Leeds on a regular basis, then a craft shop that is worth checking out is Craftwise.

Craftwise is located on Merrion Way in Leeds 2, quite close to the Merrion Centre and on the way up to the university. It’s a relatively small shop considering how much stock is packed in there, and often quite busy. You might have to squeeze in a bit when you’re going to stock up on your craft supplies! But then square footage is expensive when you’re renting premises in a desirable commercial location. Every foot counts! In appearance it’s a little shabby but in a way that’s a recommendation: that’s what happens to a busy little shop with a lot of footfall. Only empty shops show no wear and tear!

Need Craft Business Tips?

I would not say that Craftwise is exactly cheap when it comes to a lot of items, e.g there are cheaper places to buy polymer clay and jewelry beads (especially online). But on the other hand their range of stock is actually pretty amazing when you consider the small space they cram it into. And there’s a wonderful convenience about being able to stop off in one shop and be pretty sure that they’ll have every damn crafty thing on your shopping list. I mean, if I want a particular shade of Fimo or Sculpey polymer clay, then quite often I will want it right now. I don’t want to have to source the cheapest possible place for it online, pay for it and then wait a week for it to arrive! (Check out the photo above for an example of the amazing things that can be done with polymer clay.) At Craftwise the range of polymer clays, as well as many other items, is pretty damn extensive: I can be fairly sure that they’ll have what I want, I can plonk my money down at the till and I have my Fimo shade of choice right there and then in my shopping bag. You just can’t beat that kind of convenience, and I think we’re a long way off the death of bricks and mortar retailing yet.

The staff seem to have a rapid turnover (or maybe that’s just my perception). But they’ve always been very nice and helpful including with any product questions I’ve had. I’m getting into making greetings cards lately, and it’s nice to know that Craftwise have a great paper and card selection (with an awesome colour range). Lately I’ve been putting jewelry making on hold as I’m finding getting craft insurance that covers overseas sales an issue. But back when I was more into it, I loved Craftwise’s selection of beads and jewellery findings. Again, they’re probably not the cheapest place to source this particular product range: but they have some unusual and great beads. Also different bead brands and types of findings (e.g. rolled gold, nickel, sterling silver) are at different price points (as you might expect). So if money is tight then you can still find some affordable bits and pieces to feed your jewellery making habit.

Alex Toys My Giant Busy Box

Craftwise isn’t just about the beads and art materials: their product range is very wide, including tools, glues, paints, model-making kits etc. etc. In fact more items than I could mention! If there’ a craft supply or tool that you’re looking for, then you can probably find it here. (As long as you can actually FIND IT – the place is a tiny bit cluttered! Just ask the staff for advice if not - they’ll help you out. Go check it out!)

Home Bargains at Leeds, UK: A Great Shop to Pick Up A Bargain!

Are you interested in saving money and picking up some bargains on a regular basis?  Do you live in West Yorkshire in the United Kingdom?  If so, then chances are that you've already heard of Home Bargains, situated in the Merrion Centre in the centre of Leeds.  But if not, then you should have!  It's a great, in some ways awesome, place to save money and enjoy a browse during your shopping experience in Leeds.

Is it a pound shop?  (For our American friends, a pound shop is the UK version of your dollar store.  Everything's a buck, right? But here, everything's a pound. I guess you'd worked it out for yourself already!)  However, the answer is that no, Home Bargains isn't a poundshop.  Which is a good thing in many ways.  I've noticed that in many pound shops, while you can often drop on a number of bargains, there are also numerous products that are not actually worth a full pound and can actually be bought cheaper elsewhere.  Even the occasional 'two for a pound' offers aren't always worth the money.  I guess the thinking is that you'll assume that, because you picked it up at the pound shop/dollar store, it must be humungous value for money.  Not always so!

So, Home Bargains isn't a pound shop.  There are lots of things it sells that cost more than a single pound.  But there are also lots of things it sell that cost less – sometimes a lot less.  The bargains at Home Bargains are real bargains!

Home Bargains in the Merrion Centre, Leeds, is a pretty large place with aisles divided up into different product areas.  Where should you grab a basket and head for?  Where are the best bargains to be had? 

Just inside the door there are often snacky and food items that are really drastically reducted compared to what you would pay elsewhere – potato chips, high-end breakfast cereals etc.  Often these are very close to their sell-by date – but so what, I say!  They aren't going to last that long in my house anyway!

I have found that the vitamins on sale at Home Bargains are also extremely cheap – especially when you consider that this is an item that has risen massively in price from most outlets over the last couple of years.  Improving your health can work out expensive!  Gift wrapping paper is often also to be found for much lower prices than elsewhere – another item where you can normally hand over two or three quid for a bit of coloured paper.

But my favourite Home Bargains bargain so far, is the industrial size container of mustard I purchased from there.  How big is it?  Well, I bought it months ago, and I love mustard – a lot.  And it's still going strong!  So I would say, pretty damn big!

I assume Home Bargains can sell items so cheaply for the same reasons as pound shops and dollar stores can: that they purchase stock from closing or failed businesses and sell items close to expiry date, etc.  But I think that Home Bargains pass on more of their savings to the customer than the average pound shop.  I never fail to check out what new deal Home Bargains has in store whenever I'm in Leeds!  The variety of stock available, and its unpredictability, is part of what makes the experience fun and an adventure.  Of course, you can't go there with a set shopping list and be sure that they'll have everything that you want in stock – but you can go to a regular supermarket for that (and pay regular supermarket prices). 

What if you don't live near Leeds, but you'd still like to experience the wonders of Home Bargains?  Well, I'm happy to say that there are lots of other branches of this great little store – and most probably one near you.  Find out, and check out Home Bargains today!



Photo credit: silverfox09
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