James Selby

If you want quality bed linen go to James Selby they have everything that JL has but at a more affordable price. At sale times you can pick up exceptional bargains..so take a look

Good store for those boring household purchases. Waitrose a couple of doors down used to be a John Lewis about 15-20 years ago, so that was the department store of choice. Having seen that (and the huge Woolworths that used to be opposite McDonalds in Seven Sisters Road) off, James Selby is the only choice unless you want to embark on a West-End expedition. Upstairs is where I usually shop, for bedding, cushions, curtains, and other household stuff. They even have some discount French Connection stuff downstairs which is always a joy. Admittedly it is very old school and the crumblies love it but I'll take that over getting a bus to buy bed linen.

This is a nice little department store to have on your doorstep if you just can't face going shopping Up West. Concessions include Topshop, Warehouse, Dorothy Perkins and Faith, and there's a smattering of French Connection stuff as well if you can be bothered searching through the rails. Ideal for a Saturday morning browse before you pop off to do your weekly grocery shop in Morrisons (or Waitrose, if you're posh/loaded). But James Selby really comes into its own at sale time. You can pick up some cracking bargains in the homeware section upstairs where you can make some serious savings on cutlery, glassware, bedding, cookware and so on. Definitely worth a look.

This is a large department store on Holloway Road. Like most it sells everything, with cosmetics at the front and various other concessions including Topshop which is quite useful if you do not fancy a trip into the West End . One useful department is the haberdashery upstairs.

Forget John Lewis. Forget Selfridges. If you want a department store, let's go back to the Eighties - let's go to James Selby. It's not quite "Are you Being Served?", but walk though the doors and it's a trip down Amnesia Lane. Badly merchandised, badly laid out and badly organised, it's lack of sophistication gives it a pleasant nativity in today's over-marketed shopping experience.