a guide to sheffield’s own division street.

If you read this blog enough you will probably know that I am from Sheffield therefore I thought it was about time for me to fill you in on some of my favourite places from my home city. This first post is actually quite a big task as I’m going to take on a whole street in Sheffield but it is my favourite street in the city so I’m willing to put some time and effort into this one. Here’s my post about Division Street and a guide to the places on it, in my opinion the best street in Sheffield and here is why.

Devonshire Green

This is pretty much the perfect place to hang out all year round but especially in summer. It was redone a few years ago and has walls you can sit on and plants and stuff now instead of it just being a big patch of grass and it looks really nice. There is a skatepark at the bottom and Forum’s beer garden runs out into Devonshire Green so the perfect place to sit and relax.

Forum

Forum is right next to Devonshire Green and I guess you could describe it as a mini shopping centre filled with cool little boutiques. Forum is open every day and is full of lots of individual and unique bits and pieces from small and cool Sheffield businesses. I’ll go into more detail about every single one of these places later on in the blog but Forum contains: Lottiebel’s Boutique, Fuse, Syd and Mallory, Ideology, Follow Your Dreams Tattoo, The Owl and The Pussycat Piercing Studio, Slugger, Subliminal Printing, Don’t Feed The Bears, Golden Harvest, The Forum bar and The Common Room [upstairs]. It’s the perfect place for many people as it has so many things all in one place. For me personally, it is one of the best places to visit in the city for many different reasons and it’s somewhere I always have a look in especially for shopping.
Forum’s website

Shops

[Clothes]

Ark is one of my favourite shops in the city. I love it so much but I don’t really own many items from there because it is a little bit expensive for a recent graduates budget. However, I would gladly have my whole wardrobe from that shop if I could afford it. I’d say it’s on similar pricing as Topshop so not overly expensive and out of people’s reach but not the place to go on a tight budget. It always has amazing clothes in that are covering all the trends but is also something a little bit different. I always find at least 5-10 items in there that I love and would buy every single time I go in. A must visit for something on trend but quite different.
Ark’s Website

Mint! is instantly recognisable with it’s cool sign and bright exterior. It’s a shop which will draw you inside and once inside will not disappoint with it’s array of cool and quirky bits and pieces for the house or for you, with clothes and accessories galore. A really good place to find something a little bit different as a present or a treat for yourself.
Mint!’s Facebook page

Ideology is a menswear boutique in Forum bringing the best designers from all over the UK, US and Europe to Sheffield. Opening in 2008, they aim to offer the best that menswear has to offer with contemporary and classic styles. A well set out store with plenty of brilliant clothes that you probably won’t find anywhere else in Sheffield. The men of Sheffield you all need to make a visit here.
Ideology’s website and Ideology’s site on Forum’s website

[Vintage]

Lottiebel’s Boutique is a lovely little boutique in Forum. It sells vintage clothing and accessories along with handmade cards, gifts and jewellery and homewares. The shop is well set out, a bit like the room every girl dreamed of having. I’ve been in a couple of times and there is a lot of really good stuff in there, everything is very reasonably priced as well. Plus, the staff are absolutely lovely!
Lottiebel’s Boutique Facebook page and Lottiebel’s Boutique’s site on Forum’s website

Syd and Mallory is a Sheffield brand of handmade items and vintage clothing, some of which has been reworked. Located in Forum and also sells on ASOS marketplace, this business has gone from strength to strength. The stuff they sell is good quality and there is something for everyone at a good price. Lovely, unique stuff.
Syd and Mallory’s website and Syd and Mallory’s site on Forum’s website

Bang Bang Vintage is situated on Westfield Terrace, just off Division Street and is an amazing shop for vintage clothing. Everything is priced reasonably and in some cases I’ve expected to pay a lot more for things than I have. All the items in there are of top quality and for me personally they are the go to shop for a dress for a special occasion as everything they have is so nice, you will always find at least one thing you like at a good price and you won’t see anyone else wearing the same thing as you. Also, some of their stuff is stocked on ASOS so search on there for some good buys especially if you can’t get to the store.
Bang Bang Vintage website

Freshmans is located just off of Division Street, on Carver Street, and is an utterly brilliant vintage shop. It’s prices range from cheap to slightly more pricey depending on what you are buying. It is all priced very well for the items you are wanting though. I’ve got many things from there over the years, all of excellent quality and they cover many eras. A must visit for all vintage fans as you will definitely find something you love in there.
Freshman’s Facebook page

Also, all these shops usually have a stall at the Vintage Fair that takes place every few months in the city. Vintage Fair’s Facebook page and their website.

[Alternative]

Fuse is in Forum right at the very bottom and has been there for years. I started going in Forum when I was about 13 and it was there then and I’m 21 now so it’s been there a while. It sells all the best in alternative clothing from Atticus to Famous Stars and Straps and most inbetween. Pretty much at similar prices to what it is on the internet or in other similar stores such as Pulp and Blue Banana. If you are a fan of the alternative clothing it’s a must visit and it’s a big space so there is plenty of stock in for your to browse.
Fuse’s site on Forum’s website and Fuse’s website

Rocky Horror has been a Division Street fixture for years, it’s moved locations since I started venturing up that end of town and is in a bigger store now. It’s an alternative/goth store stocking brands such as Criminal Damage and Hell Bunny and is also brilliant for Halloween, I’ve bought plenty of bits and pieces from there for Halloween costumes over the years. It’s a long established shop in Sheffield now and forever popular with teenagers, students and adults alike.
Rocky Horror’s website

[Skate]

Slugger is a skate shop situated in Forum, run by Martin Kennelly and Louis Slater from Chesterfield. Both are skateboarders and stock everything for boards to clothing, footwear and accessories.
Slugger’s site on Forum’s website and Slugger’s website

Slide is a skating and snowboarding shop on Division Street and again has been there for years. I’ve been in there a few times and it’s always full of good stuff from skate shoes to snowboards, they sell everything you would need. The staff are full of plenty of advice so it’s definitely a good place to go if you are thinking about starting skateboarding or snowboarding.
Slide’s website

[The Rest]

Subliminal Print is the place to go for all your printing needs in the Forum. They provide a while you wait printing service, printing things within the hour from £5.99. They print on many different things including t-shirts, mugs and hats etc. Get creative Sheffield.
Subliminal Print’s site on Forum’s website and Subliminal Print’s website

Don’t Feed The Bears is situated in Forum and is an independent t-shirt label. Their flagship store is the one in Forum and all designs are printed by them, all in small runs so only a limited number are ever printed. The label is run by Lucy Spencer and Tom Young who set it up in 2009. As well as their own printed designs, they also have a range of one-off customised t-shirts. A must visit for unique clothing from a local Sheffield business.
Don’t Feed The Bears site on Forum’s website and Don’t Feed The Bears website

Golden Harvest is the shop to visit for all your smoking needs. Located inside Forum, it’s Sheffield premier smoking shop and has been around for 10 years. They stock everything a smoker would need and lots of different brands including Rizla, Highland and OCB.
Golden Harvest’s site on Forum’s website

Places to Eat/Pubs

Bungalows and Bears is by far my favourite pub in Sheffield. It sells the best food in the whole city, in my opinion. It has plenty of beers and spirits on offer and it plays some brilliant music in there as well as putting on plenty of DJ nights featuring the best DJ’s around and brand new talent. The staff are very friendly and the service is pretty quick too even at busy times. The food is more expensive than some pubs in Sheffield but it is quality and you do get a hell of a lot of food for your cash. It’s a brilliant place for vegetarians too as they have a big range on offer for them. I recommend the Shroomaloomi Burger and their chocolate brownie is to die for.
Bungalows and Bears website

The Frog and Parrot has been around for quite a while now and it’s a good pub so I can see why it’s become such a fixture of this street. They have a wide selection of drinks, the food is really good and all at reasonable prices. The atmosphere in there is always good, it puts on live music events, the staff are friendly and it’s a nice, well decorated interior. A great place to go for lunch or a drink with friends.

The Forum Cafe and Bar is on the corner of Forum with a terrace spilling over onto Devonshire Green. It’s the perfect place to visit on a sunny day to sit out in the sun and enjoy a drink or two. They have one of my favourite ciders, Rekorderlig, on tap [which I’ve not seen in any other pub] and their belgian waffle is so good! The menu looks really good too, I’m planning on going back to sample some more food soon. They cater for vegetarians and have a range of gluten free meals. A brilliant bar with a lovely atmosphere and they play some brilliant music.
Forum Cafe and Bar website

The Common Room is upstairs in Forum and is the places for sports. With a pool table, table football, table tennis and plenty of massive TV’s for you to watch all your sports on. They have DJ’s on most nights as well. Serving American diner food and a big selection of drinks on offer, a must visit for all sports fans for sure.
The Common Room’s website

The Old House is a nice quaint little bar and a brilliant place for a drink. They have a huge range of drinks on offer as you will see when you walk in and see all the spirit bottles behind the bar. They also serve food at reasonable prices, yet again catering for vegetarians. Definitely one of my favourite places to go for a drink in the city as it’s such a warm and inviting atmosphere and the staff are lovely.
The Old House’s website

The Great Gatsby hasn’t been open long but has already become a prominent fixture in Sheffield. It sells a range of meals and drinks including plenty of cocktails and is open until 3am on a Saturday night. One to check out.
The Great Gatsby website

Devonshire Chippy, alright so it’s not high class cuisine or pub grub but it’s a highlight of this street. Devonshire Chippy is honestly THE best chip shop I have ever eaten at. Their chips are amazingly good, their prices are ridiculously low and their portions are a good size. A must visit.

Also, check out Green Room, The Bowery and across the road from The Bowery a little square of new restaurants including Vodka Revolution and 23 Bar and Restaurant.

Clubs

If the 90’s is what you are after then head to Babylon which is on Carver Street, just off of Division Street. It plays music from that era and has drinks offers most nights, skittle cocktails are amazing fyi. There is a massive dancefloor so perfect if you are after a night of dancing until your feet hurt all to the soundtrack of the 90’s. It’s open until very late at weekends and if like me, you are in your early 20’s then going there will basically just remind you of your childhood. You say you can’t remember the words to any Spice Girls song well you wait until they play one of their many hits at half 2 in the morning and you’re belting the words out.
Babylon’s website

Tattoos/Piercings

Follow Your Dreams Tattoo is located in Forum. Follow Your Dreams is run by Tacho Franch, he’s being tattooing professionally since 2001, for more information visit his website.
Follow Your Dream’s site on Forum’s website

The Owl and The Pussycat is a piercing studio based in Forum. They specialise in a lot of different piercings including surface piercings etc. They also stock handmade jewellery among other bits and pieces. To find out more, see their blog.
The Owl and The Pussycat’s site on Forum’s website

Five Magics Tattoo is a bit hidden away in Aberdeen Court, a little courtyard next to Mint. It’s open Tuesday to Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday. Tattooing here is Rich Smith, it is a really brilliant tattoo parlour. I went in there for my last tattoo and the service was amazing! It’s my favourite tattoo I have as it just looks so perfect. I went in with a rather shoddy design [it wasn’t the best in all honesty] went back a week later and they had designed a new tattoo for me based on the design I took in, it looked a million times better and it’s completely unique to me. I recommend there highly, prices around similar to all other tattoo parlours.

So there we have it my guide to Division Street. Obviously, there are others shops and stuff on there like Costa, Starbucks etc but you don’t really need an explanation of what they do as they are everywhere. I just wanted to show everyone what I really love about Sheffield and Division Street in particular. There are a lot of local businesses up there and people creating unique clothing etc. It is by far my favourite place in the city to go shopping, you are guaranteed to find something amazing up there. There is a lot of amazing bars to have lunch or a drink in and plenty of places to shop as well as Devonshire Green to hang out on. There is a lot going on but it’s definitely the best place to explore and discover something a bit different about the city than all the other usual stuff that you can get in any other city in the UK.

Credits

– Devonshire Green picture.
– First image of Division Street
– Second image of Division Street

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