No Alibis specializes in crime fiction in all its colorful shapes and forms; whodunits, thrillers, murder mysteries, detective fiction and more. No Alibis is also Belfast's foremost independent bookstore stocking American 20th-century politics and history texts, offering an efficient and comprehensive ordering service for the students of American Studies at Queen's University which is just around the corner. Aside from the engrossing range of literature on offer, No Alibis provides a small reading area, decorated by a selection of oil paintings.
Located in the charming city of Belfast, Co Couture is a specialty chocolate store. Owned by Deirdre McCanny, the place opened up in the year 2008 and is producing fine exotic chocolate since then. Their chocolate has been awarded several times and has been acclaimed internationally. The place is also famous for offering chocolate classes for amateur cooks. Make way to this quaint store if you are craving some sweet treats.
This tiny health food shop is the only one in central Belfast. For its size it stocks an extraordinary range of foods and natural medicines, and friendly staff are on hand to help you find what you're looking for. Whether you're interested in homeopathic cures for jet lag, organic dried apricots or biodegradable detergents, this is the place to find them. There's a deli serving a range of vegetarian snacks and cakes and a notice board filled with information on everything "alternative" from health fairs to Thai massage.
Some might call it 'hippie', but once you've waded through to the front counter you'll find it's a gem of a jewelery shop lurking beneath tassels and tie-dyes. Quality silver remains timeless and they have wads of chunky rings engraved with Gothic intricacy, or other Celtic-style designs cast in unique Irish silver. Technicolor stones from around the globe abound, as well as literally hundreds of rings for ear, nose, belly and various other bodily destinations. Fresh Garbage has been a firm fixture in Belfast, making Rosemary Street a Mecca for generations of females to come. A rarity in jewelery shops with atmosphere, there's some fascinating clothing and, as you'll notice, it smells good too.
Bradbury Art Store sells frames, pencils, paints, paintbrushes, canvases, cards, pens, and ink. It has an excellent range of paper, including hand-made Japanese paper in a wide variety of delicate hues. Staff are on hand to help you with all your technical questions. There's an ongoing series of lectures and workshops by known artists held on the shop premises, designed to teach you the fundamentals of everything from watercolor to portraiture. If you're more interested in the finished product, rather than in producing masterpieces yourself, cards and prints, unframed or framed, are prominently displayed.
More expensive than a typical supermarket, the food hall in Marks and Spencer sells the tastiest food in the city center. Excellent sandwiches and a broad range of convenience foods cater to those who buy dinner on the way home from the office or who consider themselves gourmets without wanting to spend time in preparation. A good place to come if you're vegetarian, or interested in foreign cuisine or sushi. You'll find your organic vegetables here scrubbed and packaged and ready to go.