14 Craft Shops in the UK to Try Besides Hobbycraft

Hobbycraft is often called the UK's Hobby Lobby, the shop most people think of first for craft supplies.

But no single shop can cover every project. Some crafters want lower prices, some want a specialist range, and some just live nowhere near a Hobbycraft.

Our guide lists the best 14 craft shops and craft stores across the UK, so whatever you are making, you can find the right one.

Quick Comparison: Best Craft Shops in the UK

1. Hobbycraft

Best for: Almost any craft project, as a starting point

Hobbycraft was founded in 1995 by the Haskins Group, a nursery and garden supplier in the south of England, and it has since grown into the UK's biggest and best known craft superstore chain.

It earns the Hobby Lobby comparison honestly. Even if you are not a dedicated crafter, it is well worth a browse.

Stock and prices can vary a little by branch, especially on clearance items. Before you head to a specific store, it helps to check its stock online first, so you know whether it actually has what you need.

Key Details:

• Core products: Paint, paper crafts, yarn, sewing supplies, seasonal kits, framing
• Standout benefit: Wide UK coverage and a membership scheme with birthday perks
• Locations: Find Hobbycraft stores near you

Source: Henry Saker-Clark

2. The Range

Best for: Budget shoppers who do not need specialist materials

The Range built its name on cheap home goods, but its craft supplies aisles hold their own too. You will find canvases, paint, card making supplies and glue at prices that usually beat Hobbycraft.

The trade off is choice. The yarn wall is smaller, and if you need a specific shade or brand, you may come away empty handed. For general painting, card making and everyday projects, though, it does the job well.

Key Details:

• Core products: Paint, canvases, craft paper, decoupage, basic yarn
• Standout benefit: Lower prices than Hobbycraft on most everyday basics
• Locations: Find The Range stores near you

Source: The Range

3. The Works

Best for: Family crafts, kids' activities and casual makers

The Works is less of a specialist craft shop and more of a family favourite for quick, low cost projects. It is a reliable choice for birthday party crafts, school activity boxes and simple art sets.

It will not satisfy a serious quilter or a professional painter, but for stickers, kids' art sets and party bags, it is hard to beat on price.

Key Details:

• Core products: Kids' craft kits, stationery, party supplies, basic art sets
• Standout benefit: Low prices on party and school project supplies
• Locations: Find The Works stores near you

Source: Ellis Hawthorne

4. Boyes

Best for: Shoppers in the North of England looking for value

Boyes does not get much attention outside the North of England, but it is a genuine find for anyone who lives near one. It is a department style craft store that mixes clothing and homeware with a genuinely useful craft section.

It offers good value wool, fabric and basic art supplies, often cheaper than the bigger national chains. If you live in a town with a Boyes, it is worth checking before you head to a retail park Hobbycraft.

Key Details:

• Core products: Wool, fabric, basic art supplies, haberdashery
• Standout benefit: Often cheaper than national chains for the same basics
• Locations: Find Boyes stores near you

Source: Boyes

5. John Lewis's Haberdashery Department

Best for: Sewing and dressmaking supplies bought alongside other shopping

John Lewis is a department store, not a craft shop. But its haberdashery counter is one of the best kept secrets for sewing supplies in the country.

The Oxford Street flagship has one of the biggest haberdashery floors in the UK, complete with Liberty print fabrics sold by the metre. Smaller branches are a different story. Some only have a couple of shelves, so it is worth checking what a specific store carries before you go.

Fabric cut to order, including Liberty prints by the metre, is not available for Click and Collect. If you are buying online, it comes as a home delivery instead.

Key Details:

• Core products: Fabric, ribbon, buttons, thread, sewing notions, Liberty print fabric
• Standout benefit: Quality trims and haberdashery in a store you already visit
• Locations: Find John Lewis stores near you

Source: Kate Holton

6. Wool Warehouse

Best for: Online yarn shopping across every price point

Wool Warehouse is one of the best regarded UK yarn sites, with a range that stretches from cheap and cheerful to proper luxury yarn.

It does not have a physical store, so this is one for anyone happy to order and wait for delivery rather than browse in person.

Key Details:

• Core products: Yarn, knitting and crochet supplies, patterns
• Standout benefit: One of the widest yarn ranges available in the UK

Shop online at Wool Warehouse. This is an online only retailer with no physical stores to visit.

Source: Wool Warehouse

7. Fabricland

Best for: Sewing and dressmaking supplies at a fair price

Fabricland only has a handful of locations, but crafters who live near one rely on it for buttons, thread and general craft supplies.

Quality can be a little mixed, and colours do not always match what you see online, so it helps to check items in person if you can. With stores mainly around Bristol and Kingston upon Thames, it is well worth a visit if you happen to live nearby.

Key Details:

• Core products: Fabric, buttons, thread, sewing notions
• Standout benefit: A strong range of basics if you live near one of its stores
• Locations: Find Fabricland stores near you

Source: Wheree

8. Cass Art

Best for: Artists and art students who want proper quality

Cass Art is built for people who take their art seriously. Where general craft shops treat paint and brushes as one category among many, Cass Art treats them as the whole point.

Expect better quality scissors, cutting mats and paint than you would find at a typical craft store, along with staff who actually understand what art students and working artists need.

Key Details:

• Core products: Paint, brushes, sketchbooks, canvases, professional art materials
• Standout benefit: A step above general craft shops on art specific materials
• Locations: Find Cass Art stores near you

Source: The Retail Bulletin

9. Crafter's Companion

Best for: Card makers and paper craft hobbyists

Crafter's Companion has built a strong following among card makers and paper crafters, and it shows in how often it ranks for craft shop searches in the UK.

It currently runs one physical store, in Evesham, alongside a wide range of products sold online. If you are not near Evesham, the website carries the full range and regularly runs live crafting shows.

Key Details:

• Core products: Card making supplies, paper crafts, stamps, dies
• Standout benefit: A dedicated paper craft range hard to find elsewhere
• Locations: Find Crafter's Companion in Evesham

Source: Chesterfield

10. Ultimate Craft

Best for: Londoners who want a well stocked shop closer to the centre

Ultimate Craft comes up again and again when Londoners ask each other where to shop for craft supplies, and it is often named as one of the best craft stores in the city. It is known for feeling like it has everything, from foam and fabric to glue and general sewing supplies.

With branches in Camden, Archway, Stoke Newington and Crawley, it is a genuinely useful option if you live near London, though it will not help much if you are elsewhere in the country.

Key Details:

• Core products: Foam, fabric, glue, sewing supplies, general craft materials
• Standout benefit: A wide range packed into a few central London locations
• Locations: Find Ultimate Craft stores near you

Source: Ultimate Craft

11. Fred Aldous

Best for: Manchester crafters who want history alongside good stock

Fred Aldous has been trading in Manchester for 140 years, and it still feels like one of the coolest craft shops in the country rather than a relic. It covers everything from traditional basket weaving materials to laser cutting services.

It is a Manchester institution more than a national chain, so this one is really for crafters in the North West or anyone willing to make the trip.

Key Details:

• Core products: General craft supplies, art materials, laser cutting services
• Standout benefit: A long running independent feel that chains cannot copy
• Locations: Find Fred Aldous in Manchester

Source: The Range

12. Liberty London

Best for: Gifts, special projects and a memorable shopping trip

Liberty London's haberdashery department is one of the most photographed craft counters in the UK, and for good reason. The Liberty print fabrics alone are worth the visit.

The quilting cotton and dress fabric are genuinely gorgeous, though prices sit well above the rest of this list. This is a shop for a special project or a gift, not for stocking up on everyday basics.

Key Details:

• Core products: Liberty print fabric, ribbon, high end haberdashery
• Standout benefit: Fabric and trims you will not find anywhere else in the UK
• Locations: Find Liberty London on Regent Street

Source: House Beautiful

13. Folksy

Best for: Independent, British-made materials

Folksy is the UK's own answer to Etsy, and every seller on it has to be based in Britain. That local only rule keeps the platform focused on genuinely independent makers rather than mass produced imports.

Alongside finished handmade goods, Folksy has a dedicated supplies section worth knowing about. It is where you will find independently dyed yarns, small batch fabric prints, beginner friendly craft kits for things like embroidery and needle felting, and handmade extras such as ceramic buttons that a big chain like Hobbycraft simply will not stock.

If you are curious about how Folksy compares with a bigger marketplace for selling your own work rather than buying supplies, our Etsy vs Folksy comparison breaks down the fees and the pros and cons.

Key Details:

• Core products: Independent yarn and fabric, craft kits, patterns, handmade findings
• Standout benefit: British only sellers and materials you will not find at the big chains

Shop online at Folksy.

Source: Studio Binky

14. LoveCrafts

Best for: Yarn, patterns and a crafting community

LoveCrafts is another online favourite for fibre arts, often mentioned in the same breath as Wool Warehouse. It combines a shop with a community area where crafters share patterns and projects.

The range covers yarn, knitting and crochet supplies, plus a large library of patterns, so it works well if you want inspiration alongside your shopping.

Key Details:

• Core products: Yarn, crochet hooks and needles, patterns, stitching supplies
• Standout benefit: A strong pattern library alongside its yarn range

Shop online at LoveCrafts. This is an online only retailer with no physical stores to visit.

Source: The Range

Final Thoughts

There is no single best craft shop or craft store in the UK, and that is fine.

• If you want the closest thing to a one stop shop, Hobbycraft is still the easiest place to start.
• If price matters more than range, The Range and Boyes make more sense.
• If you want British made materials with a personal touch, Folksy is worth a look.

The best approach is to match the shop to the project, not to expect one store to do it all. If wood, ceramic or acrylic interest you more than fabric or paper, UV printing is worth a look too.

If you are also thinking about where to sell what you make, our guide to craft fairs in the UK and this roundup of side hustle ideas in the UK are worth a read.

FAQs

What shops are similar to Hobbycraft?

The Range and The Works are the closest matches for everyday supplies. If you know Hobby Lobby in the US, think of Hobbycraft as its UK counterpart, with The Range and The Works as two of the closest local alternatives.

What are the best online craft shops in the UK?

Wool Warehouse and LoveCrafts are two of the most recommended online shops, especially for yarn. Folksy is also worth a look for British made materials and craft kits.

Where can I find independent craft shops in the UK?

Ultimate Craft in London and Fred Aldous in Manchester are two well known independent craft shops in the UK. For others near you, try searching your town name with the word haberdashery or craft shop.

Is Hobbycraft expensive compared to other UK craft shops?

It depends what you are buying. Some crafters find it more expensive than The Range or Boyes for the same basic supplies, so it is worth comparing a few items before you commit to one store.