Armadillo

Armadillo is a brilliant craft /​fair trade gift shop — I usually go there for clothes dye, but have also bought little presents from their range of windchimes, dreamcatchers, beady jewellery and so on. The lady who owns the place is friendly and laid-​back, and it has a real village-​shop kind of vibe.

Based on the Poplar Road Armadillo is a gift and craft shop that is the sort of place I would have happily spent all my pocket money in as a small child. It certainly seems popular with girls of a certain age who are drawn to the vast selection of beads they sell here. For those of you not immediately drawn to bright and glittering things Armadillo also offers a range of arts and crafting items as well as giftware such as mugs, coasters, home ware and notebooks. I was rather touched on my last visit to hear the lady who runs the shop explain to a teenage lad who the ‘fella in the beret’ on the mouse mat was (Che Guevera of course… good old Kings Heath)

Armadillo is one of a kind in the Kings Heath area. They specialise in arts, crafts and general bits and bobs that fall under both of those loosely defined categories.
I bought some decorative hanging birds from there as a gift (strange gift I know) for an arts and crafts appreciating person. They’ve hung them in a visible place in their house which validates that they weren’t such a bad choice after all.
The shop has many things of this ornamental bird type — lots of beads, picture frames that are put to best use (I imagine) when someone is artistically disposed. So if you’re artistically disposed or know someone who is you will probably like this shop. With a little creativity the possibilities are endless.
Pop in and let your imagination run wild.

Among the delights that Armadillo sell are gifts, cards, and Fair Trade Jewellery. Lots of their stock is Fair Trade in fact. The best feature though is the arts and crafts materials that they have, at the back of the shop. A browse though them is sure to inspire the most uncreative amongst us to want to whip something up in a makeshift kitchen workshop.
They sell a few Lomo cameras too and I’ve often been tempted to part with some money for one of these beauts. Originally designed in Russia to be used by spies to take pictures in low-​light conditions, they produce prints with an atmospheric and unique character.
Armadillo also have hundreds of designs of different beads. When I was in the shop a small girl was stood on a chair while she and her mum both made necklaces, while they both chatted away as the morning sun slipped round the corner and in through the shop window. Worth taking a peek in here past the shop display, as there is more in here than immediately meets the eye.