As far as Brookside goes, it's been my family's local (and very small) shopping centre all my life…read more It's because Brookside has always provided the fundamentals: places to get groceries, newsagents, a Coffee Club, Myer and Target, a chemist, and a few other ever-changing stores dotted throughout it. I've essentially always seen Brookside as a basic shopping centre and, even though it has a special place in my heart, a shopping centre without any speciality shops to be profoundly proud of. But now, a little bit older and hopefully a little bit wiser, I stumbled across House + Garden by pure chance as I was waiting for a friend. I'm happy to report that House + Garden has a really great/love/affordable range of homewares, knick-knacks, furniture, furnishings, and kitchen gadgets. I'm not obnoxious enough to think that I've seen all types of cabinet styles, but obnoxious enough to say that I've seen a lot, especially after trolling through Antique stores. But I was delighted when I saw a white cabinet set that has five charming hidden doors. House + Garden also boasts a fantastic range of arty pictures, some of which are inspiring, and some of which have famous people like Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe splattered across them. The kitchen section is equally charming, and set up just like it would be inside a home. I can easily say I would find something here and if I had the funds, would also spill my savings. I'm a fan, and I'm really impressed that Brookside hosts such a lovely and quaint little homeware shop.

I love this shop. Plenty of fun stuff for girls. A limited range of clothing, lots of jewelry and…read morevarious gift items.

Whether you are getting hitched, attending an extravagant ball or just like to wear fancy dresses…read morearound the house while you vacuum, A Formal Affair at Alderley will have a dress for you! The gowns here are absolutely gorgeous, so many colours, fabrics and styles to choose from you will be in frock heaven! The prices are reasonable and you will find that they have regular sales. This is the best time to go as you can pick up some amazing bargains. I love this store so much, I often find myself wandering in off the street (just to browse) and spending hours and hours just looking at all of the beautiful dresses, hats, fascinators, jewellery and handbags... it is a girly paradise! The best thing about A Formal Affair is that if you don't like any of the 600 gowns they have in store, you can choose from over 8000 (!!!) others online which they can order in for you - choices, choices, choices! You will definitely find what you are looking for.

The Collective is a little gem of a store, with beautiful treasures for those looking for a unique…read moreor hand made gift. It definitely has a style of it's own and possibly will not appeal to anyone looking for new and modern, although there is some merit in combining vintage with modern. They have clothing, toys, vinyl, knitted items and much more. Definitely worth a look. I noticed a gorgeous hand made wooden fawn yesterday, so precious!

The Collective is all things good about people power. I love that this fairly altruistic venture…read moreprovides an outlet for lots of talented, crafty people to showcase their creations and maybe make a dollar or two. A stroll through this shop has me wanting; the prices aren't always cheap but there's a lot of work in handcrafted goods. From dolls to clothes, and woodwork to toys, there are treasures here. It's the kind of place that's always good for finding a gift for someone near and dear, though not so much for the guys.

I honestly expected a place named after a British comedy show to be a little tacky, but absolutely…read morefabulous is far from tacky. There's weird and wonderful knick-knacks, toys, books, and gadgets to delight and entertain even the dreariest of company. There is choice everywhere you look: For that morbid friend you have, there is a guide to hypochondria; for the friend that won't trade in their old wallet, there's a range of vibrant colours ad luggage to match; for the friend who's trying to make their place more homely, there are countless pillows and kitchen utensils with a twist, pant-shaped egg cups, and china sets; and for lovers of jewellery there is a vast array of wooden styles to add an earthy feel to your outfit. There are just bits and pieces of everything littered around this store, in a good way of course. Everything is almost retro-modern, especially the furniture they have sitting outside the door. Absolutely Fabulous is that place where you know you'll find a birthday or Christmas gift for anyone, because their range is far too widespread for anyone to dislike anything.

Absolutely Fabulous is one of those stores that will impress…read moreeven the grumpiest person in your clan. I have seen all sorts of people happily walk through the Ab Fab doors ...and really why not? This place is one of the best little retro/gift stores around. A haven of quirky goods and trinkets, this place has everything from bird key holders, pug bookends and novelty shower caps to art cards, beautiful gift paper and vintage ornaments. This store is in my arsenal of places to go to when a person is annoyingly difficult to buy for or is someone I don't know very well. (I can guarantee you will find perfect gifts a plenty here.) Ab Fab is worth a definite gander when out and about in Woolloongabba!

I love books. I am the type of person who likes to buy a book and admire it on my bookshelf after I…read moreread it, even if I don't read it again for a few years. If I had a bigger house, I would love to have a whole room decorated much like the TLC Book store. They have lovely wooden shelves and doorway and the books are displayed with pride. The range of books is surprisingly good for such a small space with a range of non-fiction topics and fiction for adults, kids and teens. It is a nice store to pop your head into if you are in the area.

Boutique book store. This means small, friendly and, yes, intimate. I'm not always a fan of small…read moreshops where I might need to talk when I don't feel like it, but TLC Books is the kind of place where you don't have to leave your comfort zone for a second. The staff are happy to let you browse, and there are so many great books, adults, kids, fiction and non-fiction, to take in, it's easy to see they were lovingly selected. And what do you know? When the time came to talk my fellow Tim Winton enthusiast and I had a great chat.

Having recently attended a huge sale at Green Grass, I can…read moreattest to the cuteness of this boutique. Bird head cookie canisters, cute babushka glasses (that stacked into each other!) cookbooks, coffee keep cups (that are handy for Park Bench Expresso next door) dreamy wooden bowls, perfumes, colourful and sweet leather bags, aroma Diffusers, T2 containers and oddles of cute children's paraphernalia. ...All this AND more are available at this winsome Oxford St Store. I'd dedicate some time to peruse the shelves as there is a lot of stock to process, but this scrutiny is well worth it when you walk out with that highly coveted item.

I don't think gift shops can get more cute and whimsical than Green Grass Home & Body. They have…read morebunting hanging in their store for goodness' sake. Bunting. This place is the definition of quaint. They sell a really lovely range of homewares and gifts that you can't pass over. The shop itself gives off an aura of freshness and sweetness, but I'm probably biased because I like bunting and tea, of which they had a lot sitting in a corner. There are cooking utensils and cards and a slew of books appropriate to sit in your home, whether you actually want to read them or you just want people to think you read them. I was particularly impressed with a book of miscellaneous facts about everything and nothing. Grab a coffee around the corner and pick an appropriate gift for a friend or for yourself in this delightful little shop.

If there ever was a store that made me feel more like a…read morenerdy 12 year old again, it's Australian Geographic. Littered with fun odds and ends, me and my brother can easily spend an hour roaming up and down the aisles. This place is perfect for any budding scientist or explorer, and the toys on offer here manage to be both educational AND FUN. (I realize that I sound like a mom when I say that but it's true.) I love coming here for gifts and to peruse the various science kits on display. (The telescopes here are pretty boss as well.) ...This is also the store where I nearly bought a coin-sorter only to be conspiratory told by the staff ladies that the 5 and 10 cent slots don't work. (You gotta admire their honesty.) With a store handily located near the foodcourt, this place is well worth a gander when in the chermside megaplex.

Did you know that glow in the dark stars and planets are surprisingly a pain in the you know…read moreYelping what? I didn't. Until I had to actually find some for decorating my 3 year olds room. Here in the Australian Geographic shop is where you can buy a pack of glow in the dark plastic planets and stars for under $30 (still a rip off if you ask me seeing their just pieces of plastic), and buy 2 packs I did. They also sell things you can buy your older kids like Create Your Own Ant Farm kits and hermit crab habitats and what they truly do excel at are the bubble machines. Great for kids parties, the toddlers and babies are drawn to bubbles for some weird reason. Another thing you can buy here which is brilliant for birthday parties is a rubberised bowling set with 10 pins and a ball. Very hardy... you're looking at just over $50 but you can get quite a lot of use out of it when the kids are bigger. What don't they sell her, my son likes the little squishy balls that feel terribly disgusting, slimy and gooey but aren't. I'm sure you can imagine, you can find a lot here, gifts, telescopes. Kids love the place and guess what... so do I.