Flooring available at Harvey Norman booval Helpful staff…read morethat can give you a stress free service

I walked into The Trading Circle with trepidation. It's immediately evident from the store signage…read morethat this shop, established by a non-profit company to support women in poverty, has the potential to be quite expensive. I can't think of a better reason than charity for supporting Paddington's higher prices when it comes to non-essential shopping, but I was surprised to note that merchandise here was far from overpriced. Not only were the prices reasonable, the merchandise spans a large range of trinkets, gifts, toys, clothing and jewellery - the perfect place to pick up a gift or a treat for yourself. I bought a beautiful blue beaded bracelet for $4.50 - the packaging contained a picture of the child who made this particular bracelet, her name and other personal information. Such jewellery is made by children suffering from AIDS or are exposed to conditions of poverty where AIDS flourishes. All of the hand-made goods here are ridiculously gorgeous and well-crafted. One section of the store reminded me of a hippy store, with colourful knapsack-style bags, purses and pillow cases lining the aisles. (However, the quality was clearly much, much better than your standard hippy store.) Another section, featuring hand-made soft toys such as clowns, clocks and other critters reminded me of a toy shop. Yet another part had me drawn in for a good ten minutes - the jewellery selection. Here are some absolutely gorgeous earrings, totally unique and respectable in price (around $25 a pair and sturdily made). The store also sells cards, home ware and coffee, tea and chocolates. The staff are friendly but not pushy - the perfect combination. There is also a free gift-wrapping service as an Xmas bonus. This is one of the best places to shop in Paddington. I have to admit I was very surprised by how much there was to see here, how unique the merchandise was and how perfectly the Good Shepherd Sisters have pulled together this store. I'll be coming back again soon for some last-minute Xmas shopping, for sure. And it certainly won't be the last time I'll be coming here.

The Trading Circle is a fantastic initiative set up by the Good Shepherd Sisters. Their mandate is…read morehelping women trade out of poverty and they do this by focussing on helping women in poverty stricken areas set up micro enterprises, usually with a community focus. So what does this mean for you? In this one spot you can find a wealth of unique, quirky items that not only feel good to own, but feel good to buy. This store is particularly good for anyone buying for kids (think beautifully crafted toys and clothes), however it's also a great shop for homewares and gifts. The items you buy at this store are not only beautifully crafted, they are also helping women across the world AND have the added benefit of novelty. Your gift will not be the same as anyone else's and you can feel a wee bit smug that your money went to a good cause instead of feeding big corporations. They also have a great range of Christmas decorations, and during December are open from 10am - 2pm on Sundays to help with the demand.

Swedish home and office style... Now I like that. It's easy to get lost in a store like this, not…read moreon account of its size and space, but with the number of cool products one can find in there. There is a lot of great products to help even the most disorganized person. There are To-Do Lists, Weekly Planner Lists, Calendars, an endless number of organisation folders... From recipes, pets, bills and receipts. The girls who work here are very helpful. I was in search of the perfect gift for my mum and they helped me sort it out. They even helped me find a gift for myself. It's also handy if you are looking for something in a certain price range as there is a table to the right as you enter the store, where a few items are categorised into price ranges to make the picking and choosing a bit easier.

The best stationary shop, always great sales on. Staff are always very helpful and bright.read more

Ali was very courteous and provided excellent customer service. I will definitely return to this…read morelocation!

Every time I walk into this shop I feel inspired to become the greatest cook and the most…read moreextraordinary baker in my family. How could I not be inspired? They have the coolest gadgets when it comes to cooking equipment. I love the designs they stock, the colours and the variety. You can walk in with no intention of buying, but end up leaving with a whole bunch of fun kitchen appliances. For example recently, I wasn't looking for anything in particular but I ended up walking out with a pair of tongs with bright red ends that have a bend on them, so when you lay it on the bench, the tongs won't touch the surface. Genius! The customer service here is very good. They helped with all the queries I had, even showed me products on the top shelves which required a use of a ladder. They were informative and knowledgable in regards to the items they sell. This is my favourite kitchen/homewares store in Mt Ommaney Centre.

What do you get for people who have everything? If you're not sure and you have some coffers to…read moresling hit up Renaissance Luxury Collections at Chermside Shopping Centre. The have all types of classic European designs from lamps to doll, from frames to pen sets. It's a store that has a class about it without being too demanding on the hip pocket. My parents who love this place and recommended me to go there when I was unsure of what for family friend's birthday. Looking around I had no idea of what to get but the sales manager Hao was a great help. She asked me about the person I was buying for and the money I had, tried to get me thinking on what my friend liked as collectables. Then finally we found a beautiful ink pen set with quill and pot. When he opened his present we was amazed and thankful and told me it was one of the most original gifts he had ever received.

This is a pretty crazy, quirky gift store that has a pretty even mix of stuff I love and stuff I…read morehate. I do love the stationary, the pens and some of the lamps. I hate the statues and find the dolls pretty freaky. A little hit and miss but the staff are lovely and they often have good sales, so definitely worth a look.

It's not a secret that my family enjoys furniture shopping. We don't buy furniture all the time…read moreobviously, otherwise our house would be full and we would be broke, but we really enjoy browsing and looking at the new designs added. Recently, we were on the hunt for a new outdoor table to put under our pergola. We wanted to replace the old we had since 1999. Good riddance! It actually came as a surprise, we found the table we wanted at the price we wanted at Barbeques Galore in The Gabba. It was the perfect size and the quality is very good. There was a special going on at that time so we took full advantage of it and bought right there and then. As soon as we made the decision a staff member approached and asked if we needed help. He couldn't have come at a better time. The decision was made and all we could reply was, "we'll take this, thanks!". Great store full of fantastic outdoor furniture are good prices. Staff are friendly and helpful and service is always available.

Brissie fashion owes a lot to the two ladies behind S&B (Heidi and Sarah Jane), in my opinion. The…read moreBrisVegas born pair's international success encouraged a whole load of up and comers to give it a go, and thus began the much-needed resurgence of the local fashion scene. So it's great to see that after years of only being able to get Sass and Bide in selected retailers/department stores, a few stand-alone shops have sprung up. This is my fave for the simple reason that it's the most convenient for me to pop into. And I love the huge white space, with the main focus of the decore being the beautiful, eclectic clothes on the rails. Which, currently, have an ethnic vibe with loud, but fabulous patterns, amazing shapes with statement-making accessories like neck, arm and waist cuffs and divine handbags. I'll forever grateful to S&B for giving style-starved Brisbaneites some hope that things would change. And they did.

As we were doing up the house, we were interested in getting a door made for the entertainment…read moreroom. I had a vision for French doors. I went through my Vogue Living magazines to find pictures of what I had in mind. As soon as I had my idea and pictures together, I went and looked for the closest custom door maker. Luckily for me, it was located nearby in Darra. We met with the gentleman I spoke to on the phone. We discussed the door I had in mind and the measurements I had for it. He liked my idea and explained how we can get this done. First, he took us toward the back of the showroom to where all the timber and wood is. He explained how they differ and what effect they create once painted and sanded down. He was so helpful and knowledgeable. Not only do they make custom doors, but they also make custom windows. Their quotes are not ridiculous for the service you get, however, at the moment it is still a bit out of reach. When I can eventually afford the luxury to make a custom door for the entertainment room, I will definitely come here to get it done. The owner of this store is very trustworthy and only uses the finest materials.