After the service I received I just had to write about this place! I wanted shoes and my style of…read moreshopping is in and out. I don't usually shop in retail stores but needed shoes today so it had to be brick and mortar. I went in, was greeted by a lovely shop assistant named Melody who informed me of what was on special in store. When I asked to try on a pair of shoes, she got them for me which was nice. I put one foot in decided I wanted them and said I'd take them and it was almost as if she felt she needed to do the features and benefits thing on me anyway. I was already sold but I was impressed by her product knowledge none the less. Melody then signed me up to be a Mimco member and I had a pleasant conversation with her about shades of grey, clothing that is, not the book. Wonderful service, the shoes are great and I will definitely be back.

This little shop originally opened as Kristen boutique when it moved from down the road. I know…read moreKristen has got busy with her family and is now running her business online, although you can still buy her clothing line here as well. Other fashion labels available here are Wild Poppies and Mandy. The shop is now called Collectiva and it's a stylish wee boutique stocking Canadian shoe brand John Fluevog whose designs are truly unique, combining fun with comfort and style. Along with the shoes there's designer jewellery and accessories with a Kiwiana skew which are highly covetable and not majorly expensive, It's a great place to buy out-of-the-ordinary gifts and if you're not familiar with Fluevog shoes then get along here and check them out - they are excellent quality along with being cool and different .

This lovely store selling mostly women's clothing and accessories is a relatively new addition to…read moreAvondale. The woman behind the counter has always presented herself with a big smile ready to assist the potential customer. The clothing range predominantly stock bold colours and large print designs. Casual or elegant evening wear to chose from. I am especially taken with her gorgeous bags, casual beach bag styles with lovely designs, mostly modern or ethnic prints - for $10!!! I hope those prices stay the same as I am keen to stock up on some for presents for the many female family members later in the year. The clothing appears to be better quality than anything else I have seen in Avondale retail shops and I hope the business is here to stay. They are situated across the road from the local library a few doors down on Rosebank Road.

Another one of those shops perfect for picking out gifts or goodies for around the house. A while…read moreago I was hunting every last corner of Auckland looking for a piece of jewellery for my 21st. I was after something a little different and not something I'd find draped on every second person across the city. At Spinz I was surprised to find jewellery at all as I kind of thought it was more a tacky trinkety shop. I was quite wrong. There was some beautiful jewellery inside including some different brands, designers and pieces locked away in the sparkly cabinet. The staff were very helpful and eager to play a part in my selection. They did not hesitate in whipping out brochures and designer catalogues and checking with suppliers and stockists. They were also not too pushy which I found refreshing as sales assistants can really grind my gears when they say something looks "PERFECT" on you when you know it looks like S***.

I had a disappointing experience with this store…read more I received my order and immediately noticed that the clothes had a very strong fragrance smell. Given that I ordered premium organic children's clothing, this was quite concerning and contrary to what many parents expect - minimal processing and no added scents. They also sell diffusers and candles, which may explain the scent contamination. I emailed the same day I received the package to request a return and refund. It then took a full week to receive a response, which simply instructed me to return the items to a warehouse address, with no clear process. I replied the same day asking reasonable questions -such as the warehouse opening hours, whether I could drop the items off in person. It has now been another week with no response. This was also confusing because their company policy states that online orders can be returned to any of their retail stores. This would have been far more convenient, as they have multiple locations with set opening hours and staff available, so you know you can actually speak to someone and have the return handled properly. Overall, the lack of communication, slow response times, and inconsistency with their stated return policy have been very frustrating. For a brand positioning itself as premium, I expected much better customer service and handling of returns. I would also caution other parents who prefer unscented, minimally treated baby clothing to keep this in mind when ordering.

Father Rabbit is the absolute best. It seriously turns me into a gushing 16 year old. They've got…read morebeautiful, beautiful homewares, candles, children's clothing and there's a small amount of adult clothing too. This store is larger than their Ponsonby one and is located inside Bloc, which is dangerous in itself. But back to F.R, the brands they stock are all seriously stunning - lots of whites, neutrals and soft pastels.... it's my dream to make my house look like this one day... Not surprisingly, Father Rabbit has become my go-to for gifts. It isn't outrageously expensive and they've got a wide range of products, something for everyone. Check it out next time you're in Mt Eden....the ultimate one stop shop.

What a wonderful store, such a great range of product. If you needed to buy a gift for a female…read morethen this would be a good bet. I often come through Newmarket and admire their window displays which are lots of fun, but inside, there is so much to take in. You cannot go by what you see on their website, you have to go into the store. There is stuff in here you would not need until you saw it, such as an owl ornament and bright coloured candelabras. When Mothers Day is upon you, come here. You could pretty much by anything in here, the store buyers have made the gift selection edit, all you need to do is pay for it. To make things easy, they do have gift wrap and cards too so it is a one stop, Mother pleasing gift shop. Either that or good for female friends.

When it's my mum's birthday, this is the first place I'm going to come to look for a gift to send…read moreback to the UK for her. The store specialises in inoffensive jewellery, nice smelling soaps and body lotions--Mum Mecca. They've got a great selection of Kiwiana- so perfect for gifts to send abroad- and they have a really good selection of jewellery from popular NZ brands such as Kagi and Karen Walker, so it's nice to know that what you're buying is locally sourced. It's not a place you're going to find the most fashion-forward or out of the ordinary gifts, but what they do sell is of great quality and reasonably priced. The store is clearly aware that it is a "gift" shop and that they are selling things for people to buy for other people. The staff are attentive and clearly know what they're talking about, which I imagine must be a godsend to men looking to buy gifts for the women in their life!

Pretty Little Things is currently an online store but just recently they had a pop up shop on…read moreJervois Road in collaboration with several other homeware businesses and I hope it's something they do ongoing. But at least in the meantime you can find the pretty and little gifts and homewares online, 24/7. From accessories to stationery, homeware, artwork and jewellery, the items for sale are constantly growing. Emma, the founder of Pretty Little Things has been collecting images for years of all the things she finds pretty, from art pieces, to interiors, products for the home or clothing, just anything that inspired her. About 5 years ago she began to share this large collection of images initially on a Blog, and quickly signed up to Pinterest and then Tumblr. And now prettylittlethings.co.nz! Emma's great, and so are her pretty's.

The name "OK Gift Shop" is pretty funny. It's like, "go here for the gifts for people you don't…read morecare too much about but have to get one for." Ironically enough, this is actually one of the better gift shops I've come across. I don't make a habit of gift shopping, but I try to make a habit of gift receiving, and I wouldn't mind if I got one from here - if I was overseas that is. On the day I went they had a weird little promotion where buy a number and they spin a thing, if you win you get a prize. There must have been about 40 Japanese school kids on a trip in the shop all hoping to win big so I missed out on having a chance, but it looked pretty cool. For once, a shop that actually outshines it's name.

You can find OK Gift Shop in Downtown shopping Centre corner of Customs Street and Albert Street in…read morethe heart of Auckland's city. They are on level one, not easy to miss in this small mall. I was impressed by the fact this souvenir shop sold work by New Zealand artists, probably commissioned based, but so are galleries. It is a great way to buy a unique gift for someone without having to trek out into the outer markets or surrounding suburbs if you on a tight time schedule but want to buy that something a little bit different and not mass produced overseas. Their was photographic art, ceramics with Kiwi iconography and New Zealand's natural timbers made into crafty useful objects. I personally picked up a small ceramic plaque with a kiwi bird on it and a nice green glaze over the top, it was by 'Art Locker' and cost me $9.20. I was pretty happy with that, and I hope my friends in Perth will too, since it is intended for them. A lovely little, well quite big actually, store to keep in mind when on the hunt for presents to go overseas.