One of the best gift shops in the hills, Mangana is like shopping in an old eccentric's house…read more These guys combine gifts and homewares with industrial and period style decorations for those with the coin to afford it. Lamps, frames, clocks and mirrors line the walls, and with so much on display you'd best watch your back to avoid breaking anything. Downstairs you'll find smaller trinkets, jewellery and even a wall full of Ugg Boots and leather hats. I stop in every time I'm in the area, even just for a browse. It's hugely popular with the weekend tourists, and more often than not, packed full of people enjoying the range.

I recently visited Mt Dandenong and accidentally stumbled into this store (okay I was curious…read morethanks to the mounds of people pilling in and out of the front doors). It was like being sucked into a time machine, and transported back into a dusty old attic that was filled to the rim of incredible individual antique items. There were compasses, telescopes, magnifiers, lamps, paintings, posters, books, sculptures, notepads, jewelry and pretty much anything you can think of. Most things were hand crafted and bronze or wooden, this is definitely a very unique and one of a kind type of place. I think I spent an hour in this shop, its not that it was a huge room (it was relatively large though), it's just that every inch of the store has something different and special that just has to be picked up and ogled at. It took a lot of effort to not buy the whole store; I ended up leaving with Dali's melting clock, which gets a lot of notice and compliments in my house.

The Grotto is a store that sells a mix of homewares, fashion, accessories, and beauty products. Its…read moredifficult to define this store, other than it stocks eclectic and unique things that are designed to bring beauty and originality to your life in whatever form that may be. From funky umbrellas and table top placemats, to giant floppy hats and floral maxi dresses, the grotto has a little bit of everything. The store has that kind of hippy spiritual feel to it, but dont be diverted by thinking the store is full of smelly candles and incense burners. Sure, they are there too, but there are plenty of great items to be had here, once you get your head around what they are actually trying to sell, if that makes sense. The sales staff are friendly and were quite happy to leave me browsing by myself, which I love. When I want some help I'll go ask for it!

Melody Nelson is a great little nook of surprises, full of things you didn't realise you wanted…read moreuntil you saw that it existed. Full of little knick-knacks, thing-a-ma-bobs and trinkets, it's an especially good place to visit if you're gift shopping (particularly as it bills itself as a gift shop). The goods are sourced locally and from Europe, and range from leather gloves, dresses, fancy hats, scarves and cushions through to brightly coloured and chunky potato peelers, rainbow water glasses and cute little tea sets. It's the sort of shop where you go around making little noises of approval as you browse. It's not cheap, but also not all that expensive and the things are nice. It's always worthwhile to drop in if you're in the area.

At first I was afraid if writing a good review would make this little jewel get popular but it…read moredeserves it. Organised chaos is the perfect expression of how this place is. Everything is in its little spot and tagged. You just have to manage to find it within the 5000+ square meters of individual 200+ stalls all managed and then paid for at the little counter at the front. It's great! Strangely none of the stalls have their owners there and you haggle with them over the phone! Where you then pass the phone to the front counter so they can take on the new price. It's different but great! If what your looking for is in a locked cabinet, you just head to the counter and tell them the cabinet number and being organised they find it and open it for you. It's lovely. If your looking for those old trinkets or antique decorations to give a little life to your place, this place is the place to go.

Wow! This place is huge. If antiques, second hand, vintage or used is at all your thing then you…read morewill be enthralled and possibly overwhelmed by this place. You'll find all kinds of things from furniture to kitchen wares, vintage clothing, coin collections, books and so on. It's a huge warehouse with many stalls owned by different dealers. Each item has a price tag with the stall number, a description and price attached. Some of the stalls have the dealers phone numbers displayed so you can call and haggle over prices. No phone number means fixed prices. There's a register at the front where you pay for all you finds. Staff are friendly and helpful. At the entrance you'll also find carry baskets to collect as you walk in and a selection of beverages and snacks such as ham and salad rolls. Note, if you're here in winter remember to dress warm as there is no heating and you may find you can't tear yourself in a hurry. The warehouse is set off the street but it's well signed and easy to find. There is off street parking which is necessary as it's a very busy street. I sure I'll be a regular here.

A cute little store with a weird angular entrance, Chi Living looks as if it occupies two shop…read moreunits that have been combined into one so the doorway makes an arrow in. Interestingly, this was what attracted us into this store. Filled in a wide array of decorative items such as Budha heads, sculptures, lattice style side tables and cabinetry this store is an eclectic treasure chest. I love the modern Oriental style cabinetry and contemporary table lamps. The staff here are welcoming and polite and encourage you to take your time admiring their displays and products - which is nice because far too often sales people push customers away with their sales pitches. If you're looking for an Asian inspired piece for your mantle place or entrance foyer, Chi Living is a good place to start.

What a great place! The pieces in this shop are well priced. Hard to find affordable gifts in…read morethis part of town. Good range of modern costume jewellery too. And they'll gift wrap it all for you for free. Too easy. I'll go here for my gifts more often.

This pink-tastic building is a smorgasbord of accessories, jewellery, handbags, ornaments, cards…read moreand knick knacks of different styles and tastes. There's even a Christmas section out the back of the second room (though it's doubtful as to whether it's there year round), chock full of tinsel, Santas, wrapping paper and tree decorations. The sales assistant will throw out prices and discounts as you wander the shop but is thankfully content to leave the salesmanship at that, so you're informed but not pestered. Like most gift shops, some of the stock is a tad on the random side, but just might be the very thing you're looking for. There's less of the notebook/journal/diary style of gift and more of jewellery and sunglasses (the latter of which were a tad dusty, but hey, they're UV ray protected) and patience will reap rewards. The prices are low, and eftpos is available. If you're in the area, it's worth a peek, particularly if you've got an occasion requiring some kind of gift exchanging coming up.

Tucked away from the bustle of Sydney road is the no car traffic street of Sparta. A little oasis…read moreof small unique stores, cafe, and artists hangout. The design store sits here, and sells a range of handmade kids clothes, blankets and other crafts. They also stock amazing Marimekko collection and small collections from independent jewellers, cards, and other things. It's a lovely little shop that you will surprisingly spend Way too much time in.

Cute, quirky jewelry & off-beat treasure shop in the Desgraves arcade. Full of one-of-a-kind finds…read more- handmade jewelry, locally designed pieces, with a range of reasonable price points. Staff is approachable and knowledgeable about their goods.

You know those cool shops that stock all sorts of unique stuff that you would never find anywhere…read moreelse? Like dinosaur necklaces, a porcelain squirrel or authentic luchador masks? Well, this is the King, Queen and Lord of all those places you've ever been to. It's like being sucked into a bizarre world where you're first reaction isn't to question how you got there, but rather, pray to never be taking away. Birds, wooden deer heads and little knick-knack decorate the shop. Glass cabinets protect bizarre lamps, figurines and all types of silver necklaces and charms. It's almost like being in the living room of a hoarder who only collects one-of-a-kind treasures from around the world. Speaking of treasures, jewellery makes up a big part of Corky Saint Clair. Wood, porcelain and silver are the materials of choice and often feature cute, cool characters and clever, creative charms. I swear, every item here as a personality of it's own, which makes it all the more harder to walk away. A big warning, you are going fall in love with something here, no matter how hard you resist. So be prepared.