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.

This little shopping centre is pretty vintage - by which I mean it often feels like it's straight…read moreout of the 80's. It's got a few coffee shops, a great stretch of fruit shop / bakery / butcher, a couple of jewellers, some fairly 'nanna' fashion shops and a Woolworths / Big W combo. There is also a food court up near the cinemas, hairdressers, Australia Post - standard shopping centre fare. What I like most about it is the convenience factor. Aside from the lack of an ANZ bank in the area (there is an ATM) it has everything I need in a fairly compact layout. Parking is usually pretty easy, and I don't have to walk past 4 km of chain stores to get to the post office.

First of all parking is a bit hectic, especially on the weekends or other peak times. There is a…read moremix of shops, a few upper end and a few more budget. Cinema, supermarkets, butcher shop and bottle store.

Until recently I never know the Pine Rivers Art Gallery existed. It is located on Gympie Road in…read moreStrathpine across the road from the local library and although it is nowhere near as fancy as GOMA it is worth a visit. Inside, you will find a myriad of artistic creations from talented local artists. The Gallery hosts regular art workshops which are very inexpensive - in fact, most are free. They also run themed art classes for kids during the school holidays - we will be heading down tomorrow to check out the Crazy Animal Connections Workshop. The exhibits are changed regularly and there is always new artwork to discover at different times throughout the year. The current theme is Forever Young which runs until January 21 and includes exhibits about freedom, festivals, love, summer, youth culture, fashion, sunshine and nature. If you are looking for some free fun head down to the Pine Rivers Art Gallery for some imaginative entertainment - you might discover a hidden talent!

So recently I started having an affair with a man named Victa - he is big, reliable and very good…read morelooking - he is my lawn mower! This love affair may have never been if it weren't for the friendly staff at the Mower Supastore in Brendale. My lawn, after a somewhat lengthy period of total neglect could be likened to the Darien Gap. After numerous consultations with lawn maintenance professionals (who all took one look and wished me luck) I decided I would have to take matters into my own hands. So cashed up and completely clueless I headed down to my local lawn mower professionals for some advice, and to hopefully find a machine that would help me tame the wild beast! After explaining my situation to the staff at the Mower Supastore they made a number of recommendations and helped me choose the perfect mower. I really had no idea what I was looking for and the staff made it so easy to make the right choice, explaining all the functionalities of each make and model. Once I had made my choice, they gave me a quick demonstration and helped me load Victa into my car. After a lot of swearing, sweat, splinters and tears - we conquered that beast together, and so began my love affair - we have been together for almost 18 months now, and are both still very happy. The advice I received from the Mower Supastore team helped me make the right choice.

This is hands down, my favourite op shop in Brisbane. I did think twice about writing this review,…read moreas there is a part of me that desperately wants to keep this place a secret. But I says to myself I says, "Asthma Foundation is an op shop, and the more business they get, the more help they can provide to others". Yeeah. You're best to treat Mitchelton Asthma Foundation like a genie that will provide you with eternal materialistic wishes. I walked in there yesterday wishing for a large, oven proof casserole dish, (rare as hens teeth in op shops these days I find), and sure enough, up in the back corner of the shop, I found exactly what I was looking for. Other times, I've wished for sequined costumes, Victorian style brooches, crocodile figurines, all sorts of things. If you can imagine it, you'll probably find it in here. The back end of the shop is devoted to costumes. They have organised it into eras- from 1950's- 1990's. They've even got a sign that says "We love helping you with costumes, please ask us for assistance as we have more out the back that you may like". Bless! I don't know how it happens, but this Asthma Foundation has great costumes and clothes. It is a gold mine in every way you look at it. The real treasure trove part of this shop is the fabric collection at the back end of the store. If you're into sewing or textile crafts, this is the place to come. You'll even find some well priced vintage fabric if you're lucky. Because it's a suburban op shop, the prices haven't been jacked up which means it's a great place to find a bargain find, or more likely, finds. Bring a large garbage bag when you go in there and stock up. This shop makes everyone happy, from the shop ladies who sing along to the olden goldies radio station they listen to in store, to the customers who dance in store and sit on the ground making monstrous purchase piles.

What a FANTASTIC Op Shop and hidden away on Blackwood Street. This great little store is packed…read morewith great clothes, toys, homewares and bric a brac. Reasonably priced, well presented and neat but still heaps to dig through and find a gem. There is parking on the street at the front but it can be a bit difficult to snag a spot during lunch hour. The clothes are well organised into sizes, womens, mens and kids and the range of accessories is fantastic. Some awesome bargains to be had. The staff are always friendly and happy to have a chat. I have never failed to find an amazing score each time I go (including a beatiful brand new black dress with lace details and POCKETS for under $5). So good I almost don't want to share.

Absolute best place for anything TCG or TTRPG I loved going…read morethere as a kid and miss it so much

Fast Break sells everything game related - not the computer kind but role-playing, table top, board…read moregames and trading card games. They host weekly gaming sessions varying from WoW Trading Card games, Magic The Gathering, Pokemon and Yugio. They also sell figurines and other collectables. Everything a true geek could ever wish for. Buffy, Dr Who, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and more. This shop is a Brisbane institution and has been around for years.

Slightly classier than Diva and a lot cheaper than Tiffany's,…read moreLovisa is a store for all ladies. What I like about this place is that is makes interesting designs more accessible and affordable for the public. They have a huge range of jewelry sorted into collections. From Crown Jewels, Boho, Marrakesh and Africa to Disco, Black and Gold and Summer brights. There is sooooo much to browse and they offer something for every occasion. The rings are oh so handily displayed according to size, the friendly sales staff are more than happy to offer advice and lure you with their favourite jewelry. Located in the Myer centre this is a great little place to pick up a ring or a necklace for your next big outing.

I like the fact that this store is pretty, it's laid out in a very easy to browse way and…read moreeverything looks kind of classy but not as cheap as your priceline. I love the fact that the jewellery is inspired by different countries and designs and seem to be the latest catwalk trend. I also like the fact that if you're after a certain personal style, the shop assistant is happy to make up one for you, just for fun. If you let her. She's actually pretty good. She might put that one extra bracelet on your arm to make a whole new polished look like she did me. I like people who take initiative. I also like the fact that they have different sizes for bracelets, rings, and things from Marrakesh, who'd have thought. Get that Moroccan flavour in you! Good jewellery and accessories for your ladies night out, girls night out, dinner or whatnot. It's a store that is pretty cool for school.

Optus, optus, optus…read more.. How long have I been a customer? At least 15 years. So, with a feeling of embarrassment at having signed up to a 'Lease' for the Note 9 back in September 2017, this week I was unfortunate enough to have a screen crack occur. I figure, no biggie, I will go in store and find out what the damage in $$$ is for either a repair, or to cover the 'fair market value' of the phone if I were to upgrade to a new phone. I get assigned a place in queue and when an associate finally comes to where I am sitting, I explain the situation and the current condition of the phone. During this the sales associate just stands above me while I'm awkwardly sitting at the table I was waiting at and only answers the bare minimum of what he thinks I am asking. I went there to explore my options which ranged from pay the repair costs and conclude my business with Optus in a few months, through to seeing what the upgrade costs would be to re-contract and how a cracked lease phone would be addressed in billing. Optus text chat couldn't help with this which is why I went in store, however in store they are also unable to assess if a phone has a cracked screen and require it sent away for repairs to be quoted 'Between $290 and $495' for repairs. No idea why text chat couldn't of told me this. A flagship store doesn't have a tech to assess repairs before sending them? Sales Associates aren't taught that one crack in the screen is that same as a dozen as the whole screen gets replaced either way? The Associate I dealt with thought that because there were 'so many cracks' the repair would be closer to $495' which demonstrates a lack of training as a screen replacement with Samsung is $280. He did not look at my account, did not engage me with my problem to offer solution I wasn't myself proposing, and made no attempt to provide any real service, I suspect he tuned out once he realised I was possibly going to be a hassle by lodging a repair request. But what really disappoints me is that I went in to look for a solution, willing to spend more money with Optus and I couldn't even upgrade as if I did, I would be obligated to accept the 'repair quote' for my device before the quote would be given since it cannot be done in store. I remember taking home the Nokia 3315 from the store when I first got to pick a new phone. And the N-gage. Hell, I even worked at the Chermisde Optus years ago and the level of service I received would of gotten me in a whole lot of trouble if a manager saw that interaction or had any idea a new contracted service was at stake. Fair warning, the lease options are predatory and I should of known better. They offer $240 discount in exchange for your $1500 phone over 24 months. Not sure what I was thinking when I agreed to it. The store is nicer then it used to be, but the service somehow has just degraded, or maybe I'm just unlucky. Either way, with the way the plans are priced you're better off buying a phone outright and jumping on the more competitive telco's offering 40Gb of data for $40 a month rather then $100+ a month at Optus if they 'subsidise a phone" at $60 extra a week over sim only plans, catching you for $1440 extra Bad deals, and bad service.

When walking into this shop recently, I was only going to ask about getting my phone on my mobile…read moreplan upgraded. Turns out I was eligible and the staff were very helpful and had me on an upgraded plan & mobile phone in no time. Very fast & efficient service.