Okay, so this store has pretty much every bloody kitchen appliance you could ever want in your…read morewhole entire life. If you like homeware or you're my mom, you'll be able to spend hours in this joint. Hours and dollars. The Home Store stocks pretty fancy kitchenware - KitchenAid, Le Creuset etc. Basically, if you need a gift for someone who likes to cook or bake or entertain, this is the place to go. You literally will not be able to leave this store without finding something to buy someone for their wedding, or for your aunt or your sister. There are other home accessories as well as kitchenware - straws and cookie cutters, teapots and porcelain and pegs. Another plus: their gift wrapping service is on point, so that's a bonus.

This store is one awesome store. The Home Store has the good stuff. Not to name drop but they sell…read morethe likes of Cuisine Art, Kitchen Aid appliances, Le Creuset, Villeroy and Boch. If you love baking, they have an massive selection of cupcake and cookie things as well as anything you could possibly need to decorate a cake. This would be the place to come if you are really into entertaining, no matter what the occasion you'd entertain in style. The Home Store also stocks cute things like pretty coloured paper straws, little glass milk bottles, ice cream cups, popcorn bags which would be great for kids birthday parties or baby showers. The Home Store has a great range of high quality brands, a great store to find gifts for others and things for your home that make every day chores more fun, such as pretty coloured pegs and peg baskets and the Joseph & Joseph range. The merchandising in this store is equally fantastic and they do have a gift wrapping service and wedding gift registry services.

Wallace Cotton is a beautiful store well situated in Newmarket on Teed Street. They have their own…read moreon site parking which is an added bonus and the store stocks what I think is pretty decent product that is of of good quality and well priced. Each season they change their collections offering exclusive prints and designs for bedlinen such as sheeting, duvets, quilts and cushions. They do some really nice quilted cotton quilts, I bought one from them a while back and it washes up wonderfully. Wallace Cotton also sell a bit of clothing, tea towels and tablecloths and when they go on sale the discounts are really good too. Another thing I like about this store is that they do not use plastic bags, every purchase is put in a fabric bag.

Wallace Cotton do great bed linen, kitchen, bath, homeware and clothing for him, her & children…read more They are a fun brand with vibrant colours in duvet covers: multi-pastel polka dots (Happy Town) or floral (Cherie) and a few others including pristine whites. I love their boudoir velvet robes ($130) and funky slippers ($25) which are both luxurious and practical. They do a selection of furniture ranging from Hancock crates ($80) to ironing board units ($85) to bedside tables ($450) however they sell-out fast. Friendly environment and staff. They have wonderful sales too!

My partners been mentioning for months every time we are in the kitchen cooking together that I…read moremust take our knives down the road and get them sharpened. I would always reply, yea I know, then completely forget until the next time I wanted to slice something and the knife just didn't seem sharp enough, I'm sure you know what I mean? So I had a reason to pop down and check the Chef Shop located on Lake Road close to my neighborhood. The entrance to the building is shared with a next door real estate office. I met the owner Roy on my first visit, and he greeted me happily, and was more than happy to take my knives for sharpening. He told me that he would be off for the weekend, and would try to have them done by the Friday, if not they would be ready for me the following week, and to expect a phone call. I left my name and phone number, but didn't hear back from them the following week, so gave them a call, and they were there waiting for me. The cost of the 4 knives I wanted sharpened cost me 5 dollars each and I was super happy with the results. I now love chopping up anything and everything, and cooking is not so much a chore anymore.

Oh my god I want everything in this store. I wish I had my own house! And lots of money to be able…read moreto fill it with the beautiful pieces Harrowset Hall stocks! Mohair blankets, ornate mirrors, waffle cotton sheets, velvet cushions, linen bedclothes, cow hide rugs - Harrowset Hall is a treasure trove of textured and eclectic home decor delights! Everything in Harrowset is gorgeous and the quality is undeniable. This fine quality does mean that most of what Harrowset Hall stocks is quite pricey, but boy is it worth it! Your house would be the envy of all your friends and just by purchasing items from this store you feel better. I know when I bought a classic lace and embroidered nightgown from Harrowset I felt like a million dollars - I felt like a 'real lady'. Harrowset Hall is just that kind of place - it makes you feel like you've found hidden treasure. Exploring their signature store on Nuffield Street is a great way to lift your mood and motivate you to redecorate your home! Tip: Handmade soaps both from within New Zealand and imported from Florence are also available in Harrowset and they smell AMAZING. Not too fragrant, as a lot of scented soaps tend to be, these are just right and would make lovely gifts.

This place is the ultimate store to buy presents for women who have homes. If you are having…read moretrouble finding a good gift, and the future recipient is a women with a home, then head on down to the Homestore my friend. You can literally walk through this store with your eyes closed, pick up something at random, and you have like ninety percent chance of it being a good gift for a women with a home. They stock things which are practical, but also very gifty. There are a lot of things in this shop which people would love to have but probably would never buy for themselves - perfect gift material. After browsing this store for 5 min you will walk out with a gift that is deceivingly thoughtful seeming.

We considered doing a gift registry here for our wedding. We went into the store and an English guy…read moretold us that we would have to wait and see their wedding consultant who would not be here for a couple of hours. We asked him could we not just browse and do it ourselves but he didn't seem to want that. I must say there are some beautiful things for the home in this store - it's a very discerning choice of stock. It's pretty pricey so which is why we did not do our gift registry here in the end. Like I've said some beautiful stuff that would look great in your home but perhaps those getting married might want to look elsewhere - unless of course their guests are rolling in money!

Do not recommend. Teapot broke when put down on bench - way too fragile. Also lid had to be held on…read morewhen pouring. Poor design all round

Don't order anything online over the Xmas period, you'll be waiting until well into the new year…read morejust for it to be picked! Don't trade over Xmas if customers are expected to wait for an unreasonable amount of time for their goods. You should be transparent at the point of sale about the wait times so customers can't then opt out!

Oh Lordy! Black Box has an outlet store! Why did I not know of this before now, I ask you…read more I originally first fell for the Black Box brand on my first foray into The Department Store in Takapuna. Now that I know they actually have their own store,and things are actually cheaper than where you would buy them originally I am hooked. It helps that they had a babe'n sales assistant on the day when I went in there, all dark hair and tatts and well dressed and oh my god did I tell you I love this store! He was actually very helpful. This isn't your typical outlet store, they actually have stuff that is being sold at other places at the same time, its not end of lines or just stuff that no one bought. It's cheap AND its not last seasons. As well as great clothes, they also do amazing shoes too. Sales assistant guy: call me!

If like me you are absolutely obsessed with the Black Box Boutique and the gorgeous clothing they…read moresell from the likes of Bassike, Ksubi and (my absolute fave) Stolen Girlfriends Club, you're going to love their little outlet store at the top of Ponsonby Road. All of the clothing in here has a discount of between 50 and 70% off of its original price. What's great about it is that, unlike outlet shopping in malls like Onehunga Dress Smart, this store is actually full of really great clothes. I recently bought a really cute pair of Ksubi denim shorts for way cheaper than their original price. Also unlike most outlet stores, the clothing is still really well merchandised, with everything sectioned off into styles, making it really easy to shop. There are few places (in fact, I can't really think of any) like this in Auckland so make the most of their great selection of labels and even better prices.