The Ivy Room is one of those stores that represents the next coming of the 'Anti-Dude'! Random…read morelittle gifts, a plethora of hand bags and other random gear that ladies will go 'Ooooooo, isn't that pretty', and we will reply 'no baby, you butt looks really small'. There seem to be a number of chicky specific stores popping up along Jetty Road, and say we need more! The more shops along this strip that will keep the ladies busy, the more time the boys can spend at the Jetty Bar watching the Cricket!

The Ivy Room is a funky little gift shop with lovely clean lines and lots of space. It stocks a…read moregood variety of gifts and accessories without feeling cluttered. The gift ware and jewellery is generally modern in styling; no sign of flying ducks for the wall here. It is a great place to shop for birthdays for your stylish friends and relatives and like most good gift shops they offer a gift wrapping service.

Maxmix is full of bits and pieces. It's one of those shops you can walk into and find a gift for…read moresomeone, or something you need for your own home. Items range from photo frames and prints, to vases, fake flowers, candles and garden statues. There is even kitchen utensils, arts and crafts, greeting cards and things for pets. I've been in here a couple of times, but haven't been greeted or asked if I need assistance with anything. I'm not even sure what the staff look like actually. I think if they had at least one staff member walking around when it is busy, this could improve the store. I would come here if I needed a new photo frame, or maybe something new and different for my home. Come have a look for yourself :) - it's located on the first floor in Marion Shopping Centre (below the food court).

Maxmix was a surprisingly good find and offers the best of bargain stores and cute little gift…read moreshops all in one place. The staff were quick to greet me at the door and asked if I needed any help with anything. After seeing the staff the first thing you are met with is the quiet sound of several water features which I loved but others may not, especially if you really needed to go at that moment. The store's soundtrack is also meditating, soothing music which again some might find annoying but I found quite pleasant. In terms of stock it is a bit hit and miss. There were some really nice homeware and gift items that looked good quality and were priced reasonably high. I really wanted to buy a beautiful bronze wire mannequin as a statement decorative piece for my bedroom but at $100.00, it wasn't in my price range, nor the bargain price range I was expecting. This does mean however, that not all of it is crap and there is opportunity for getting quality product. They also stock ranges of cards and arts and craft items, incense and ornaments and a massive range of photo frames in every style and colour you could think of.

I accidentally discovered this place when I was grabbing some fish and chips from the shop next…read moredoor. Honestly, I thought I pretty much knew where all of the second-hand bookshops in Adelaide were located, however it turned out that this one sort of slipped under the rader. Well, the very next day, I returned here with a friend and had a look around. Yeah, it's pretty cool, and they certainly have quite a decent selection of books here. They even have some hard to find ones. It's definitely a great place to browse.

Chocolate and stationery are my major desires and Pencraft satiates one of these in such style and…read morepanache it is breathtaking. Situated in the eternally gorgeous Adelaide Arcade, Pencraft is the Mecca of Adelaide stationery die-hards who crave ink, elegance and beautiful penmanship (with the perfect pen in hand, of course). Selling the luxury scribe-items such as Mont Blanc, Graff von Faber-Castell, Visconti and S.T. Dupont, the window displays are enough to me salivate and my bank account to wince at potential pain. Other brands like Lamy (my personal favourite), Parker and Waterman are on offer for the mid-range buyers and those on a budget with other less known brands offering a surprise. When it comes to ink, Pencraft stocks refills and ink for all of their stocked brands as well as Sailor and Private Reserve in a range of colours. If the colour you need or want isn't in, don't be worried, the staff are more than happy to place an order for you and get it in as quickly as possible. The staff in this store are exemplary. I have never felt so comfortable in my life then walking into this store surrounded by pens worth $5000 and other extravagance and asking at the desk what they would recommend for a present in my dreary work uniform. I always feel welcome in here and staff go out of their way to satisfy your choice and seem generally enthused at their work. I'll always remember when buying cartridges for my fountain pen the lady at the counter showing me the latest Mont Blanc which had just come in and how beautiful the pen, but mostly the box was. Don't be intimidated, come in for a look and be seduced by the ink fumes.

I came in looking for a special pen for the holiday and they looked to be sold out of the Lamy…read moreshiraz al. The staff however looked through all the cupboards until they found the last one! Now that is service! They were very knowledgable and extremely helpful. Highly recommended.

This shop was like a little treasure trove to me recently when looking for Xmas presents for hard…read moreto buy for people. They have some fantastic things that aren't just books as well as the usual book store stuff. Like heaps of little packs on everything from making sushi to pilates to learning to play harmonica. They also had some great packs for kids learning to read with a book and cd of popular characters like Toy Story. I found a great Transformers boxed set for under $30 that looked amazingly special. I also found some of the coolest games here. Like one where the right answer is the wrong answer. And one with kids vs adults. And a special Top Gear item for my partner. There was seriously something here for everyone and anyone. Definitely not just your usual book shop anymore.

You know I always thought this shop was a Fella's Gifts store but apparently not. See, too busy…read morelooking at the stuff IN the windows rather than the name of the shop. I still know exactly where it is, what it has and why I always go there. They stock some great gifts for any adult, especially ones for special birthdays, like 40th, 18th, etc. Plus they have plenty of funny silly stuff you could give almost anyone with a sense of humour, plenty of drinking stuff like stands, mugs, etc. The walls are filled pretty much with limited edition prints of various descriptions. They have sport and plenty of music related ones. They are really good and quite well priced for what they are. They also have some great novelty stuff, especially the novelty phones they stock. They also have games, novelty t-shirts, some jewellery, watches and more. You need to go look. Most of their items are adult based items, although some just funny whilst others may be a little naughty. But all great fun!

Went here with our dog on a cold winter morning. The outside heater was not working and though they…read moreoffered blankets they kinda smelled so we sat inside. They have an organic store where one can do grocery shopping. My sister got herself some vegan and organic stuff here. I got vegan scone with vegan butter - it was good! Almond latte was nothing special though. Good place to read a book or the morning paper. Very pet friendly too (our dog made some doggie friends while waiting for us).

Stirling is beautiful during the autumn. The streets are lined with shades of red and gold leaves…read moreand the streets are busy with people. One of my favourite spots to stop for coffee, lunch or cake is the Organic Market Café. Set up on a side street to the main road, the Organic Market Café is a popular destination for locals and visitors to the Adelaide Hills. They offer a range of food, beverages and a market store out back. If you are looking for grains, organic veggies, teas, olives, oils, pastas, etc you will find it here. They stock quality specially picked products from around Australia and some imports. They fruit and Veg here is really fresh and flavoursome. For those sceptics on the quality of organic foods I ask you to try an apple from this store. You will notice the flavour is more intense, it is crisp and juicy. This is the result on fresh (not frozen) food. As for the dining experience, well there are a lot of beautiful healthy and veggie heavy items for you to choose from. My favourite in particular is the antipasto platter. Order it and you can thank me later. They pickle their own veggies and make their own dips. Also, if it is cold and you need to warm up while you are in the hills, check out the soup of the day. They have a great selection and served with warm crusty bread. Super yummy! For those with dogs, this is a pet friendly café out the front area. There are many people who bring their pups along to stop for a coffee. So, don't feel shy!

Basically, this shop is a bookshop that raises funds for a local club. Well, I suspect that the…read moreRotary club is somewhat bigger than your 'local club', not that I really have all that much knowledge about them. However, this is a bookshop, though the books you tend to find here are somewhat more eclectic, namely because they tend to be donated as opposed to being sold. Anyway, while the selection isn't particularly great, it still is a bookshop, which is cool.