As soon as you see the signs out the front of Lobo's you know you're going to be stepping into…read moresomewhere fun. Superheroes and sci-fi characters are all over the signs and a huge Batman symbol hangs over the door. If you stop and look in the window you'll spot all sorts of goodies on display, but it's nothing compared to what you'll find inside. There are display cabinets filled to the brim with memories in here. The walls are lined with action figures from countless comic books, movies and tv shows. There are soft toys, statues, busts, cookie jars and much, much more. There's even a Hoverboard! Most things here are grouped together so that you shouldn't have any trouble finding things. There's a section for Muppets, one for superheroes and a huge one for Star Wars (you can't miss it, just look for the giant Millennium Falcon hanging overhead). Prices here are based on value. Where you might go into a toy shop and see a whole line of action figures priced the same, here a range will vary depending on how rare something is. Lobo's is definitely somewhere you could find an awesome gift for that person that has everything, or a great place to find something from your childhood that you thought was long lost. Be prepared for it to bring back some fond memories!

The service gate is guarded by a troll, however he is easily bypassed by a tasty snack i have found…read morethe baked kind to be especially useful for getting past his defenses. Once in the main gate you will be greeted by a rambling zombie who will most likely be wearing a duran duran t-shirt and writing Dr.Who fan-fic on his laptop. After you have gained his attention and inquired about the location of a toy or collectible for you or someone like you you will be vaguely pointed in some random direction, after searching you will not find what your looking for instead you will find at least 6-7 other thing you didnt even know you wanted. Once you have your item you must now barter with the store man for possession of your desired object you may think money will be the short answer and sure it will work but i have found anything shiny seems to work just as well, i havent asked myself what they do with the objects i have traded with them perhaps the adorn a collective Nerd Nest somewhere close by where baby nerdlings are hatched and cared for by the watchful eye of the mother She-Ra adorned in tattoos of the ancient times and long dead heroes who through out the ages have fought many battles we have now since forgotten,how she knows these tales...who can say. On trying to leave the store you will encounter the owner of the shop, a child trapped in a mans body wishing to fly with the hawkmen along side his hero Flash Gordon a remnant of a forgotten age when Star Wars wasnt ruined and CGI was limited to puppets and household items. DO NOT TALK TO HIM, he may at first seem harmless but his stories are never ending and many a traveler has lost their way after listening for days to the tales he spins from a loom of a far lost era its golden threads entrance and trap all who hear it and many have never returned from this place, they still can be found roaming the aisle searching for their lost youth and a mint condition R2-D2 Original with intact stickers. This is the Land of Lobos Collectibles Many Enter...Few Return... ...without something cool And so ends my tale of this magical and far off land in the distant plane of High St Nothcote, its halls are decked with the finest in collectibles and toys from Heman to Dr.Who, Muppets to Batman, Aliens to Kill Bill and Sideshow Statues to Hot Toys replicas. May your journey there bring you as much joy as it has brought me.

There is nothing better than a shop that is designed for impulse purchases. Hut 13 is a very cute…read morelittle gift shop that has a range of tempting items both sourced from local artists and from overseas. I recently popped in whilst waiting for my brunch to arrive from the yummy Sardine café next door. I was in need of a silly little gift for an international friend of mine that was visiting. What better to get her than a unique little notepad that fans out into the shape of an apple. They also had a really cute little rabbit that was covered in fake grass that caught my eye. Maybe I'll go back and get that for my desk.

Gift shopping anyone? Spare yourself some time and just come straight here. Very easy for stocking…read morestuffer type presents that aren't cheap and nasty. I want to call it a kind of hipster book shop. There's loads of books and quirky/cool gifts at Happy Valley. My friend and I got caught up smelling all of the golden skull candles...I am not really a candle fan and ordinarily I think giving them as gifts is laaaame - but these ones are awesome and smell very different to ones I've come across elsewhere. If you're over Hallmark, there's lots of unique cards for your weirder or pop-culture obsessed friends. Actually any of the gifts here would work for friends in those categories. Plenty of useful stuff, but nothing too serious. I'm a fan.

Happy Valley is a great little book and gift store on Smith St. Their selection is smaller than…read morededicated book stores but it's well curated and it compliments the types of gifts they have available. They stock a number of interesting greeting cards, some (all?) of which are made locally. Gifts that you'll find in the store include prints, "gourmet" skin care products, wooden bow-ties, beautiful candles, and much more. It's worth taking a browse even if you're not necessarily looking to buy something. Although be warned, you may not walk out empty handed.

A small but excellent anime shop. I always stop by this shop when I'm nearby. The online selection…read moreis great.

Amazingly friendly staff who go above and beyond to assist. Even if they don't stock what you're…read moresearching for, she recommended other comic stores to check out! Highly knowledgable, good prices, and a large range of pop culture collectables and shirts for such a small store.

I have never been someone that is interested in anything to do with babies. However since my…read moregirlfriends sister has had a baby my girlfriend loves to spoil her and this store is one that I am regularly dragged into. I have found ( my girlfriend has found ) the range of clothes in this store to be a little more individual, with a little more variety than most. It doesn't appear to be your run of the mill blue for boy and pink for girls, which is a great change. They also have some charming toys and games. All the presents we (she) gives are well accepted and there are always many 'ooos' and 'ahhhhhs'.

Hoochie Coochie is a unique childrens boutique nestled in the heart of North Fitzroy Village just…read moreacross the road from Piedemonte's supermarket. You'll be able to spot them by the big baby blue signage and baby blue painted storefront. They specialise in contemporary childrenswear for babies and toddlers, and also offer a number of cool looking toys and accessories. The baby clothes are really pretty and would make ideal gifts if you have friends who are having kids. They seem to be really good quality and this is reflected in the prices being fairly expensive. Their website explains how a lot of their stock is Australian produced and hand made. I've bought a couple of items here and they've been worn quite regularly by our friends with kids. That can only be a good sign.

There is something about children's books that just suck you in. You look down into the…read morefantastically coloured pages and before you know it an hour as gone. Expect several of such occasions here as you trace your fingers over the shelves and shelves of books here. The staff are friendly and if your abstract enough about - I'm looking for a surreal fairytale book - will be able to provide you with several opportunities to peruse and purchase. If they haven't got it in they are more than happy to order it in. While is it a book shop - a place for purchasing books - I've been able to get away a number of times wasting an hour 'looking'. Definitely what I would consider a children's book shop for adults.

I'm a child - both in intelligence and in maturity - so to discover a book shop that's entirely…read morededicated to children's books was a dream come true. Here you will find all the classics, from Narnia to Wonderland they are all here. I have rediscovered all the books I grew up with, all the books we were made to read at school that I hated then but now love, and much more. Plus there are some brand spanking new kids books out that will soon be classics. This is definitely a shop that will please the kids, and the kid in all of us (and the immature ones like me.)

I really have never been a big fan of designer wrapping paper, or personalized stationery, but this…read moreplace makes you want to start hand-writing personal messages to friends. Kami has some of the most beautiful papers and gifts that have to do with this type of hobby. Cool notepads, pens, and stationery sets. It's a great place to find a nice, unique gift for someone that seems to have everything, or just get something for yourself to resurrect the lost art of handwriting and personal contact.

As someone who keeps every card and letter they're given, I firmly believe that a beautiful card is…read morean investment. And if you're after a beautiful card in Melbourne there is no place better to go than Kami, meaning 'paper' in Japanese. A card, paper and stationery retailer specialising in absolutely beautiful Japanese inspired and locally designed wares, Kami is one of Fitzroy's most magical little boutiques. From the omnipresently beautiful window displays - rendered in paper of course! - to the incredibly vast range of cards on offer, Kami is an aesthete's dream. I spent far too long to confess at Kami yesterday choosing a card for a loved one and settled on one of Kami's 'Katazone' square cards with an abstract floral motif individually printed on the card. At around $5 - 8 a pop Kami's cards aren't cheap but considering how beautiful and bespoke they are, they're a virtual bargain.

Shop For Me is a strange little toy store at the top end of Lygon St. They run an online store and…read moreit looks like the shop is an extension of this, and with their opening hours, it seems to be more of a side business. They're only open after 5pm a couple of nights during the week, then most of the day on weekends, but their hours seem to be more of a rough guide than anything set in stone. Most of the products you will find in Shop For Me are Lego sets. They have a wide range of sets, including a lot of sets that are usually quite hard to find in stores outside of online stores. They also let you trade the blind-packed Lego Minifigures here, which is great, as anyone who collects them will know how often you end up with a double. Unfortunately they've changed the way they let you trade from being able to swap any old figures to only letting you swap doubles that you receive if you open the packs in-store. The Minifigure packs vary in price depending on who serves you, but if you buy a few they'll usually work out cheaper than anywhere else. They also sell some older loose figures at a higher price, depending on their rarity, and have a couple of discount bins selling cheaper Lego sets. Apart from Lego you can also find a few other collectable figures and statues (mostly superhero and sci-fi stuff) scattered around the front room. Once you head into the dimly lit back room you can find much of the same, with some quite big (and expensive!) statues. They also have a table set up with some larger Lego sets built for display on it. There is coffee on offer here, which I have never been tempted to try, and they do some deals with coffee and Lego at a discounted price. The staff here are friendly and really know their stuff too and are big kids helping other big kids spend their big kid money. You won't find many cheap options here, but the hard to find items definitely make it worth stopping in.

New shop in Brunswick at top of Lygon Street. They have some pretty cool Lego and some figures in…read morethe back room. They had the latest series of Minifigs and seem to get new release stuff pretty quick. They even do a lego mini fig and coffee deal for $7!! bargain. Looks like they serve some pastries as well. Pretty novel concept. Will definately be back and i fear my husband may spend way too much time here. If they only served beer, i think he'd be in heaven!!