The products are good quality and durable We have had all…read moreour cupboards fitted with sliding draws and I don't know how I ever did without them The ease of ordering and fitting is outstanding the help from the staff was always done with patience and kindness. Howard's is always my first choice

I've developed a bit of an obsession with organising my home of late and there was no better place…read morefor me to head (to assist with this) than Howards Storage World. With more storage options and ideas than you could poke a stick at and friendly staff, I can see this will be the first trip of many. Heaps of parking in the shopping centre and close to bedding, rugs and other home goods stores. They are a little on the expensive side however they have a really really really great range.

I honestly expected a place named after a British comedy show to be a little tacky, but absolutely…read morefabulous is far from tacky. There's weird and wonderful knick-knacks, toys, books, and gadgets to delight and entertain even the dreariest of company. There is choice everywhere you look: For that morbid friend you have, there is a guide to hypochondria; for the friend that won't trade in their old wallet, there's a range of vibrant colours ad luggage to match; for the friend who's trying to make their place more homely, there are countless pillows and kitchen utensils with a twist, pant-shaped egg cups, and china sets; and for lovers of jewellery there is a vast array of wooden styles to add an earthy feel to your outfit. There are just bits and pieces of everything littered around this store, in a good way of course. Everything is almost retro-modern, especially the furniture they have sitting outside the door. Absolutely Fabulous is that place where you know you'll find a birthday or Christmas gift for anyone, because their range is far too widespread for anyone to dislike anything.

Absolutely Fabulous is one of those stores that will impress…read moreeven the grumpiest person in your clan. I have seen all sorts of people happily walk through the Ab Fab doors ...and really why not? This place is one of the best little retro/gift stores around. A haven of quirky goods and trinkets, this place has everything from bird key holders, pug bookends and novelty shower caps to art cards, beautiful gift paper and vintage ornaments. This store is in my arsenal of places to go to when a person is annoyingly difficult to buy for or is someone I don't know very well. (I can guarantee you will find perfect gifts a plenty here.) Ab Fab is worth a definite gander when out and about in Woolloongabba!

My only regret in dealing with this business is that I couldn't get more lessons to drag my…read moresub-standard sewing skills up. My partner bought me a lovely new electonic sewing machine here recently and I eagerly went along to the three lessons that came with it. I learned a lot but would gladly have signed up for more if they'd been available. My sewing machine is an amazing gadget and like so many others there is pretty curring edge. The shop's a far cry from the old fashioned haberdashery shop but has lots of enticing sewing accoutrement too. It's nice to see an independent store doing so well in downtown Wynnum.

Good shop and heaps of stock. They always price match if…read moretheir prices aren't the best, but most of the time they are. Heaps of DVD's to choose from and the TV's they have are great swell

JBs is a shadow of it's former self these days. With everyone moving to digital and purchasing…read moreonline it is understandable that JBs no longer stock the range of DVDs and CDs they used to. Every JBs is slightly different and this particular store is where I consistently find animated titles for my kids. They have just started stocking a small vinyl section, which is exciting to see. I love that this store is not part of a major shopping centre. You can usually score a park right out front and not have to battle any crowds. There is also an EB Games in walking distance.

A tiny little nook of a shop but full of myriad surprises, (m)art is associated with the acclaimed…read moreArtisan Gallery in the Fortitude Valley. As you survey the intriguing range of jewellery, ceramics and other one-off pieces, you get the feeling that you've walked into a modern art museum (though on a small scale), the difference being that you can buy the artworks and take them home with you. The prices aren't cheap, as you'd expect for works of such quality. I've noticed some lovely bespoke ceramic cups and bowls going for $66 each, which I would happily buy for a wedding present or for my home. However, a series of commonplace objects encased in rectangular prism made of resin (the only I can remember was a dead bee) going for $220 each seemed a bit rich to me. Perhaps there's some special reason unbeknownst to a layperson such as myself for their seemingly exorbitant procetags.

(m)art design store has got to be one of my favourite shops in South Bank! This design space, come…read morejewellar, come book store, come gift shop is a mixture of different artist's work and boasts some gorgeous things. The design of the store itself is fantastic, and is one of the first things to catch the eye of people passing by. All of the shelves and display tops are made with upturned takeaway coffee cups. It adds a completely new dimension to your average shopping experience and really gives it the feel of an art gallery. Sure, the prices in (m)art aren't exactly cheap, but be careful to keep in mind that the work on display is primarily by local artists (and let's face it, us creative types are hard-pressed earning a crust). For this reason, I would say that the prices are fair. Next time you're in South Bank, make sure you head in to (m)art for a browse. It's the perfect place to buy a gift for someone who has everything, or even for a wedding present. Plus, it's always great to support local and emerging artists.

The best thing about this Billabong shop is that it is located in the airport. I hardly ever see…read moreBillabong shops around these days but it's good to know there's a huge shop in the International Airport should I ever want to buy something from there. Tourists love it. I guess because it's meant to be one of Australia's strongest home grown brands and it's meant to represent Aussies love for beach lifestyle and apparel. Whatever it is, it fits well in this airport. The shop itself is quite big and I was surprised at how much Billabong clothing and merchandise there is. There's apparel, accessories, assorted beach stuff like towels, boards and Billabong branded suncream... And of course, plenty more.

Belle Pot is a little kitchenware store, stocking anything and everything you need to add a splash…read moreof colour to the most important room in your house. The carefully arranged shelves reach all the way to the ceiling, towering over you full of utensils you never knew you needed but are sure to make life ever so much easier. Clocks adorn the walls as a variety of kettles jostle for space below. The completely open front of the store is partially obscured by a display of unusually designed plates and other crockery. My favourite thing they stocked were the water bottles, which may sound strange, if you don't know me. I carry a water bottle with me everywhere, something which has led to a great deal of lighthearted teasing on the part of my friends. Belle Pot had a display of a few different brands out the front, so I amused myself for a while deciding whether it was time for a new faithful friend. This is the perfect place to go if you're in the market to revamp your kitchen.

I thought Belle Pot was overpriced the first time I visited and there are some prices I wouldn't…read morepay for goods, but on the other hand, there's always some little enticing thing on the table out front to hook me when I'm walking by to lunch. The man who runs the store is always keen to help; I like to have a bit more of a browse before I commit, but like all tiny stores, we're very aware of each other's presence as soon as I go near the place. I've bought stable trays, tea cups, a knife, and some pretty glasses. No doubt I'll go back for more.

Making a conscious effort to avoid Bunnings and support the little guys (even though True Value…read moreHardware is a chain) I went here one Sunday afternoon hoping to get some information on compost bins and perhaps buy a couple of small plants. It's a fairly small hardware store, so I shouldn't have been surprised to find they only had three compost bins in stock, but I was disappointed with the lack of range and also the lack of interest displayed by the salesperson. The compost bins didn't have prices on them and the salesperson could only give prices "off the top of his head", which didn't really make me want to buy from there. I also went to look at some small flowering plants inside, but didn't find anything of interest and found it a bit expensive. I went there just for the nursery side of things, so can't comment on the hardware section of the store, but would recommend going elsewhere for plants and gardening needs.

We wanted to purchase some rocks for our driveway. We were really pleased with the level of…read moreservice we received from True Value Hardware Wellers Hill, particularly in relation to providing us with samples so we could make a better decision. Once we decided, we booked in a time for delivery and the guys showed up on time - bonus! - however, there was a slight problem ...they delivered the wrong rocks!! We called them back once we realised and while they couldn't rectify it immediately as it was a busy Sunday (and their supplier was closed), it was pretty close! Craig (CJ) came back at the end of the day to have a chat, understand the issue and agree a way forward. He arrived bright and early Monday to remove the incorrect rocks (without us even hearing him!) and returned as agreed to re-lay the correct blue stone. He was extremely apologetic, did this all on his own time, and did it all with a smile on his face. Yes, it would have been terrific if this hadn't happened in the first place, however, we all know things can go wrong! The thing we liked the most was the great customer service we received from CJ as soon as he found out we hadn't received what we were supposed to! Right from that point he was only focused on rectifying the situation and ensuring we were satisfied customers. For that, we'd like to say Thank You!