I think I was just as taken with the lovely Director of the store (Nicole Byrne) as I was with the…read moreclothes, to be honest. When you come across shop staff who are friendly but not pushy, you tend to remember them. And be grateful. Sure, there were lots of lovely maxi dresses (her window display featuring some really striking, stripey maxis was what caught my attention in the first place), and the shop stocks labels like Talulah, MinkPink, Miss Cherry etc. Think dresses perfect for a Brisbane lass wanting to look cool and stay fresh in the debilitating humidity. (Basically - light, floaty and not at all restrictive). But what I thought was a really lovely touch were the cellophane-wrapped, home made shortbread biscuits Nicole gave me, which she told me were little pre-Xmas gifts she was giving out to customers. And I didn't even buy anything! Also look out for the jewellery she imports from New York - by a label called Kenneth. It apparently sells out the minute it comes in (I tried on a really amazing gold chain choker - kinda urban, kinda rock-chick and like nothing I'd seen during any of my shopping explorations).

My new favourite shop! Has a variety of amazing clothes at all different prices so there's really…read moresomething for everyone. Everything had a certain elegance to it. I wanted it all! The customer service was superb. The owner was so friendly and helpful. I will definitely be back!

Handmade High Street throws together some really great local crafters and creators of all things…read morepretty and fun. The first things that caught my eye was a crocheted rose-shaped brooch with quite a few other similar ones to keep it company. I found delight in the handmade jewellery and recycled accessories including hairpins made out of old buttons and old teacups being transformed into candle holders, which is something I would never have thought to do. They also had one of the very lovely dresses that is so identifiable as one of Rachel Burke's I Make My Day projects, which is surrounded by a mountain of handmade things to choose from like tin earrings and very flamboyant floral hairbands that are just gorgeous. I was most impressed with earrings that were fashioned out of origami designs. Some of the things in here are so original and it's so nice to see support for local crafters. One of the back shelves advertises renting a space in the store so other artists can sell their wares. As I was walking out I laughed out loud at the cute new spin on bottle top jewellery when I saw bottle tops printed with vintage pictures and resold as necklaces. I think that's a really cute and unique idea. Another item Handmade High Street currently sells is a product by Reclaimed Records, who make old records into new products like notepads and use only recycled paper. A recycled record notepad will set you back $45 but hey, you are paying for an old record. I like what this place has going on. They've got some really great pieces and I see a lot of potential for the artists who showcase their wares here.

Kath Chownston, one of three brains behind Handmade High Street, said that she wanted to provide a…read morespace for artists and craftspeople to easily sell their wares. Markets are often exhausting, subject to the elements, and aren't a very reliable way to get the money coming in if you're selling your goods in this fashion. The internet is a great way to get your stuff out there, but still, she went one further and opened a store- for the good of everyone! For her, for the people who rent space in her store, for the person who happens to pop in for a look and take away something local and unique. For the interested artist or craftsperson- the way the rent system works at Handmade High Street works is that there are small 'cubes' (shelving space) that are $20 per month. If you do larger scale work, clothing for example, and you have a rack that you'd like to have in store, it might cost you around $200 per month. The rental price is subject to how big and how much of the work there is, and whereabouts you want it placed in the store. There's some great stuff there too. The beads by Patti Pennisi made me want for the ocean, the glass work of Cairo Made That was gorgeous, and I couldn't help but want to take home some scented soy wax melts by Lisa Macnab. There's not the tired repeat of like works in there either; there's great diversity. Go in and support a new local business that supports it's locals. Handmade High Street. Remember that name.

Thousand Island Dressing; ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod. My attention was split five thousand different…read moreways walking in here because there are literally so many beautiful things everywhere. You walk in and straight away there are shelves and shelves of jewellery in every style and colour to greet and entice you. They have the most incredible range of jewellery with pieces that are adorable, in particular a teapot/teacup set of earrings and floral headbands that you just can't find anywhere else. There was even a silver necklace with an envelope that opened with a letter inside. Cute! The jewellery is colour coordinated, making it very easy to find pieces you want and match them to anything you have in mind. They have bags, wallets, soaps, books, pillows, lights, jewellery holders, literally everything! The place has been converted from an old Paddington house and the fixtures that decorate it mesh so well with the very pretty and very original items. French brand Taratata Bijou is also featured and they have quite a big range of cufflinks for the boys too. You pay a little more here but it leaves you feeling like you've spoilt yourself to something special. Everything is ornate and really gorgeous - perfect for gift ideas and birthday presents. They even have aluminium Christmas decorations for the season. They cover homewares, accessories, and jewellery and you definitely won't find it difficult to find something here; the problem is settling on just one thing.

I am very sorry to sound like a grouch but I just do not get the big deal about this place. Yes, it…read moreis colourful and beads are falling out of every angle. Yes, it does sell nice jewellery that I probably would like to wear. And yes, you could probably find a nice gift for someone here. All of these positive points do not change the fact that I have had awful customer service from this place. So much that it has put me off going there altogether. Ok, so here is the scenario that has happened more than once. You walk in, there are a couple of staff members standing in the corner gossiping away. Usually this does not bother me that much even though I know it is not considered to be good customer service. When I actually go to counter to pay and actually have to wait 5 minutes for someone who is not busy at all to serve me, that is what annoys me! When you try to make small talk with the sales assistance, you just get ignored! I am not the only person who find their customer service awful, my sister has had a similar experience. Maybe I'm just being sensitive or have only been to the store during bad times, but this place needs to consider opinions like mine. I'm not asking for the best service of my life, but a little bit of service with a smile would be nice.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the door to this heavenly store was the divine smell…read more Hundreds of intoxicating candle aromas blended together cannot fail to impress your nose. I think that my obsession with lovely smelling items is a little more intense than most people's, so I absolutely loved this store. Candle Wick House stock the biggest range of candles I've ever seen, from tiny tea lights to monster-sized candles that would live to see many blackouts. They sell a variety of brands, including the Yankee Candle range, the Australian Ocean Collection, candles by Jelly Belly, and many more. Each of these brands offers many possibilities; you can imagine just how many different fragrances there are. For example, there are the more traditional smells such as sandalwood and lavender vanilla, but there are also blueberry scone, Farmer's market and almond cookie. As well as this, there are many other beautiful smelling options such as reed diffusers. I loved the design and feel of this shop; it felt soothing and cosy while the interior design was beautiful. I didn't buy anything but as I write this I cannot remember why not.

Walking into this shop is like Charlie walking into the Chocolate factory, but with candles instead…read moreof chocolate. Sure, call in if you need candles and gifts, but I would recommend even just going for the experience. The colours, smells and gorgeous decorations all mix together into a wonderland for your senses. Daina is more than happy for you to pick up and touch and smell various candles and diffusers and obviously passionate about the customer experience in the store. I love the Jelly Bean diffusers and the vast range of scents. Being Christmas time, Christmas decorations surrounded the windows and I cannot describe how intricate and well crafted these things are. I always have a great time browsing here and walk out feeling like I've been to a beauty spa.

It makes sense to me that an op shop represents the area it's in. Clayfield has something of a…read morereputation for being a hoity-toity sort of area, and so doesn't it make perfect sense that it's Vinnies sells more boutique items than bargain? Clayfield Vinnies has even gone to the lengths to arrange it's shop in a similar vein to a boutique store. You're not going to find stuff piled upon stuff here. Everything is orderly, skirts with skirts, cups with cups, the red clothes flow into the pink and then the purple... It's quite well presented and easily navigable. If the shops' appearance didn't signal upmarket to you, then the formal dress section should have. So should the design tags on some of the clothes you're browsing through. It was such a satisfying visit. I was bent over with the weight of the clothes I was carrying to the dressing rooms. There is so much great stock in here! The best part is that it's reasonably priced. If it's a designer piece, you'll pay a little more than the standard prices, but not much more. They've got five rooms of wares to sell, so put aside a little bit of time to go in there. Men might be pleasantly surprised by what they'll find in the men's section/room. Clayfield Vinnies doesn't really have much to offer in the way of homewares, but there is a small shrine per se, paying homage to more classical op shops with their mountains of tupperware strewn across the shop. What an unexpected find this op shop was. Because I was in Clayfield, I assumed that I wasn't in prime op shopping territory. As I left the store holding a new assymetrical linen brown skirt ($4) in one hand and little black dress ($6) in the other, I realised I was wrong.

This Vinnies rocks!…read more After a tour of Northside op-shops, this little spot was a stand out. The store was really well laid-out and organised with care and thought. The staff clearly knew what they were doing and took pride in their work. We picked up a few items and found the prices fair, especially compared to some of the bigger op-shops we later visited. We were also surprised with the music selection playing; the usual 97.3FM was cast aside in favour of Triple J, which the older ladies didn't seem to mind. Perhaps this is just a sign of suave staff who know their market. I like to think they exclaimed once we'd left and switched it over to a classics station.

I didn't go into this store because I wanted to buy homeware goods. I wanted to see what had become…read moreof this building - or rather, house. The structure has struck me as beautiful for years; when I was a child, this house was literally my dream house. I visited this "house" today. Because I wasn't intending to buy anything I looked at it all without worrying about price tags (though when I did glimpse a few it confirmed my suspicions: expensive). I felt like I could therefore just enjoy the store as an experience, because the homeware items, toys and antiques here are really quite quirky. I wandered about, absorbed in what felt like looking at art, and suddenly there was a bustling cafe in my face. I realized I'd become so absorbed I'd hit the base of the stairs leading to a cafe. Even the existence of the cafe seemed other-worldly; you don't see many coffee shops inside homeware stores. Unsurprisingly, I got lost on the way out. (Partly the result of embarrassment over having almost fallen onto stairs, partly because the place is quite maze-y.) A lovely staff member approached me, comprehended my dilemma and helped me. She also laughed at my self-deprecatory jokes, which is obviously the most important thing.

Blake and Taylor sell some of the most adorable furniture and home-wares that are either recycled…read moreor new pieces with a vintage edge. This store is not cheap but the merchandising and make a fun experience. This is the sort of store I can imagine myself shopping in if I ever become a 'lady who lunches' so I could invite my friends over for tea and show off my Blake and Taylor furniture. A lot of the things sold here have a vintage look that somehow manages to look modern. I think painting everything white and keeping everything free from too much embellishment is what makes things look chic rather than look like something your grandma would have in her guest room. I found the most amazing vanity at this store. It was all white with a huge round mirror and there was a cute little stool to go with it. It was adorable but at $350, I really did not need it (who really NEEDS a vanity anyway). Blake and Taylor is a treat to visit. Even if you are not a "lady who lunches" yet, it is a nice store to walk around and look at all the pretty things.

I would not suggest that claustrophobic people come here…read more This place if packed tightly of ornamental wares. A lot of it is hit and miss. The good thing is that if you take your time to rummage through everything, you'll probably find something that sparks your interest. If you're looking for cabinet ornaments or cute figurines of cats, wizards, or dolphins, you'll come up trumps. Wind chimes, miscellaneous items with bells and beads on them, masquerade ball masks, yep, they've got them too. It's hard to say this because I know everyone is into different things, but I have to say that I would find it hard to seek out a thoughtful, personal gift there. I went there to find a few small trinkets for people I don't really know well, but I had to get them something because we were sharing christmas lunch together. It's not a bad place to go if you're stuck on gift ideas and you need to quickly put an end to your shopping by purchasing random things just so you can turn up and have something there to give.

When it comes time to buy presents for birthdays or Christmas which is right around the corner it…read morecan some times be difficult. A place that makes this a bit easier is Essensuals in the Myer Center in Brisbane CBD. The have all sorts of great ideas and normally you can go in not knowing what you want and leave with something that you will be happy with by the end of your shopping trip. It can get a bit overwhelming because of the way that shop is laid out. It almost seems as if the shop is too small for all the merchandise and it seems that stuff is piled up. This does cause you to want to tread carefully though because you don't want to break anything or fall over ornaments. Apart from this i do like the store and tend to go there when i'm at a loss of what to get some one.

The Terra Cottage is one of those places that I always wanted to visit but never really had the…read moreneed, due to the fact that I don't have a garden. I made the effort recently to stop in on the way past just to have a look. It was a fun and strangely relaxing window shopping experience. I think it was because of the many Buddha statues and water features on display. Many of the statues you would buy for the purpose of adding some peace and serenity to your garden. They also have some interesting canvas art and lovely metal wall hangings.

We first went to TTC to check it out and compare prices. We went back to our car and realised that…read morewhat we wanted was there and that the price was good - no need to shop around. Best decision ever. We have been back several times in as many weeks and found what we wanted, competitive prices but the best and most important factor, for us anyway, is the personalised service by Janine, Michael and staff. The big find for us was the Dewi Sri water feature which has pride of place in our back yard. We fell in love with her the minute we saw her and had to have her. And now we do :) We will be back.