Closed every Sunday and Mondays so that owner Justine can forage around the local auctions and…read moremarkets to find bits and bobs to fill her wee treasure shop you know you'll be getting the best of the best old stuff. There really are some quality finds in here but it's not all second hand - a lot of it is hand made and recycled like the cutest stud earing made from gorgeous prints. Another 'new' item are the deck of large cards with nursery rhymes and vintage drawings of the characters printed on them. Justine tells me these fly out the door as they are very popular as people love to give them as presents. I'm included in that bunch of gift buyers. I also love the glassware and teacups polished up, the knitted dolls, unique collection of children's books and the mirrored animal wall hanging series - worth a visit just to know what the heaven I'm talking about. In 2010 Retrospections was a finalist in the Specialty Store of the Year award for the Mosman Daily 2010 Business Achiever Awards. Retrospetions is a great shop to buy gifts for those who read magazines like Frankie and Peppermint. This is a real find.. doll.

I was unexpectedly enchanted by Retrospections, a small unasssuming shop on the corner of the…read moreCammeray shops. From the outside it looked liked it would just be collections of old tat with prices stuck on them, but everything in here has been carefully and tastefully chosen. The corner devoted to books is certainly a trip down memory lane as it features all those books I deemed to be magical when I was a youngster. Princesses, castles and classic illustrations were all that was needed to set my heart a-flutter. There are even vinyl audiobook versions of some of these old favourites, something I have never seen before! You'll even find a few more grown-up treats such as dainty cookbooks and a box of Penguin bookcover postcards, I've now mentally bookmarked this place for presents for any gal pal with a bit of a romantic-literary streak's up-and-coming Birthday.

This independently owned gift store is worth a look for buying gift for him or her. I was intrigued…read moreby the tasteful battery powered, flameless candles made from real wax (set of three for $70). They have quite a bit of jewellery, a lot of which were pieces I'd not seen before. So many boutique gift shops stock the same ranges - I guess because they sell. But it's nice to come across a store that takes the risk of stocking something unique - it makes me go back for original gifts. There are also eco shopping bags, hand made woven bags, scarves, beautiful kaftans, bright kitchen wares, vases, journals and retro cards. For him there are funky cuff links and a pretend pencil size match to select phone or IPad applications. Friendly staff.

Rapture Living is one of those stores you shouldn't visit if you're feeling weak-willed. The…read moregorgeous array of accessories, homewares and keepsakes are just too tempting for words. Just this week I ventured in - fortunately with a mind to buy a birthday gift - and within 30 seconds I had found the perfect present. Of course I then spent the next 10 minutes wandering around trying to justifying buying the rest of the store for myself! Luckily the lovely lady in the store offered to giftwrap my pressie, which provided enough of a distraction to keep me away from buying up all the jewellery!

This bedding shop is just the right place. There is a good range of beds for short people, tall…read morepeople and big people! Also a range for the kids. The staff are very helpful and they know their business. They deliver and have a range of bed heads and bedside tables etc. This is the first place I would visit before the big chains.

I know I'm going to sound like a girl when I say this, but...I love pretty little, shiny things!…read moreThat's why I can never stroll past Abode without a cheeky browse at whatever they have in there. It's hard to define what this store is about, it has home-wares but it also has plenty of awesome novelty gifts. I'll admit I am guilty of walking in there, buying a present for a friend and then falling so in love with it that I keep it. I'm a horrible person, I know, but you try it! You'll go bonkers for all the gorgeous, funny and random things in there. Whether you feel like adding something quirky to your home, buying a card for a loved one or getting a present for someone, you'll find it in Abode. Just make sure to give yourself at least half an hour in there, I guarantee you'll keep getting side tracked.

Abode is the home of pretty things! This is the sort of shop you could browse in for hours trying…read moreto decide on the right card or gift for someone. The wooden floors, non in-your-face staff and quirky Things make this a really welcoming place to hang out in. Much like a place called Abode should be really. I don't see the point of greetings cards that aren't tailored to the person being greeted, and Adobe has a great selection of fun/arty/beautiful cards on top of the wide array of unique gifts for another person (or yourself of course). If you're looking for the likes of a unicorn lamp to a Dali-esque "melting clock" or just have no idea what to get your funky friend for their birthday, Adobe is a damn good place to start.

Ah, how I love ModCons! Mostly because they sell these really cute little novelty bears... you get…read moreHannibal Lecter bears, Edward Scissorhands bears, and sometimes you even get really dirty bears, doing really dirty things! But it's adorable all the same, and I even have a friend who collects them. I also love Mod Cons because they sell really cool badges, and it was my go-to shop back when I used to cover my satchels in provocative/offensive badges. Apart from the cute bears, you can get all kinds of Harry Potter and Twilight merchandise (if you're into that), like bracelets, and rings, and necklaces and posters. There's also plenty of novelty items, like these adorable little voodoo-doll keychains, they're the best! They're also about $14, which I admit, sounds like a lot for a keychain, but you would understand if you saw them, they're the cutest things ever.The merchandise here is fairly reasonably priced, and there's always something new on the shelves. They even have some naughty board games! ;)

This place is unreal, they have the biggest selection of outdoor furniture in Australia…read more The furniture is of the highest quality, the delivery crew are amazing and go above and beyond for their customers. Myself, the wife and kids couldn't be happier with our experience. Will do business again!

You can scarcely imagine my excitement when I discovered this shop. Primarily because there exists…read morea Cottage Emporium in India, which sells the finest Indian arts and crafts, at admittedly steep prices. I was very interested to see how this apparently Australian branch would compare! It was beautiful. The crafts were beautiful, the ambience was beautiful, the incense was heady (in a good way), and I saw a lot of the same type of crafts that you get in India. It seemed authentic enough.. until I caught a glimpse of a price tag. $500 for a small bowl? ...Really? Now, I might just be a poor student, but... who the christ would pay $500 for a BOWL? What would they keep in such a bowl, emeralds? I mean.. if you HAVE emeralds, and no place to keep them.. please buy this bowl. I guess I should have expected ridiculous pricing when I noticed the saleswoman's snooty, condescending demeanour, and choice of outfit (a pantsuit and high heels... seriously), but heavens. Waste of time unless you're loaded, I'd say. And even then, surely you have better things to spend your money on than insipid bowls which derive their value simply by being from India. Heck, just go to India instead!

First of all, the nag champa is not too overpowering. This is a very good thing. Here you can gaze…read moreat Jaipur necklaces, enormous silver chains and Bollywood earrings. If you're in the market for a painting of Shah Jahan, a Tibetan singing bowl or an inexplicable mermaid coffee table, this is your place. 'Indian Cottage Emporium - for all your Tibetan deity needs.' Has a ring to it, don't you think? The lady staffing it suggested I 'enjoy wandering' and as everything is clearly displayed with prices visible, I didn't need to bother her in order to assuage my morbid curiosity about how much a turquoise cuff the size of a limb costs. I remember this store from when it used to be down King Street a bit, and it's certainly travelled up the food chain since then. Amazing jewellery, as well as lampshades, beadspreads, scarves, even furniture. Not quite a trip to the Himalayas, but I can dream.

It's hard to escape this establishment without caning the credit card, or growing a wishlist as…read morelong as your arm. An array of leather goods that would make any tannery proud spoils ladies for choice. In fact, if you're after a handbag or wallet, this place has it covered. They've got every style and colour under the rainbow and they must come from some seriously special cows because this leather is as soft as it gets. If you're in a hurry to find a gift, get here. This is also jewellery central. Not to mention, one of those places you can just spend forever in perusing nik naks like picture frames, homewares, cushions and general décor bits and bobs... but prepare to be faced with an agonizing purchase decision... unless there's enough room on your creddy card to get one in every colour. Better yet, bring your sugar daddy and get every style in every colour. One for each outfit. ... a girl can dream can't she?