I obtained a quote from Doyles Mitre 10 Timber & Hardware at Mitchelton and it was very…read morecompetitive. The staff were very knowledgeable ( I am not a builder) and I felt that I could trust their advice. All the gear arrived by truck and the men from Mitre 10 helped take the steel and timber into my garage. Very impressed. Thanks again. Chris The Gap Brisbane

You COULD drive a little further to venture into that well-known warehouse style hardware store, or…read moreif you're in the middle of painting a wall with your Dad and need a new paint roller pronto, you COULD also drive a lickity split down the road and shop at Doyles Home Hardware. Tucked away on Blackwood Street, Doyles have been a hardware savior on multiple occasions since moving to the area. From small wall hooks to hang new prints to custom cut lengths of timber - the team at Doyles have it all. Plus it's service with an old fashioned smile. Thumbs up, Blackwood Street.

Consensus among historians states that the biblical Garden of Eden was probably somewhere in modern…read moreday Iraq. I think Mappin's on Montague Rd has a legitimate claim to being a contender for God's original garden. Hey, they even have the infamous snake/s there, plus a number of fruit trees (which you are probably forbidden from tasting too, unless you're willing to buy it ;) These guys are water plant specialists, with their massive aqua-filled terracotta pots home to oodles of different aquatic plants, like water lilies and edible water chestnuts. I bought one of the latter once and put it in a water feature in my yard. After a few months we yielded a few delicious chestnuts. They also have an impressive range of cacti and succulents, which are easy to care for, decorative and make a great gift. The innovative decorative pieces designed by local artists are also good present fodder, but be prepared to pay in the hundreds for some (they are after all 'art').

A green thumb I am not but I read a mythical legend that Zanzibar Gems are house plants that are…read moreincredibly hard to kill. They only require watering once a month! And thus begins the journey that led me to the West End wonderland that is Mappin's Nursery. And can I end that train of thought by pointing out that it is a freakin' nursery less than 4kms from the CBD?!?! Okay. Now that I've got that out of the way. Mappin's is a green haven on Montague Road that have a range of plants and not to mention helpful staff willing to answer my silly questions such as, "What make great house plants? Can you show me your suggestions?" and I didn't dare tell my helper that I kind of like plates as saucers when she handed me a plastic saucer for my newly acquired plant saying, "I don't understand kids these days using plates as saucers. I can't let you do that." Did I spray myself with "Psuedo Hipster" this morning? How did she know?!? I'd looked for this particular plant at a household name hardware chain (it rhymes with running), and while I paid a fraction more for the same size plant at Mappin's, the plant itself looks healthier and you bet your bottom dollar I feel better (okay, maybe a little smug) that my money went towards a fantastic local business. Plus I feel like the extra coin went towards the handful of advice I was given about caring for the plant. When I enter the home owner game I'll be back at Mappin's asking them for their green thumb advice on a range of gardening 101. Oh and finally nabbing one of the beautiful Magnolia trees they sell!

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!

This florist has the most beautiful flowers. Highly recommend this business to everyone. Sam (the…read moreowner) is so inviting and very helpful.

Whoever created Reverse Garbage is a genius and should be given a medal for helping to solve the…read moreworld's waste problems. Don't get me started on my overconsumption rant! Reverse Garbage is a not-for-profit that accepts donations of industrial scraps or pays a small fee for them, organises them in a way that is consumer-friendly and sells them, saving "rubbish" from going into landfill. As a sewer, I love their fabric scraps. Most of it's off-cuts of pretty odd shapes but there are some small rolls of fabric too. Selling truly random things like bottle caps, brochures, long tubes of mesh-like fabric--things that would otherwise be considered junk--this is a great place for creative souls, kindergarten teachers in search of craft material and anyone who wants to look first for second-hand materials before buying something new and contributing to the cycle of consumption! Uh-oh, I feel that rant coming on again...

Full of bits of wood, mannequins, plastic, rope, fabric and thousands of other bits and bobs that…read morewere going to be thrown out by various industrial places. In this way, they are stopping waste and allowing things to have a second chance at life. They are always getting new things in and the best way to hear about their latest bargain is to keep an eye on their facebook page. They are a not-for-profit organisation that goes to schools to do workshops and have a small shop that sells upcycled handmade goodies from local craftspeople. If you love craft and DIY (or you're renovating your house), this is the place for you. Everything is priced reasonably. I have used some of their things for my own crafting projects. Perhaps the only problem is their location; they can be a bit hard to get to. I catch the bus and jump off at the P.A. Hospital. From there it's about a 15 minute walk.

Currently renovating my apartment and wanted quotes for replacement carpet…read more Most stores didn't want to come out to show samples in place, however Connor from Carpet Call was more than happy to come out, measure, show samples and make a recommendation of what carpet to purchase. Having picked a couple of colours in the showroom, I was surprised how different they looked in the actual room and with softer lighting. I'm glad I was able to have an in-home quote as I went with a completely different colour than I had originally chosen. Connor also upgraded us from 7mm underlay to 10mm at no charge, as he said that would give us more longevity and be better in our baby's room. He also gave us a discount coupon for rugs if we wanted to purchase one at a later time. Carpet Call weren't the cheapest quote I was able to get, but their service in giving that quote gave me the confidence to order from them and know I'd be looked after.

We have had a shocking experience with the delivery of our couch firstly delivery we as supposed to…read morebe in October and eventually they wanted to deliver on the 4th of January. As we were recently diagnosed with COVID we were not game to ask for another delivery date as goodness knows when that would have been. We asked the delivery people to drop our couch on our outside deck and they refused (no idea why). They delivered into a carport and know we cannot move it into the house (we are both in our 70's and there are stairs leading into the house from the carport) but we could have if it had been delivered onto our deck. We had a great experience with the male salesman at the time of purchase however the female salesperson was rude both on the floor and on the phone. At lease we are happy with the couch or at least will be if we ever get it into the house

Very helpful staff and super comfy chairs. Currently have a 50% off sale which means I get the…read morechair I have wanted for years!

The Lush Lily is a small, well stocked florist that has some lovely flowers…read more They specialise in arrangments and bridal packages, and I love how they have their basic bridal packages advertised out the front. It can be really frustrating for brides to be to go to florists, as you always get very nebulous answers about ball park pricing. Yes, I understand it depends on the flowers and what's in season, but what I want to know is an estimate of your pricing. Packages at The Lush Lily start at $350 for bouquets, corsages and buttonholes for a standard wedding party which would certainly give even the most budget conscious bride the confidence to go ask more detailed questions.