The term 'Farmers' Market' is much abused these days, seemingly applied to any event where fresh…read morefood may be purported to be sold. With that in mind, it's refreshing to have in relative proximity to Brisbane's CBD a market where a large proportion of food is both grower sold and local. That stalls of craft goods, nick nacks and so on are also at a minimum is also a bonus. Whilst the name may state Moggill, the markets are actually adjacent to the local State School in the 'village' of Brookfield, some 13 KMs West of Brisbane. Held the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month, head out for a feed and to pick up the necessaries to feed your family (and meet the farmers themselves).

Pink On White Walls is a lovely little boutique in Graceville. Though, I do not purchase from them…read moreoften, it is a store which attract plenty of ladies of leisure in the Graceville area. It is a charming shop to browse through before or after brunch with the ladies. And sure enough, I often find groups of women chatting and buying up in this little shop. Why wouldn't they? They have gorgeous colourful tops and dresses, perfect for the Summer season. You won't find skimpy dresses for 18 year olds here. This store sells clothing that are fashionable and conservative. They carry rare labels as well as many Australia designer labels. Boo Radley, which is a fave of mine can be found here also! In addition to their lovely clothing options, they have a unique range of accessories. Many funky and vibrant and others rare and extremely unique. This store also sells wonderful things for the home such as beautiful pillows with made of handprinted fabric. This store is truly a delight for ladies who love a little light shopping in between coffees and chats in Graceville.

Louise, the owner has an amazing ability to purchase stylish clothing that actually looks good on…read morefeminine bodies (yes realy women's bodies). She is constantly changing her stock and gives great advice on how to choose the right piece for your body type. The accessories and homeware here also are impeccably chosen and matched. You will be very surprised by this delightful store.

Side Street stocks all the types of brands and clothes I yearn for. Yes, it's another one of those…read morelovely Paddington shops that tends to sell the same brands over and over, but don't hold that against it, please. This place sells London Rebel shoes - quite nice styles and surprisingly affordable - as well as relevant fashion styles and some really standout jewellery pieces and accessories. They also occasionally sell some Sass & Bide. I was drawn in by the really distinctive skirts and dresses. You pretty much have your pick of styles here; if you need festival fashions, just ask to see their playsuits and shorts; if you want a cute weekend outfit, take your pick of the patterned dresses. Or go more casual and choose a cami with one of their remarkable jewellery pieces. Side Street is another great stop on a Paddington shopping day.

I will always remember this place fondly as the store in which I found my new, most favourite…read moredress. They have a lot of gorgeous clothes in here, ranging from casual to special occasion styles, for men and women. I was stoked to find the dress I eventually bought, and on sale for only $20. As well as stocking super trendy clothes, the shop is really nicely set up with helpful but not pushy service. I will definitely be returning to this place, and I can hardly wait.

Shugah Boutique at Manly West, is a female clothing store with a unique range of clothing and…read moreaccessories that opened in 2007. Feminine, cute, alternative and pretty clothing ranges. They stock labels including Wish, One Teaspoon, Blessed are the Meek Seduce and Augustine to name a few. Every time I visit, there is something new and sparkely to look at. I love the different textures and styles from flirty pink dresses to edgy black skirts. This weekend I am pondering a 1920's dress by The Dolls Boutique which I found while browsing their online store. The website is well worth a look.

Shugah Boutique have a great team of staff who are both bubbly and friendly. They also are mostly…read moreup to date with the latest fashion and offer fairly affordable clothing - if not matching their competitors. I would strongly advise shopping in store rather then online. Their clothes rarely look the same as they appear on the internet and the quality is frequently far less then that of which it appears online. They do have some good items, but don't be deceived by their beautiful model who looks good in everything and professional photography - best to drop into the store and try it on for yourself.

Vintage Revival (aka Lifeline Annerley) advertises itself more as a costume store than second hand…read morestore. Just read their business card "Goth, Retro, Costumes, Accessories, Footwear, Masks, Wigs & MORE!". A bunch of ghoulish and garish masks greet you as you walk in. This place is better than an all out costume hire store because it's cheaper and you get to keep the clothes! The prices are standard inner city prices. The clothes are well categorised, but as far as finding item by size goes, it can get a little frustrating. I'll save you some time as well. If you're looking for corporate or everyday type of gear for cheap, you might be better going elsewhere. Come here if you're into clothes with big personalities, or you're looking to play dress ups.

I usually avoid places that loudly proclaim the existence of "Vintage"…read more Mainly because they are A) extremely trawled through B) annoyingly expensive or C) have a peculiar definition of vintage (I'm looking at you 2001 JayJays collection in lifeline.) Vintage Revival in Annerley falls under A and B. I found it hard to justify spending upwards of $30 on an OK looking dress or scrap of fabric, And while the clothes are handily categorised by style and era it can get exasperating trying to find something by size. The best part about this store is probably the multitude of costumes and props on hand. But while its not really my cup of tea I still recommend stopping by and checking this place out, You never know what you may find.

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.

Fairly modern and new shopping centre. Quite small but still offers a Jimmy Rods barber, Zarraffas…read moreCoffee, Woolworths, Gold Class Nail Salon, Akebono Sushi, Oxley Family Medical Centre, Golden Casket Newsagency, BWS, Flight Centre, Priceline Pharmacy. Fish Depot, Smart Dollar, Commonwealth Bank, Network Video & Black Milk Coffee. It's fantastic for grocery shopping and there are always free parking spaces, I love it!

This shop tries to specialise in too wide of a range of stuff considering how tiny it is. Their…read morestuff is nice enough, but stocking clothes for women and children as well as accessories in such a small space makes for an overcrowded shop. Despite it's less than pleasant setup they did have some clothes and handbags that I really liked, so it's certainly not all bad.