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.

Naturally Fruit is one of those greengrocers which stocks all the things you'll find at the…read moresupermarket but for a few dollars more a kilo. That said, they obviously have fairly high quality control procedures in place and you can rely on not getting any 'bad apples' so to speak. For a high-end specialist grocers they don't have the best range in my opinion. Take mushrooms for example. When I last checked them out they only had the normal flat mushrooms you can get anywhere plus Swiss browns. There weren't any of the delicious Japanese varieties -- not a Shitake or Enoki in sight (surprising, seeing as some supermarkets stock these nowadays). They do have some of the harder to get potatoes like Kipfler and Dutch Creams, plus a pretty cool range of packaged products. I spied some delicious looking dark chocolate in rustic brown paper packaging plus some very festive rainbow coloured pasta -- perfect for a Mardi Gras picnic lunch.

Just got the most amazing oranges yesterday. Had to go back today for more and got Strawberries &…read moreapples too. Will make it a regular shop. Fantastic quality fruit at a great price.

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).

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.

The further away from the city you get, the better op shops you'll find. The Moorooka Lifeline is…read moreless ransacked and rummaged through than other op shops just a kilometre closer to the city. It's a very neat and tidy op shop, everything is well categorised, and you can tell the ladies who volunteer there care about keeping the space spic and span. They've got an overwhelming selection of clothing. You try to push back coat hangers to look at something properly, but can't. The racks are filled to holding capacity. It's not the best op shop for home wares, or bits and bobs, it is mainly a second hand clothing store. Although this op shop isn't any cheaper than others in the area (standard price for a shirt would be $7.00), it does have more options. It's worth taking a trip out here just to be able to peruse through an unusually large volume of wares.

I absolutely love shopping at Zegna, there's nowhere quite like it in the city. From the moment you…read moreenter the friendly staff make you feel welcome and cater to whatever is required. The staff go above and beyond offering beverages and just being genuinely interested in what the customer has to say. The store is absolutely huge, especially by Brisbane standards. The clothes are always of the current season, and absolutely amazing. Everything is well cut, trendy and made with the finest materials. If I only had to choose one brand to buy from forever it'd probably be Zegna. The store follows the design philosophy of most Zegna stores and is quite a nice space to be in. Finally I'd like to give a shoutout to the family SA Ruby. She is absolutely amazing, she's extremely knowledgeable, friendly, funny and honest. Ermenegildo Zegna is an extremely fun place to shop, so if you're ever in the city and low on endorphins, make sure to stop by!

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.

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.