If you like your collector locomotives, your collector cars, this is the one stop shop for you…read more They stock the biggest range of trains, cars, kites, model airplanes that I have ever seen. Walking into this place is weird because you feel that you shouldn't touch anything because you don't want to break anything but every ounce of your child within is really doing everything it can to not want to touch and play with everything within sight and within reason. With locomotives here going for over $1000 this is the real deal, not for the faint hearted but for serious lifelong collectors who are establishing their collection for grandchildren. The trains are limited editions sometimes and will only increase in value over time (they tell me), so you better be serious when you buy them and maybe just keep them in the box. Not the kind of stuff you buy for kids that are young. But kids that are old enough to appreciate a good thing and take care of a good thing when they see it.

I went into Hobbyrama for the first time yesterday to buy some glue (long story). Wow. I never knew…read moreI had an inner ten year old boy but apparently I do because I had so much fun looking around in here. Maybe I should start building model cars. They have so many crazy things that I would never have even known existed. Their range of model cars, planes, boats, tanks, trains, and insert any other mode of transportation you can think of here is amazing. The store is huuuge and literally packed to the rafters. As well as the model vehicles they have doll house kits, and little doors, furniture, etc. to for people who build dollhouses. Just seeing the little doors and windows in their packages made me smile thinking of Grandfathers making dollhouses for their grand-daughters. But now I'm getting emotional over a hobby shop. Hobbyrama has puzzles, crafts, kites, and countless other things you could do to entertain yourself or hone your fine motor skills. I've never built a model in my life, but this shop is full of so many things that even a hobby n00b like myself would love to try my (very shaky) hand at. I needed to buy glue for small pieces of plywood, and the guy behind the counter helped me out and was very friendly. He didn't even mind that I had my fourteen year old terrier in tow (who was busy examining the extensive range of matchbox cars down at his eye level). Hobbyrama is worth a browse purely out of interest. You'll be surprised by the kinds of cool things people make. You might even end up tackling something yourself although if you're anything like me you'll no doubt end up with pieces of aeroplane glued to your hands, but it's all part of the fun, right?

As the name implies, ZiNG Pop Culture specialises in selling various pop culture related items. The…read morechain of stores is owned by EB Games, with the Indooroopilly store being just over a year old. I mainly visit the store to view their large range of Pop Vinyl Figures (they are a big thing right now, with hundreds of figures being available for various TV shows, movies, and games). In addition to Pop Vinyl Figures they also sell various plush toys, clothes and accessories, posters, board games, action figures, collectables, and other various geeky items. They are reasonably priced for the most part, though you might find that some items are available for less online. I quite like how the store has areas that are sorted by franchise (e.g. Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead etc). The store is located near Dymocks on Level 3 of the Indooroopilly Shopping Centre.

The Collective is a little gem of a store, with beautiful treasures for those looking for a unique…read moreor hand made gift. It definitely has a style of it's own and possibly will not appeal to anyone looking for new and modern, although there is some merit in combining vintage with modern. They have clothing, toys, vinyl, knitted items and much more. Definitely worth a look. I noticed a gorgeous hand made wooden fawn yesterday, so precious!

The Collective is all things good about people power. I love that this fairly altruistic venture…read moreprovides an outlet for lots of talented, crafty people to showcase their creations and maybe make a dollar or two. A stroll through this shop has me wanting; the prices aren't always cheap but there's a lot of work in handcrafted goods. From dolls to clothes, and woodwork to toys, there are treasures here. It's the kind of place that's always good for finding a gift for someone near and dear, though not so much for the guys.

This seems to me to be the only semi-decent jewellery store in West End. Of course a lot of other…read moreshops in the area have nice jewellery, but in terms of specialist jewellery shops, most of them are small enough that you might mistake them to be stolen from the set of The Hobbit. This one is bigger and better than the rest. The size obviously results in a larger selection, but it's still not a place I would highly recommend or drag my unsuspecting boyfriend past while dropping hints. There's some lovely stuff but I just wasn't mouth agape, struggling to decide which of their items I could justify buying.

The selection of jewellary and watches in Hall's are all OK, but I must admit I was a little…read moreunderwhelmed by the range. I was on a hunt for a new pair of earrings but didn't find anything that really tickled my fancy. The shop attendant was busy talking to a friend so I didn't really get any assistance in that respect. In terms of repairs though, Hall's does a good job for a reasonable price. I've had a watch fixed there before as well as a necklace which had broken as a result of the debauchery of a night out. It's an OK little jewellary store, but not the kind of place I would rave about to friends.

This Paddington op-shop is, as its name suggests, full of second-hand designer clothes as well as…read morebric-a-brac, old vinyl records, books, and a huge collection of vintage clothes from the 50s, 60s and 70s. Upstairs is full of shoes, bags, jewellery, hats and men's, women's and kid's clothing from big and small designers. Downstairs is a veritable treasure trove of high-waisted 50's skirts, pleated dresses like the ones grandma wears, evening gowns from all decades, leather coats from James Dean's glory years and my favourite, a rack of enormous faux fur coats from a time when people were a little bit classier. The clothes in here might not be as funky as what you will find in a dedicated vintage store but the prices are much easier on the eyes and if you dig deep you can often find something a bit special.

Ah Endo's, the place where clothes go to be reincarnated. Endo's is kind of like a bit fancier, bit…read morefunkier Vinnie's where the clothes have been sorted to ensure that only things with the potential to be reborn are allowed through the doors. This is great for op-shoppers in a hurry who would rather skip trawling through pilled Kmart dresses that aren't quite vintage and more early 2000s. The convenience and funky factors do mean that the prices are a little higher than in your average secondhand charity store, but usually you'll find something in Endo's that makes that worth it. Especially since you can find it in half the time thanks to their excellent stock selection. Whether you're a novice op-shopper or just a lazy one like me, Endo's has done half the work for you and all you need to do is pick what you want and pay for it! And then when someone compliments you on your new dress or jacket and asks you where you got it, you can feel very suave and hip when you reply with a wave of your hand 'oh, this old thing? It's vintage'.

They are always super busy so it's hard to get the attention of a staff member if you need help…read more They do let you bring anything back for a refund within seven days even if it's open or used.

Everyone that works here is loved by me. Current pri minister (dependant on when you read this)…read moregive this joint more money so it's dankness level can go way sat 9000 mate

The products are good quality and durable We have had all…read moreour cupboards fitted with sliding draws and I don't know how I ever did without them The ease of ordering and fitting is outstanding the help from the staff was always done with patience and kindness. Howard's is always my first choice

I've developed a bit of an obsession with organising my home of late and there was no better place…read morefor me to head (to assist with this) than Howards Storage World. With more storage options and ideas than you could poke a stick at and friendly staff, I can see this will be the first trip of many. Heaps of parking in the shopping centre and close to bedding, rugs and other home goods stores. They are a little on the expensive side however they have a really really really great range.

Oh, JB. You are the one I always like to visit. On those torturous trips to Chermside, weaving…read morebetween tweens and pensioners, you are my break from the crowds. Staff are nice, though I've never noticed them overly eager to help. Prices are always low for DVDs and CDs. Oftentimes there are competitive game prices but that's not always a given. If you're looking for Triple J style music it's pretty much all in the alternative section. Clean, fast, cheap. And with the loss of WoW I'd suggest there aren't too many competitors. Which is unfortunate, but usually JB will have what you want.

Perhaps because it's in Chermside and there's the crowds AND the turn over, I'm usually quite…read moreimpressed with the range at the Chermside JB. It's all pretty standard fare, but despite there being pretty much no competition in the CD/DVD/HiFi department, they're still quite well priced (and who doesn't love the $9.95/$6.95 DVD bargain bins). It is unfortunately that they're reducing their less mainstream music selection by pumping more and more mainstream artists into the "alternative" section (it seems that the only people left in the "Pop" section are any artists from before 1999 and Lady Gaga), so I hope that trend stops and they begin to have some of the more interesting selections (which were the reason they became so popular in the first place).