Smart Choice Clearance Centre in Mountain Gate is a shop that is full of all sorts of random items…read morefor you to enjoy. It stocks your typical junky store items like stickers, toys, Tupperware items, birthday cards and wrapping paper. My favourite item was a coin purse made out of a tiny sock. It was only $3 and really cute. I also found a pretty random Scooby Doo Whoopy Cushion. I left it behind because it's really not a good idea for me to own one of those... my friends would kill me! The customer service here is friendly enough. The staff member stayed behind the counter while I browsed and he greeted me with a smile when I first walked in. The prices are really low and the items to be found are more original than most similar variety shops. It's worth a visit for some cheap knick-knacks.

Hands-down the best Salvos store in Melbourne! And that isn't a pronouncement that comes lightly…read morefrom me. About 60% of the store is dedicated to furniture, and though I don't buy or know much about furniture, it all looks to be in good quality and beautifully attractive. Lots of wood and vintage glasswork and tapestry. Also lots of art deco era beauties, and ornately carved wood pieces. The book, record and magazine section is large, with lots of antique books and a large array of magazines, especially national geographies, which is great for teachers and other art-scounger enthusiasts. Though the clothing section is on the small side, there are always decent finds and most of the items are in pristine condition. My absolute favourite favourite bit, though, is the jewelry selection. Never before in an op-shop have I seen such good quality vintage pieces. Beautiful ornate necklaces, screw-on earrings (amazing!), delicate rings. The works. If you need a bonus, the staff are also gems. Last time I was there one of the women helped hold my hair back while I tried on necklaces. Talk about service!

The Abbotsford Salvation Army shop should be your first point of call when ever you're looking for…read morefurniture, because they've got a really big selection of decently priced stuff to choose from. They are also quite happy to negotiate costs, so make sure you try to bargain with them. They also sterilise mattresses, so you can be some very good quality beds there quite cheap. They have a decent selection of crockery and kitchenware, books, and a particularly good selection of records on offer. They're also selling a grand piano at the moment, so it's really got something for everybody. The clothing selection is nothing to write home about, so I definitely wouldn't make a trip there if you're only after clothes, but if you're interested in household stuff, check it out for sure!

Chemist Warehouse has a cure for every ailment. They have a wide variety of over the counter…read moreproducts such as vitamins, proteins, hair care, skin care, foot care, mouth care and many more. You can also get scripts filled here from your doctor at discounted prices. Oh not to mention a huge variety of perfumes and after shaves. Perfect if your looking for that last minute gift for someone.

Great script prices, good range of most everything chemist wise! Good range of travel size…read moretoiletries.

Very friendly staff and well stocked! They really listen to you and help you through the thinking…read moreprocess. This particular bunting conveniently located away from shopping centres!

This location is quite large and will have everything you need. I'm impressed with the sales people…read morethat helped us with our car seat questions and choosing the Safe n Sound Trojan car seat. I put the seat on lay by on a saturday to reserve the seat until my installation appointment (they'll fit the seat in your car for $39, mon-friday). I had a $10 coupon for spending $100 or more which I was told I could redeem when paying the rest of the amount owed on the day of my installation. I'm taking stars away for the service I recieved when I came back. Mary was my sales person at the till who told me I couldn't use my coupon because I had already paid some money for the lay by. Does this make sense? She then ran my card for the remaining $150 that I owed and told me that I needed to purchase a $22 extender for the car as I have a hatchback. So I asked her why I couldn't use my coupon as the purchase was way over $100 and also, she hadn't charged me for the $22 extender or $39 installation fee. She seemed very scattered and not very good at customer service. The manager came over and told her to put the coupon towards the extender and installation fee. Why didn't she run everything through together? So now I have Mary with the bit of attitude and two transactions on my card. Anyway, the installer was very pleasant and installed the seat and showed me how to use it. All in all, Mary isn't my favourite but as this is the closest Baby Bunting to me, I'd most likely go back if I needed something.

This place is magical! You walk into the warehouse type Mariana Hardwick building and there are…read morebeautiful gowns hanging as far as the eye can see with a huge staircase at the end that leads up to where the custom dresses are made. I came here twice to try on dresses as I was told this was as good as it gets. I'm from Canada, marrying my Aussie boy in Hawaii this year, so they let me Skype my bridesmaids back home to help me choose my dress. (No photos are allowed, but Skype was). The lady that helped me was Joy, and she pulled dresses as I requested them and even suggested ones that would suit my body type. Believe it or not, I chose a dress that Joy suggested (it didn't look like much on the hanger, but when I put it on, I knew it was the one). In the end I came back and signed a contract to pay 6 equal payments. You have 4 fittings, one where they measure you, one where you see the outline all pinned, one where you see your dress in the material you've chosen and the final fitting where you take home your dress. The dress is absolutely stunning and designed exactly for me! :)

Being of the as-yet unmarried and non-engaged section of society, my only experience with Mariana…read moreHardwick's bridal couture was as an onlooker, having tagged along with a friend looking for a wedding gown. But OMG how I loved this place. The gowns are seriously to die for; before stepping in here I had never had much interest in a white dress, but now I think I get the whole Princess Wedding thing. The dresses are all handmade and the staff are extremely helpful, as you would expect in a store at this price point. As well as dresses there are accessories and an "off the rack" section of last season's and discounted dresses. This place is super pricey but I know I'll be back when I'm actually in the market for a wedding dress, if only for inspiration.

It's a pretty big, well-lit pharmacy in a corner space at the QV Centre by the food court…read more Obviously a good place to pick up a prescription and other medical supplies, but also well merchandised with lots of skincare and beauty products. The staff are really friendly and helpful when you need them. On my last visit though, not a single staff member approached me or even acknowledged my existence. They were very busy though so I wasn't too put out by this. It just would've been nice to have someone around who could've directed me to the right shelf to find what I needed instead of having to wander around the whole pharmacy to find one thing.

A pretty inviting, friendly and private establishment to buy some much needed prescription…read moremedication, and some other unexpected items such as umbrellas, candy and tissue to name. The pharmacist and his assistant were just too polite and helpful, to the point where being not so well may be a good thing; even though you don't want that to happen too frequently. The generic variety of the antibiotics they sell represents great value for money unlike some generic medicines you can buy at some other pharmacies that dissolve into your mouth before you even have a chance to swallow them; kind of giving you that murky, yucky feeling in your mouth. A chemist isn't a place you would want to frequent too frequently; however if I ever needed to go to the chemist again - for heavens sake not too soon if at all; this establishment would be my next destination without re-thinking my decision. You want confidence in pharmacies as they contribute to your recovery from a major or minor illness to some degree; and you want trust as well as you are handing over your private details to them in order to get your medicine dispensed. A great business overall.

Not cheap but not unreasonably expensive, to me this is the perfect example of a gentleman's shoe…read moreshop. Expert service and a good range of quality footwear leaning more towards business than leisure. A small range of belts, umbrellas and cufflinks are there too. I haven't bought new shoes here but have had a few leather-soled pairs of boots and shoes remade over the years and their work is excellent.

Gepettos Workshop is an oasis of toys, colour and fun. There are incredible puppets hanging from…read morethe ceiling, wooden trains curving around shelves and all manner of exciting games and trinkets decorating every bit of space. It is great for children and parents will be hard spent to get their kids out without being convinced to buy something. The store specializes in toys that don't use batteries as they would rather kids make the sounds and use their imaginations. I reckon this is a really cool philosophy for a toyshop to have and I wish I were young enough to put their toys to good use. Perhaps my favourite items they sell are the Doll Houses. They are so elaborate and detailed with everything from carpeted staircases to windowsills and architraves. They are absolutely gorgeous. They are open every single day of the year from 10am to 5pm with the exception of Christmas day and the staff are always very welcoming. They accept cash, eftpos and visa and have the option of lay-by (which is just as well because some toys are pretty expensive)! Overall they are really fun stores that have been built with a lot of love and they really stand out from the little rooms full of plastic that are our modern toy stores. It's a fantastic little haven for the young and the old.

Came to browse around this wonderful toy workshop while waiting for our reservation at Miss…read moreMarple's tea room. As soon as you walk in, you can tell this toy store is unlike any other. It is absolutely packed with toys of every description- on their shelves, hanging from their ceiling, free standing on their floor- we spent a fair time just admiring every single product. They specialise in wooden toys for all ages, from the past era of Pinocchio- with a range of sized marionettes in the ceiling, every kind of hand puppet imaginable, spinning tops and wooden puzzles. They also have every other toy under the sun: dolls, their houses and accessories, dress up costumes, various puppets (animals, stage, fantasy, people etc), those for construction, games, soft toys, old school favourites, role play sets, books, figurines, musical instruments as well as mobiles, rock, roll & ride toys for the very young. Our teaching friends had a real good time looking at the potential ideas for their classroom. Walked out smiling just like they said I would. Definitely come in and have a look around this charming store with its unique collection of toys.