Geoff's is no longer the in-the-know Auckland hipster's secret. Go here on Halloween and you will…read moresee what I mean. Luckily, Halloween only happens once a year but year round Geoff's is the place that truly does have everything. I am most often here for random products like baby oil ($6 for a small bottle of branded petroleum by-product at a supermarket? $2 here), fabric dye, art supplies, sewing stuff and what must be Auckland's cheapest fabric. No offence to Spotlight, but go here first if you need anthing crafty. There's ribbon, cotton, buttons, sparkly bits, belt buckles, bra pads, googly eyes, appliques, patches.... on and on and on. The fabric selection is no small part of the shop and the pricing fairly freakin ridiculous. You'll also find toys, costume jewellery, probably Auckland's biggest range of wigs and "ready-costumes" for adults and kids, as well as such essential props as tiaras, plastic swords, feather boas, cowboys hats, gloves, face paint and garters. There are paints, brushes, canvases, dyes, sketch books...... You can even buy paperbacks, hardware, kitchen equipment, candles and it just goes on. What I love most about Geoff's is that it has been around as long as I can remember and as far as I know, Geoff himself is still around too. My kids love coming here with a handful of coins and leaving with treasures and so do I. The staff are awesome and Geoff's is such a wonderful reminder to me that some things don't ever change, they just get better with age.

This place is AWESOME. Recommended to me by a fellow sewing friend, I decided to check it out…read moretoday. Walked in the door and thought wow, this place is a bit...crappy. But then I walked in further, through the narrow door and into a huge space, filled with all manner of crafty supplies! I was there to buy interfacing, and buy it I did - 5m for $5! Incredible prices. I also got a zip for $1.05 and a belt buckle kit for $1. The prices are insane, even cheaper than what I paid living in the US. I saw some gorgeous fabrics in there, too, but I'm trying to watch my fabric budget right now so I sadly left it behind...for now. The woman who served me was really friendly, carefully rolled up my interfacing and asked about my projects. I can't wait to go back and browse their fabrics some more, and they will definitely be my go-to place for notions, too! I didn't explore the rest of the shop too closely, as I had a sick husband in tow, but they have a huge range of paint/art supplies, party supplies, incense and other trinkets, and heaps of other stuff too.

Fabric Warehouse is a great wee fabric store tucked away behind Mt Eden Road…read more When I was in high-school and had various school balls to attend, the Fabric Warehouse was a lifesaver. I've never been much of a girly girl and didn't want the same satin style ball gown as every other girl, so instead went to the Fabric Warehouse found the perfect white fabric with black flowers around the hem and had my own 1950s style gown made. Not only was it completely original, but it was also pretty cheap. The Fabric Warehouse is really fairly priced and the lovely couple that work there are more than happy to help you locate the ideal fabrics for whatever project you are working on. A great selection of fabrics, zippers, buttons and threads are available at Fabric Warehouse, as well as a brilliant variety of patterns. My favourite are the vintage Vogue patterns they stock up by the counter - so inspirational, and what better place to be inspired than in a fabric store?! If you endeavour to sew your own clothing or even whip up some cheap and funky curtains or pillow cases - the Fabric Warehouse will provide everything you need!

The stores you would find me lingering in most of my recent days especially last weekend, were…read moreFabric Stores. On the hunt for that perfect light, silky fabric enough to be used at an event to hide other curtains, was definetly a mission on its own. I found walking into Fabric Warehouse, actually a relief because they seemed to have lots of different options. It turns out that the perfect material they had was all I needed except had to be doubled over to do the job. Good thing is that they had a 40% sale on certain curtain materials, and my chosen chiffon just happened to be amongst it. The lady working at the front of the store, her name was Lily, a very helpful Asian women, who was great in showing me as many options as she had in store. I noticed that you had a variety of material options from budget to expenisive so something to suit all tastes.

My friends and I were only visiting Auckland for a short stay and HAD to purchase New Zealand yarn…read more (You know how it is. ;) This store had it all, yarn, notions, tools, patterns, and most important, knowledge! In a short time we had everything explained to us, purchased, and were on our way. It's well worth a visit!

An excellent range of NZ yarns, including Outlaw Yarns, Zealana and plenty of merino wool, possum…read moreand local alpaca blends. Heaps of NZ designed and themed quilting fabrics, if you're into that kind of thing. Great to have a place in the city to buy thread and other goodies, too!

I think I may have just found my new favourite gift shop - introducing Matchbox Studios!…read more Matchbox Studios originally started up in Wellington three years ago, where they are a large art and crafts store plus an art gallery. I recently discovered them on Instagram and saw that they were opening a store in St Kevins Arcade on K'Road (full of exciting things). I was so thrilled because it is a seriously awesome shop! It is a haven for all things colourful, whether it be art, jewellery, stationery, books, candles or homewares! I loved everything I came across in Matchbox, but here is a taste of what you might find: - Funky colourful cards (for example the Koala dressed in a Hawaiian shirt) - Range of art prints, including skulls (yay!), famous people, grumpy cat, etc. - The Beatles tea bags (check out the picture!) - Candles and soaps (all with very nice scents) and - Colourful cups, straws, plates and napkins - perfect for picnics or parties at home, plus so much more! The shop assistant was friendly and she was really happy when I signed up to their mailing list. How could I not - everything at Matchbox is fabulous and fun! So, if you need a gift or want to decorate your room with bright colours, then I highly recommend you visit Matchbox Studios today - I am sure you won't be disappointed!

It seems Japanese shops such as this one are growing like mushrooms!…read moreI would rank this one as my second favourite, the kitchen section in particular has lots of pretty soup bowls and pans and steamers. As mentioned in my fellow Yelpers's reviews there are also the stationery and bathroom sections and lots of random cute thingies no one needs... But oh they' so cheap so why not?!

This place is pretty awesome, hidden in an obscure location, you almost miss it. Thankfully for the…read morevibrant orange and black sign to mark the narrow entrance you begin your decent into the lower depths of Queen Street to find yourself in a rather large store that I could not accurately categorise. This is because there is a lot of stuff here, stationary, the gift bags and paper section is great, Hello Kitty and Snoopy are well represented here. There are aisles of all kinds of things for your home, a massive chopstick section, Hello Kitty cling wrap, food bags and plasters. Interestingly a big range of nappies and other baby things. It is fun just to look around, there are some odd things here too, especially in the bathroom and cleaning sections. Good fun I say, you'll walk away with things you didn't need but make are entertaining none the less. (Hello Kitty keeps my food fresh now).

This gorgeous little space very recently opened up in St Kevin's Arcade on K-Road, across from the…read moreAlleluya cafe. It's a crafting space/cute sewing supply shop, run by the lovely Sarah and her intern, Rosie. Maybe you want to use a sewing machine or an overlocker for a few hours, maybe you want to cut out some patterns, or do some handstitching. Maybe you don't know anything at all about sewing, but you'd love to learn. Or maybe you just want to pick up some gorgeous vintage fabrics, notions, or handcrafted items from local NZ craftspeople. You can do all of these things here, and if you need a helping hand, Sarah and Rosie are more than happy to give you a few pointers. Everything inside is reclaimed/recycled - the machines, the tools, the fabric - everything! The decor is really cute and cosy, with the mismatching stools, and the lovely sewing decorations hanging everywhere. They offer classes on how to start sewing, or how to make skirts/tops, or how to mend clothes you already have, and refashioning stuff from your wardrobe! They also offer knitting classes, all at very reasonable prices. If you order coffee from Alleluya, they'll even bring it over to you in the cafe!

Best place for variety, quality and price for home furnishing fabrics that Ive found in Auckland…read more They have end rolls of European furnishing fabrics - beautiful patterns and natural fabrics, as well as easy care fabrics.

Oh crikey - we have found the holy grail of cheap and cheerful. This place is packed with…read moreeverything you could ever need when dressing up or getting crafty, and is surprisingly huge. There is a huge range of costumes and accessories, fake flowers, themed-decorations, crafts, and more and more and more. Around the time of office Christmas parties and St Patricks Day, the place is packed. And they order in more stuff depending on the celebration. There is a very entertaining R18 section for funny presents, or just actual stuff. But it;s not just silly stuff, head down the back and you'll find kitchen utensils, rubbish bins, frames, cleaning products, bathroom stuff, hangers and all the rest of that kind of stuff for super cheap. It's actually not a bad idea to see what you can find.

This place is Mecca for costumes and silly novelty items. It's a one stop shop for all your fun and…read morefrivolity needs: dress up parties, St Patrick's Day, sporting events, or just silly gifts. If you want it, Look Sharp probably has it, and you'll probably only pay ten bucks. I've accumulated a small collection of awesomeness from Look Sharp, including costumes, canes, hats, wigs and flags. I have also made extensive use of their wonderfully inappropriate R18 section for Secret Santa gifts - hilarity and awkwardness ensued. In short, any occasion is better if preceded by a visit to Look Sharp.

Great little shop wonderful service lady appeared very knowledgeable and helpful for any questions…read morethat I had.

From the owner: Knitnstitch is a retail and online Knitting Shop selling Knitting wool, yarn, knitting needles…read morecrochet hooks, patterns, classes, knitting tools and accessories, tapestry and embroidery kits. Knitnstitch stocks quality yarn from New Zealand and overseas.

I don't really know what I was expecting from this store when I walked in. Maybe a shop full of…read moreelephant crafts. Elephant shaped things? Are there any elephants in this store? The answer is no, I couldn't find any. On the bright side they do have some other nice things that aren't elephant related. Lots of little knick knacks and crafts all specially handcrafted by Homegrown artisans. Now that can't be a bad thing! It's a really good place to come if you are looking for a very 'kiwi' gift to send to friends and families overseas. And there's a whole lot of kauri/ wood ware. I mean a WHOLE lot. I think maybe they should rename it to something with wood in the title. It might be more reflective of the product they do actually stock.

An absolute nightmare…read more I was excited when I read the reviews and decided to visit. However, when I shipped over $500 worth of gifts it arrived poorly packed and completely destroyed. It has been months and they say they will reimburse me, but never followed through. Also found their exact merchandise for a fraction of the cost elsewhere. Feel completely ripped off. Do yourself a favor. Go somewhere else!