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.

Desiree is a magical place - I love this store because of the big, heavy curtaining that drapes…read morefrom the ceiling in the main room, giving an added amount of theatre to the costume hiring process. I love how the people who work there are always dressed up too - I wonder if working at a costume hireage place is one of the more fun basic retail jobs you can do. I wouldn't mind being a witch one day and Pippi Longstockings the next. I've been to Desiree a few times now, but one particular experience sticks in my mind. I rented the truly ridiculous "woodland fairy" outfit for a weekend in Wellington with friends, and in my hungover haze, forgot to pack the wings on the way home. Desiree's staff members were very patient with me, allowing me to return the wings via courier without penalising me for my lateness. They had an opportunity to come down on me with a late penalty but clearly understood that mistakes do happen. Thanks, Desiree!

This place is excellent. Myself and two friends hired costumes for a Movie/TV themed 21st and they…read morewere great. A Commando type get-up, a Bugsy Malone, and an Oompa Loompa... Yep, I was the Oompa Loompa. Staff were cool to deal with, heaps to choose from, and prices were crazy affordable and looked awesome. Was recommended by mates that have been before and Desiree didn't disappoint. Highly recommend!!!

The Looksharp empire has a few different branches now but this big shop in Onehunga in the best use…read moreof the old Woolworths/Deka building I've seen in a long time. While it probably doesn't get as much as foot traffic, it's worth the drive - even if you just visit this one shop. It's basically an Asian super-store, full of all the things we've come to expect but crucially MORE. There's just more products and BETTER products - there's an entire "naughty" section here as well as an entire range of inflatables. Need an inflatable palm tree for your living room? This is your place. There's neck ties, fake flowers, party supplies, home supplies, kitchen stuff; you can easily spend several hours here treasure hunting. Best of all, you will find items that are available at upmarket gift stores for the price they really should cost - buggar all.

Unfortunately Looksharp is only a recent discovery of mine and I wish I'd known about this sooner!…read moreOnehunga is probably one of the quieter branches but is still packed to the brim with a lot of things you may or may not need. A friend and I visited when everything in store was 30% off- and to think that Looksharp prices are already really reasonable, we definitely stockpiled on a few things! We made the trip because she was having a luau-themed birthday party- Looksharp had just about everything we were hoping to get! Flower leis, an inflatable floral ukelele, palm tree drinking glasses, bamboo torches, lei bracelets, floral dishes; I could go on! We did catch ourselves making jokes such as "wouldn't it be awesome if they had....", only to find said item seconds later. The selection there was great and I'd come back in a heartbeat for any party goods and decorations. I'm huge on gifts so I loved seeing all of their goodie bags, chinese boxes in an assortment of colours, as well as their scrapbooking section- everything was so well-priced, much cheaper than getting similar products somewhere else, like Spotlight. There's literally so much at Looksharp, I'd make the trip only because I have a feeling it won't be your last!

rude service. helium balloon for baby shower didn't even last the car journey home. when I asked…read moreabout the colour confetti inside a party popper that said it was gold, the staff reassured me it was gold and not blue or pink. we found at the time of the gender reveal it was actually pink not gold. super disappointed, don't recommend

Look Sharp is fantastic! It is the ultimate 'go to' place when you are in need of anything!…read moreAbsolutely perfect if you have a costume party coming up, if you need storage containers, baking tins, hair accessories, material, art and painting supplies, ANYTHING! I could spend so much time and money unnecessarily in this store! I have had a decent look around the store and I am yet to find something that is unreasonably priced. Look Sharp are great at being up today with 'festive' events coming up. Christmas, Easter, St Paddy's day, even valentine's day! Look Sharp is your one stop shop! Pop on it and check it out! EVERYTHING is there!

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery, or so they say, others simply say that it is theft. So…read morewhy would you want to go to a party dressed as someone else, I asked my wife, as she showed me the fancy dress invite... "You don't have to go as anyone, you can go as a pirate." she snarled back at me, still insisting we are going as she stormed off. Mmm, a pirate hey, or maybe even a cowboy, BORING! I reluctantly tagged along to Carnival Costume Hire in Milford, and I was shocked to see what modern options are now available, costume hire sure has changed. And their website shows just how big a selection they have on site. My wife picked a sexy yellow Kill Bill one piece and I dressed in full Braveheart regalia, with blue and white face paint. Needless to say, we were a hit, winning best dressed couple. Next time I'll reconsider the face paint, but I'll do the dress up again. It was fun.

Super helpful staff, a great array of things that you just don't find anywhere else. Takes me back…read morein time which is fun. Always my first choice for materials, wools, sewing notions, so the list goes on. I am a repeat customer and will stay that way. Cheers to Ikes! Lin.

Sure they sell a wide range of homewares, sewing supplies, dress up costumes and everything in…read morebetween. Ikes used to be the place to go if you needed a proper sized flag of your home country. For $10 they had a huge selection of international flags behind the counter. When I was there last week I couldn't see any indication they were selling these anymore. The place looks quite run down and messy, I'd rather shop at the Look Sharp Store in Albany for costumes, party & craft/sewing supplies.

First Scene was my first point of call recently to help deck me out for my first trip to the famous…read moreArt Deco Fesitval in Napier. I did however head to the First Scene on 334a Rosebank Road, Avondale, not this one closer to the city. The Rosebank Road location has a props department, accessories you can buy, and loads and loads of clothes to hire. The lovely Miranda was our special helper (finding attire for four of us), she has worked for the company for well over a decade in several departments and is totally the go-to person! If you can't find what you want at First Scene, you are unlikely to find it anywhere in Auckland.

First Scene is New Zealand's biggest prop and costume hire company and is the first and only place…read moreyou ever need to go to get a great costume, complete with appropriate accessories, face paint and shoes. You can find everything from nurse and soldier outfits, to Mariachi costumes, Big Bird bodysuits to Seashell mermaid bustiers - First Scene is the one stop shop to a brilliant outfit and a good time! It is also possible to hire larger props such as statues, marquees and the like, be it for a themed party or to dress the set of a film. The staff are a heap of fun and love getting involved in sorting you out with the perfect get up. Prices are also pretty reasonable, with the amount depending on how intense the garments you're hiring are. One word of warning - avoid parking in the carpark. It's very small and the angles of the parks are not particularly car friendly. When possible, park on the street or around the block - save yourself the aggravation and embarrassment!

I hired my regalia from here when I graduated and I was seriously impressed. There were hundreds…read moremaybe even thousands of people graduating at the same time as me, yet the place ran like clockwork. When you arrived, there was a form to fill out, once done the person at the desk told you what to do at each station, there was a hood selection station, a gown station where they sized you up and gave you the gown you needed, a graduate cap station and then someone showing you exactly how the regalia should be worn. I was in and out in 10 mins when I thought it would take hours. I got to keep the regalia for a week and simply took it back when I was done. Everyone knew exactly what they were doing and the place was calm, not stressed at all. Very impressive!

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.

What a way to run a business!!!! Hoping to buy some supplies for my upcoming art class I rang your…read morenumber several times but all I got was the answerphone, so in the end I left a message asking for the location of the shop. The day later there was a message left on my phone, so on Sat. I made the trip from Pukekohe to Howick only to find the shop closed and no explanation why ,even though the web site still said they were open. The girls in the shop next door said that several people had been enquiring but they had no idea why the shop was closed. Please keep your web-site updated and leave a message on the door. I shan't be making that trip for nothing anytime soon. Joan A

Paints, brushes and canvases galore, Art supplies is filled from top to bottom in the best array of…read morecolours you've seen since that HP Inkjet Printer advert. I'm not much of an artist, but I know good paint when I see it. They also have some great gifts, including face paint, glass and mug painting kits to colour the hours away. If they don't have what you're looking for, then they'll order it for you. Their website is really useful too if you want to take a look at what they have before visiting. It also has some artist tips for those determined to master the talent. Tucked away in the Meadowlands Shopping Centre, you may be travelling out of your way to get there (unless you're a local), but I doubt it will disappoint.