Woop. If you wanna find awesome bargains and miscellaneous crap that you probably don't need, look…read moreno further. Hot Bargains is the best spot for all those little accessory items that you need for throwaway events (fancy dress, kids birthdays, Christmas presents, girlfriend's birthday etc). They more than deliver on their hot bargain promise and you won't believe how much crap they've got piled up in there. This is the reason we need a free trade agreement with China. Sure, they'll benefit by getting access to the very fuckin' elements and minerals the miners pull out of the fuckin' ground here, but you, as a proud Australian, will have access to all of the mass produced plastic shit you can ever imagine. Wow. Our politicians are really on to a winner there. Seriously, do not bother with another shop if you wanna go fancy dress. I got a full Mexican gangster outfit (complete with cap gun) for about $8. You can't fuck with those prices... Honcho.

I buy so many things here. Great bargains. Just watch if you get a few items that it is entered…read morecorrectly. I was overcharged from a $2 item put through as a $1 item 22 times. Very hard to reason with staff & the items aren't on the receipt, only amounts. Otherwise awesome.

As far as gift/homewares shops go, I think Urban Attitude is the most fun. Filled with so much…read morestuff that absolutely no one will ever 'need', but is fun to have. Makes it a great place to go gift hunting if you're unsure what to get someone. I love their collection of designer cards. They're a bit out there and random, which is how I like my gift cards. No soppy Hallmark greetings for me, thanks. The stuff you can find here is genuinely fun/random/hipster, not like the cheap knock off/trying-too-hard stuff you find at other larger stores *cough* Typo *cough* The staff are lovely to boot and will help you track down something quirky be it poster art, wallets, toys, kitchen ware or maybe a T-Rex lamp.

I love love love this store! Full of super cute, fun and quirky things, Urban Attitude is great for…read morebuying gifts, finding unique things to fill your home with, and taking everyday things and turning them into something special. Take for example the best knife block holder I' ve ever seen...Its a silhouette of a person ( I like the one in fire engine red) with six or seven slits throughout the body, so when you put your knives in they look like they are going through the body..... okay, I just re-read that, and now I sound like a crazy person who thinks stabbing people is awesome. AWKWARD......But seriously its really cool. When you walk into the St Kilda store, you feel off balance, until you realise that it is the shelves and design of the store that is off balance, not yourself. I think it really suits the concept they are going for. Definitely go check it out.

This is the Warehouse for Kazari, and you'll love the setting, where Japanese antique cabinets and…read morefurniture is stacked high on top of one another. Don't worry, that's how good they make them, and they are designed to be stacked. Kazari are the original importers into Australia, for genuine antique Japanese and Chinese furniture. At the warehouse, you are welcome to browse and purchase pieces as is or arrange for them to be restored on site. Yes, they have in- house expert restorers who do wonders breathing life back into the aged timber. I've seen firsthand what they can do and it's simply amazing. Ahhh...the smell of hot beeswax, shellac and timber... The warehouse also used to house Zigu Zagu, the Japanese fabric arm of the business but that's moved over to the third shop on Malvern Road. There you'll find two shops a couple doors apart from each other, the Annexe being a larger, gallery styled showroom and cafe, whilst the other housing more items in a shop like environment. A really nice place to have a look and learn a thing or two about Japanese antiques and their way of life. The proprietor and his staff are always welcoming and very knowledgeable so ask away if you are very interested in this category of furniture.

I walked in here for the first time on my 15 minuet break, tried on three T-Shirt, brought them,…read moreand had time to get a favourite muffin in Centre Place. I am a big fan of little boutique Melbourne clothes shop, especially those that have cute designs. I am always getting little comments about the clothes that I buy from here. Conveniently you can buy their products online which means that I don't even need to be on my break the next time I want a shirt as I now know what size fits me.

A funky boutique filled with a mix of fashion, accessories, knick knacks and specialty items that…read moreyou find yourself buying because of its "oh my gosh thats so cute/cool/funky" appeal. The fashion aspect of the store mainly focuses on print tees that catch the eye with bright volours and statement images. If you're a t-shirt kinda gal or guy, you'll find some unique designs that arent available elsewhere. Otherwise, they also supply some great jewellery and fashion accessories, including bags and head wear. Im personally more interested in the bits and pieces you'l find around the store - I've seen everything from fake non disposable coffee cups and homemade cards, to funky kitchen utensils and table decor items. Its worth a look in at the store, and even though its small you dont feel like the sales attendant is eyeing you off the whole time.Its quite comfortable to just browe.And you never know what you could find.

This shop has some fun, quirky and silly gifts and novelty items…read more Worth popping into! You'll find things you won't see anywhere else in the arcade. The shop is small- but a decent selection. Most items are pretty affordable.

TwoDollarsEighty! I love knick knack stores and especially…read moreJapanese ones. Yes you will find random products in this store that will last all of 3 minutes but there are also kind of cool things like plastic stylish glasses, great for outdoor entertaining. Kitchen goods, Stationary products, Sushi making utensils, cute tote bags, mittens and socks... The store is HUGE and if I have $100 on the day I went I would have made that money go in a flash. Daiso is definitely worth checking out. Especially if you are planning a party and not keen on using your 'good stuff'

Daiso in Melbourne CBD is huge! It's a bargain galore full…read moreof stuff you don't need. It's a bit like Japanese Ikea really. Umbrella for $4 is pretty cheap and comes in handy when you're caught in the rain, but you really get what you paid for and some purchase here is a bit of a lucky dip. As in, wow that didn't break in first go, so lucky! i bought a packet of lollies here and the said umbrella. Although the first umbrella broke as the shop assistant opened it, but the second one didn't so i feel like a winner already.

I find it hard to resist a toy shop. I always have to pop my head inside and have a browse around,…read moreand usually struggle to resist buying something for myself. Though, I could technically write this off as research since I work in the toy industry, it's not that at all. Most Toyworld stores seem to be quite small and cramped with stuff spilling off the shelf and making it hard to move around. The Brunswick store is far from this. It's quite large and everything is nice and neat and spaced out. Everything is in it's own little section and there is a great variety of toys to be found here. They have a nice selection of Playmobil products, which is great as it is rare to find this stuff in Australia from what I've seen. Usually my first visit section in any toy store is the action figures, but here it was almost non-existent. They were on the ends of a few aisles and in a few other spots but they didn't have much of a choice. Everything that was here seemed fairly new though which is a good thing as action figures tend to hang around on the shelf well past when they are the latest thing. I may have caught them on a bad day (Sunday afternoon) but customer service didn't seem high on the agenda. A couple of younger employees were working and I was the only one in the store and went largely ignored by them. I actually had to go and find one of them when I wanted to make a purchase as nobody was anywhere near the counter/front of store. There's a good range here though, with some toys you might not see anywhere else so it's well worth a pop in to stock up on kid's birthday pressies, Christmas...or if you're like me, a treat for yourself.

Small but seriously good stock. Retro rehab is in the business of sourcing predominantly Australian…read moremid century designs and lovingly restoring them to brand spanking new. "Occasional" furniture .....I think is furniture you don't use ALL the time......but more than NONE of the time...........making its use ......occasional. Anyway they stock some cute occasional furniture, good for adding a little retro love to a room. I have found their pricing to be lower than that of the larger vintage traders which makes the pieces more accessible for a younger market. There are the larger/$$ pieces of furniture but also a selection of smaller, affordable bric a brac straight from the kitchens and lounge rooms of the 60's. Its new and its on the 112 tram, worth a visit.