If you're in need of camping or military gear, Australia's Camping Quartermaster at Enoggera should…read morebe your first port of call. They have everything you need to be a radically self sufficient camping guru. They've got swags, hammocks, fold out army beds, tents, sleeping bags, doc martens, camouflage gear, maglites, pocket knives, gas stoves and so on. They stock some of the more trendy camping items like head lamps and sporks (spoon + knife + fork combo) too. If you're on a budget, you'll be happy to know they sell reasonably priced high quality second hand gear alongside the brand new stock. I've only ever brought second hand items here, and I'm happy to report that the fold out army hammock I brought five years ago is still as good as new, and the beautiful wooden carved filleting knife I brought more than seven years ago now still cuts through things like butter (with the help of some sharpening ever now and then). The staff are extremely friendly and helpful. You can trust them to set you up with all the bushy tools you need to go and make a go of life in the wild for a while.

I ordered a funky little knife thingy here for my husbands birthday recently - I had remembered him…read morepointing it out in a magazine we had laying around the house as being something he really wanted. Armed with a magazine clip-out only I dropped in to ACQ to see if the friendly staff could help out. They were absolutely wonderful, the counter clerk ordered it in for me and had it in store withing two days! I find their prices to be very competitive. I phoned around to a few camping and specialty book stores recently in search of a specific camping guide - ACQ was more than 10% cheaper than any other store I phoned. Needless to say this is where I ended up purchasing it.

Ali was very courteous and provided excellent customer service. I will definitely return to this…read morelocation!

Every time I walk into this shop I feel inspired to become the greatest cook and the most…read moreextraordinary baker in my family. How could I not be inspired? They have the coolest gadgets when it comes to cooking equipment. I love the designs they stock, the colours and the variety. You can walk in with no intention of buying, but end up leaving with a whole bunch of fun kitchen appliances. For example recently, I wasn't looking for anything in particular but I ended up walking out with a pair of tongs with bright red ends that have a bend on them, so when you lay it on the bench, the tongs won't touch the surface. Genius! The customer service here is very good. They helped with all the queries I had, even showed me products on the top shelves which required a use of a ladder. They were informative and knowledgable in regards to the items they sell. This is my favourite kitchen/homewares store in Mt Ommaney Centre.

I don't normally buy clothes from big brands, due to price gouging and lack of functionality…read more I adore everything I own from boronia, I own 3 of the navy blue button up short sleeve shirts and 1 grey in addition to an incredible foul weather jacket and severall polo's. This is a company that has put a tremendous amount of effort into designing comfortable, stylish and utilitarian clothing. The prices are incredibly modest all my items cost under £50. Couldn't recommend enough!

I heart Nine West. Purely because their designs are classic and not too difficult to wear and…read moremostly because they fit perfectly! I find this store quite small. It's a little challenging trying on shoes, especially, when women flock here on their lunch break to feed their shopping craves. So try and visit on non peak time like after 10am but before lunch, or after lunch but before 5pm. Despite this, I still love it here. The girls who work here are so nice. Even when it's busy they make sure to get to everyone and help. Customer service is very important in shoe shops, because most times you want to try on different sizes, different colour, different styles and that's what they're here to help with. Busy small shoe store, but fabulous service!

Cylinder Surf is your run of the mill surf store, mainly for women. The walls are lined with a…read morevariety of tops, shorts, dresses, skirts and bikinis of all different brands including Billabong, Roxy, Quiksilver and Ripcurl. You'll also find a myriad of thongs and other casual footwear, along with accessories synonymous with these stores, such as leather wristbands and necklaces made using different types of shells. Despite the products being of the same quality and style the big surf brands are known for, I didn't enjoy the atmosphere of this store. The interior was a little stale; the shop could use a bit of a revamp. However, there's plenty of great clothing to be found here and the staff are great.

Cylinder Surf is a nice little surf store in Cleveland. I like the store, the staff are helpful…read morewithout being overly pushy. They have a range of surf wear like colourful swimmers, beach dresses, thongs and casual shorts. You will find the typical brand names you would expect like Roxy, Rip Curl and Quicksilver. There are no real surprises here, it is your average surf store. Great to grab something for the weekend or before your next trip down to the Gold Coast.

The staff at Showcase Jewellers are very nice. They helped me find a present for my mother last…read moremothers day. A beautiful pendant with matching bracelet. She adored it. I couldn't have made my mind up if it wasn't for the friendly and helpful service I received here at Showcase Jewellers. They sell some of my favourite jewellery brands including Pandora and Thomas Sabo. If you are like me and a fan of both these labels, you must check this Showcase Jewellers in Mt Ommaney as not all Showcase Jewellers sell/ stock the same jewellery.

On Vulture Street just up from The Cupcake Parlour and before the strangely out of place Asian…read moregrocer sits 'The Happy Cabin'. Walking through the doors you're greeted by a carefully collected emporium of unique, kitsch and Etsy-esque wares. The stores motto says: "A haven for sexy lumberjacks, dorky girls and lovers of worldly design and trinketry." Couldn't have said it better myself. There's the mint green brogues, the gold boots, Field Notes pencils and notebooks and a geometric print onesie that I imagine is only able to be worn by a Ginger bearded man with a fox hat on his head. As I'm distracted by the wonderful eye candy within this absolutely happy cabin I chatter with the owner's partner, Jaime and this is all part of the experience. It is so inviting and homely, as a cabin might be, and I want to pull up a chair, grab a coffee and continue nattering away. Truth be told, the space would be rather fitting for a in-store cafe and maybe even a roasty faux fire to give a true cabin feel. And points to the owners for creating a store where you walk out feeling happy, creative, embracing your dorkiness and plotting how you might acquire a few more things from their range. Joining venues like The End, I think The Happy Cabin will be one of the first in a line of new additions to West End that will only add to the revitalisation of this end of Vulture Street.

The Happy Cabin have been picky and choosy with their stock, not having a ridiculously large range…read morebut being 100% behind every item they've decided to sell. I was pleased to correctly identify the shoes and bags as coming from ex-Etsy store Golden Ponies, where everything is beautifully handmade in Mexico. The gent behind the counter informed me that almost everything in the Happy Cabin comes from Etsy sellers, so that's pretty great. Having such a small and hand-picked collection of wares, I'd love to see a couple of plus-size items on the racks too. There are only so many bags, shoes and notebooks I can pick up while glancing at the stacks of clothes racks I can't buy from. Speaking of notebooks, though... I'm a stationery addict, and I couldn't leave without letting myself buy the limited edition National Crop Edition of Field Notes memo books. It was nice to observe that there isn't a ridiculous retail markup on any of the items in store, either - stay off etsy and just visit the Happy Cabin, Brisbane.

Tree of Life is definitely what one would call a "hippie" store, with its brightly coloured,…read moreloose-fitting clothing; ethnic-inspired trinkets; and, patchouli scented shop space. I wouldn't call myself a hippie, but I do appreciate the hippie style and often find pieces of clothing and homeware items in here that I really like. They often have some really lovely dresses made of light, floaty fabric, perfect for summer. I've also seen some great, wide-legged, high-waisted pants in there, which could easily pass as something you'd find in a more trendy shop, but for $40 less. They sell a lot of trinketty things like jewellery boxes, suncatchers and crystals, all of which can make nice gifts. Tree of Life is great for anyone even slightly interested in hippie or bohemian styles, prices are reasonable and staff friendly. Highly recommend.

Judging by reviews for other Tree Of Life stores and the company's website, Tree Of Life…read moreIndooroopilly is less high-end than one might expect, with less casual hip clothing than suggested and more modern hippy-style clothing than you could possibly imagine. And I like this. Tree Of Life Indooroopilly is indeed almost exclusively female hippy-wear: maxi dresses, sarong dresses and flowing skirts dominate. However, the clothing colour patterns are funky, not the hippy tie-die of yesteryear, and very inexpensive (you'd be hard pressed to spend $70 on an item in here - between $20 and $60 is more like it.) I bought a long black-and-white floral halter-neck dress from here, and receive compliments whenever I wear it. I've had the dress described as slightly hippy and/or slightly girly, and this is what I love in a dress, particularly ankle-sweeping dresses. The store boasts quite a few of these halter-neck style dresses, and I wish I could buy them all. Each print is unique and very different - with artfully designed ribbon sewn along the high waist - and therefore each dress seems to stand on its own as a unique, beautiful piece, despite the standard halter-dress original pattern design. Recently I visited this store with my sister. I had a tough time getting her in because of her aversion to incense. (My one criticism about Tree of Life would be the extreme incense smell, which streams out the door and into the shopping complex.) I'm glad she decided to suck it up and browse the store with me, because she ultimately bought a beautiful skirt of a style and type I'd never seen before. Floor length and high-waisted, the navy blue and white print fitted skirt was covered in rows of rather thick frills which didn't detract from the skirt, but added to it. Throwing too many frills at an item of clothing is often a recipe for disaster, but it works wonders here. If there had been more than one of these skirts left after my sister's purchase, I would have bought one - even if I'd already overspent that day. There are also fairly cheap hippy trinkets such as mood rings at the front counter for impulse-buyers. However, even if you're not a hippy, I highly advise visiting Tree Of Life Indooroopilly. It's not exactly a hippy-store per se: it's for the modern, fashionable, girly hippy.