This lovely store selling mostly women's clothing and accessories is a relatively new addition to…read moreAvondale. The woman behind the counter has always presented herself with a big smile ready to assist the potential customer. The clothing range predominantly stock bold colours and large print designs. Casual or elegant evening wear to chose from. I am especially taken with her gorgeous bags, casual beach bag styles with lovely designs, mostly modern or ethnic prints - for $10!!! I hope those prices stay the same as I am keen to stock up on some for presents for the many female family members later in the year. The clothing appears to be better quality than anything else I have seen in Avondale retail shops and I hope the business is here to stay. They are situated across the road from the local library a few doors down on Rosebank Road.

My mom offered to make a quilt to celebrate the birth of my son, and we were going to incorporate…read morefamily photos on the quilt, so we needed the correct materials for the whole process. We stopped by at Smart Dress Fabrics, and we hoped to get all our quilting goods, and they appeared to stock everything we needed. In fact they appeared to stock almost everything in New Zealand. What a painful shopping experience, not because the service was bad or the products poor, in fact it was quite the contrary. There was just too much, I couldn't get my mother to leave. Next time, I'll go the the pub, and I'll let my mom shop at her own leisure...

If you want fabric, whatever texture, colour, or size I am pretty sure these guys will have it!…read moreThey have filled every nook and cranny with rolls and rolls of fabric possible in such a little store (although I say 'little' it is actually bigger than it looks from the outside). I have been into a few fabric shops lately and although the famous Newmarket Centrepoint Fabrics boast to be the largest around, I think this one would do sufficiently for anyone living West of Auckland, plus parking would be far less of a hassle and free! Smart Dress Fabrics also have some patterns available that I noticed some nearby women going through (I have only just bought myself a machine, so I haven't quite got to that stage yet, soon!).

Lovisa is the reason I had to buy a stand for my accessories. Like a wardrobe for all my earrings,…read morechains and rings. I came in contact with Lovisa when I was shopping around at St Lukes. The store is hard to miss if you aren't looking for it as it is on the small and cosy side. What I l love about Lovisa is the unique pieces they sell. I am in love with my ethnic accessories and I am a huge fan of chunky bracelets. I try to wear at least four bracelets at a time. The price for the bracelets in affordable and if you don't want to pay too much wait for the 3 for $10 sales. Get in there fill up your bag with unique goodies that will add an oomph to anything you wear.

Went to buy some jewellery a couple of weeks ago and found their EFTPOS machine was broken so I had…read moreto put the items back. Went in today and their EFTPOs was still broken but they zip zapped the old way. This time they didn't have any bags or tissue paper. I didn't even have a handbag with me so had a carry the items in my hands around St Lukes Mall, not a good look. Makes me think they are going out of business?

0 rating.Poor service.The quality of materials they used is poor.This repairshop should stop from…read moreoperating.its a total waste of time and money.not recommendable to anyone.

Please prepare as this is a very long and HONEST review of my experience…read more I came here 3 months ago to get my mums iphone 11 pro max screen replaced. This service cost me over $500 but I was happy to pay as I knew this is what it would amount to due to it being an Original Apple screen for this model. However, what I did not expect was to have her phone screen start glitching literally 3 months later after the replacement was made. What I didn't expect was to have to drop her phone off to the store, explain to them what had happened - and have them ask me to leave it with them until it was ready to collect. What I definitely was not expecting was to return the next day (today) to find they did not fix the screen because they had decided to request/charge $200 to have the screen replaced. $200 after I had already paid $500, 3 months ago. Literally only THREE MONTHS and this has happened. They then told me their warranty only covers 2 months after the repair. Really? Only 1 month extra and you want to charge me $200 for a service that you provided, and yet turned out to be faulty 3 months later? If you hadn't fixed the screen, what was the point in asking me to leave it in the shop for OVER 24 hours? Honestly this shop has disappointed me and now, I, unfortunately, have to go and find a new shop and pay (AGAIN) to have my mums screen replaced. Worse part is? There were no damages on the phone. No scratches, no dents, no cracks - yet the glitching was happening. Wouldn't you think it's funny that none of these damages were present yet they don't want to take ownership for a glitching screen? All in all, I will never return here again and if I were to hear any family or friends refer this place I would tell them - hellllll no. 0 stars if I could

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.

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.

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!

Surman's is a menswear store near the more well stocked mall in New Lynn. With a mall almost…read moreentirely composed of well stocked fashion stores it begs the question of why I should go out of my way to this shop? The majority of clothes on stock are made for the larger sized male. The price is not reflective of the quality of ugly baroque patterned shirts and white suit combinations. The staff sat clearly in sight, smacking their lips during a lunchtime meal and ungraciously ignoring me. So I couldn't think of a good reason why you would want to go out of your way to visit this rather poorly organized store. Stick to the more mundane mall stores where at least you are guaranteed service.

I'm not usually in the market for buying men's clothes, but I have been in here a few times and am…read morea fan. The first time I was looking for the post office, which is theoretically on Great North Road but in reality isn't, and the kind chap who is the proprietor here gave me very good directions. I've also been in here with someone who did want to buy men's clothes, and again, the owner was very gracious and helpful. This is the sort of clothes shop where everything is good quality; most of it isn't absolutely cutting-edge fashion, but if you dressed exclusively from here, you'd be bound to be classically well turned out all the time. They can also tailor clothes here as well, and I'd bet that they do a good job at that too. I wish there were woman's clothes shops that were more like this place.