Most Melbournians will be familiar with the iconic Franco Cozzo ads of the 1980 in which the man…read morehimself informed the wider Melbourne area that his stores are located "in Brunswick and a-Footiscray". A proud Italian-Australian, Franco Cozzo is a self-spruiking powerhouse pusher of garish European furniture. If you like beds with mirrors mounted on the headboard with whipped cream-esque flourishes across the frame in any colour from mahogany through to pearl, then Franco Cozzo will most certainly be your bag. For everyone who prefers a more basic bed model, the beds can be amusing. Although they do sell other furniture, the Brunswick store window display seems to focus on the beds. When it comes to the actually goods, it's really a matter of taste, but Franco Cozzo is notable for it being a Melbourne retail institution. Maybe it's best to wait for one of his famous "grand sale, grand sale[s]".

Always enjoy wondering around this giant stationery cupboard!…read more Came in to buy a mouse and could not resist wondering the aisles. I can't believe the amount of variety of pens, papers, pencil cases they stock!  If you still like printing your photos (like my mum) there are heaps of machines here and you can take your time selecting your pics to be printed pretty much immediately.

I haven't been to a lot of Office Works stores but was surprised at the size of this one. It's…read morehuge! They have everything you could dream of when it comes to office supplies - from pens and paper to folders to expanda files to hard office furnishings. They've got it all! The service was friendly and the prices seemed OK to me.

After a recent trip to the YEW ESS of A, I had purchased one too many quirky prints off the streets…read moreof New Orleans that desperately needed a frame and a special place on my wall. I popped in to Frames Readymade with my prints to see what they could do. I have one word to describe my experience with these guys - EFFICIENT. I was in and out in about 15 minutes. That included choosing the optimum style, my print being trimmed ever-so-slightly and then being beautifully mounted in to the frame. Wow. Bravo. Brunswick ready-made frames quite literally have thousands of frames to choose from in all colours and sizes, or they will make one up for you to custom-fit your print. Plus they are affordable, to boot!

I have been to Frames Readymade several times over the last 12 months and have been consistently…read morepleased with their service and range of products (lots of frame styles and finishes - I particularly like the victorian ash range). During the most recent lockdown they were also readily available for call and collect orders, which were all fulfilled very promptly and the pick up process was a breeze. Would highly recommend to anyone in the area.

Sunbury Trusses was absolutely fantastic, we use prefab all the time and this is the best company…read moreto deal with. They are so knowledgeable and their product is such high quality, you can tell they care anbout what they sell and the staff are so helpful. Renee is just incredible.

THE VERY WORST - AVOID AT ALL COST!…read more I am a Carpenter and have just completed a medium size commercial project with this appalling organisation supplying walls (upper and lower story), Floor and Roof. The amount of mistakes was breathtaking. Over 7 stages of delivery, they short supplied at every single stage. Their customer service was the very worst I've experience in 28 years as a construction professional. There is no accountability whatsoever. They refused to accept responsibility for their errors. It was shocking. A fraction of their mistakes are as follows; Walls framed too short, Too tall, walls framed upside down. Windows across the entire Eastern face were all in the wrong location and we had all the ply bacing on and nailed off already. They short supplied almost every single hardware component. Their delivery driver broke 3 pipes on while landing a load on site. They refused to pay to fix. They short supplied the flooring by 2/3rds they sent the wrong brackets which didn't work or match their drawings. Their drawings were incorrectly labeled. 60% of the Trusses were too short. They misunderstood the steel structure they were supposed to build too on every single stage. We had to cut and modify trusses and Floor trusses ourselves on site. They we arrogant, rude, unhelpful. The refused to assist to rectify their mistakes. If we had taken them to court it would have been a whitewash. They didn't have a leg to stand on... It really could not have been any worse. Sunbury Wallframes and Trusses, the single worst supplier I've ever known. The very worst!

Perimeter Books feels more like a gallery than a bookstore, with the strong presence of natural…read morelight, polished wooden floors and white walls; but that's because it is. An independent bookstore that only stocks books on art, design and architecture, along with a few independent journals and the odd novelty, Perimeter is all about the meshing of visual arts and publishing. It also hosts exhibits from local artists in the shop. There's a very calm, inspired vibe about the shop, and the staff demonstrate the perfect combination of being informative, friendly, professional and not too in your face. It sits comfortably in the space between being not too cheap and not overly expensive, and there are some really interesting art and literature finds. I particularly enjoyed a small book near the counter that was a collection of hilarious warning signs in Japan that are mostly themed along the line of 'don't fall and hit your head anywhere'. Definitely worth a regular browse.

Independent bookstores, risky business venture or optimistic book barn antidote? A recent addition…read moreto the revitalisation of High st Thornbury, Perimeter is a specialist bookstore focusing on local and international architecture and design, photography and art publications and exhibit contemporary artists within their space. The shop is light, contemporary and selective of their stock. I don't profess to know a great deal about art publishing but I do enjoy a good coffee table flick and these high quality publications provided serious visual stimulation. It can be quite daunting walking into a small gallery like space but there's a relaxed vibe that makes you feel more interested in niche art publications. There are some interesting paperback zine styled mags under $20 or the more expensive "nice gift" hardback books.

This is a really sweet little gallery that was found by a chance encounter. Gallery spaces can…read moreoften feel intimidating or pretentious however this light space is inviting and displays interesting contemporary art that I often envisage in my home. The gallery is a not for profit organisation that is committed to nurturing and displaying the work of artists that may not be able to have their work shown in commercial galleries. One of the staff informed me that the majority of artists have intellectual disabilities and that was the instigation for creating this gallery. Philosophy aside their other point of difference is their pricing. The works are affordably priced for pieces of such a high calibre. A framed print/painting/illustration can range from $75 to $800, however most are around the $200 mark. This is one of those inner city cultural happenings that leave me warm and fuzzy and thankful that people are striving to make a difference.

They made up special paint for painting a wall to match the tiles - faux painting. And they gave me…read morea very good price. Akram, the Painter should be here in a couple of weeks to try it out.

Next door to the Brunswick Town Hall building, this medium-sized art gallery showcases established…read moreand emerging artists with new exhibitions each month. I'm fond of the Counihan Gallery for giving me my first opportunity to see a Ron Mueck larger-than-life sculpture in all its looks-so-real-it-is-spooky glory. That's right - even before the NGV brought a whole gang of Mueck's eerily human sculptures to the masses, the Counihan brought it to Brunswick. The standard of the other works in the same exhibition was evidence of a talented and professional curator with his or her finger on the contemporary art pulse. Lucky are we in Brunswick to have such a high calibre of art dropped in our laps like this. I'm looking forward to their annual Womens Salon exhibition showcasing the creations of women artists, designers and craftworkers from the Moreland area, which opens on 17th November.

A public art gallery, Counihan Gallery is focussed on exhibiting and promoting contemporary…read moreAustralian artists whose work is centred on the discussion or promotion of "innovation and diversity in the visual arts". There's always a mix of established and emerging artists showcased, and there's a few call outs for exhibit proposals from local and interstate artists each year. Like everything else focussed on contemporary art, the art showcased varies considerably in theme, style, form, subject etc. and will inevitably attract a different audience from exhibit to exhibit. The space is designed to maximise flexibility and accommodate a wide range of installations, and cam be quite transformed from one exhibit to the next. Like most public galleries, it's free to view, so it's a good way for the financially challenged art lover to get his or her fix. Some of the art can be quite political, so it'll also appeal to people who like their art challenging or high minded and intellectual.