Needed to purchase a hat on behalf of a friend. The selection, size options were fine. Good price…read more Efficient service. Easy and pleasant shopping experience. Got what I needed with no trouble. I'll go back.

Fantastic range of leather bike gear, shoes, boots, hat's, slippers, hides and all leather working…read moretools and accessories, plus sheepskin products, wallets, belts .....the list goes on... They also do leather repairs and alterations. I've been shopping here for years and have always found the service and products excellent!

I love Betts (mostly for their sales) but I often find coming into the Hobart store I get ignored…read morewhile browsing. I hate that. All I need is for someone to check in and ask if I need any help. If I'm browsing, I'll say I'm browsing, but often I go in with a specific objective and so yes, I do need some help, thank you! On my last venture in, I was saved by a wonderful girl--I think her name was Emily. I was close to throwing my hands up and walking out after being ignored for a couple of minutes while standing around looking very needy, but Emily stepped in and addressed my sandal-neediness. I spent way more on sandals than I intended to but I also found the perfect pair, so... great job. Phew.

I visited this store on Monday to purchase three pairs of school shoes. The two young assistants…read morewere very professional but also friendly. They made sure the shoes were a perfect fit and also that the children were happy with their choice. This is the third year we have used this store due to the excellent customer service.

"Your pharmacist has a rock star kinda name," a friend commented when I instagrammed my cold and…read moreflu tablets. (Yeah, I did that. Don't look at me funny.) I don't know if I was served by the rock star himself that morning when I rocked up not long after opening time and said "PLEASE HELP ME I THINK I AM DYING" or something along those lines, but in any case, Jerry Hampton's Amcal North Hobart Pharmacy has become my go-to pharmacy. I ditched the one up the road when I showed up after 1pm on a Saturday and it was closed. Sorry guys, but when this one here is open until 10pm every night, it's a no-brainer. Also, they were happy to give me pseudoephedrine for my cold virus, without hesitation. Winner. (Plus: the tablets totally helped and I was well on the way to recovery by the time I was finished the run of them.)

Besides coffee, if there is one industry NOT in short supply in the Hobart CBD, it's optometrists…read more There's at least 7 all within walking distance of the the Elizabeth St Mall/Cat and Fiddle arcade. Glasses are glasses, right? Well, sort of. With that many options, how you choose one? Dust off your university calculus: Optometrists and retail optics exist on a 3 axis scale: cost vs service vs clinical optometry. You can also think of it this way: if the three standards, choose any two. You won't (generally) find a cheap, highly clinical optometrist. Choose what's your preferred axis. Island serves the Cheap, Decent service, low clinical model. Not to say the optometrists are bad, but they perform 20 minute eye tests that are all bulk billed. If you have a reasonable prescription and no significant issues, you'll be fine here. Complex issues get referred off. As far as the glasses go, Island Optical actually has more reach than you might think- they're pet of The Optical Superstore chain on the mainland (abbreviated to TOSS. Insert funny joke here about being a tosser). Some big name brands do this thing where they rebadge their "B stock" or end of line run outs or one or two fashion cycles ago as a seperate brand- you'll find lots of these here, so you can get brand name quality at a really good price. It just won't have the "fancy" logo on them.

How does this bookstore have no reviews yet?…read more The State Cinema is one great package. A cinema with harder-to-find films, a lovely cafe AND a great bookshop. I probably shouldn't allocate points for 'proximity to other cool stuff', but you have to admit that a bookshop hugging a cinema and cafe is pretty A+. Having said that, this bookstore is a little small and cramped, an affliction of many a Hobart bookstore - whether you find it quaint or oppressive is probably down to your tastes and how large a bag you're attempting to carry through the aisles. Like many of the other Hobart bookstores it manages to maintain a fair spread of general books while finding a point of difference: this bookstore specialises, appropriately, in nonfiction books on the entertainment (film and music) industry. Here you'll find the best local selection of biographies, 'art of', and 'making of' books, rivalled only by Ellison Hawker. If you're a movie buff you'll find plenty to enjoy. Beyond this, the densely-packed little shop does offer books across all the usual genres: fiction, poetry, travel, cooking, etc etc. Their clasification system can be a head-scratcher - topics are definitely grouped in some way, but you'll edge from table to shelf to bookcase for a while before you find the section you're looking for. Alternately, you could just ask the friendly staff, if you're not as antisocial as I. :) I can't comment personally on the service but I've seen them helping people out and chatting at length; looks good to me. Prices are moderate to exxy, but then big glossy books of this kind generally are when bought in brick-and-mortar shops. You'll find some quality books on sale here and there. Bonus points for a pretty decent selection of books on writing, a topic which some Hobart bookstores completely overlook, ironically. Is that ironic? I don't even know anymore.

This is the kind of place that should be in NoHo, or Battery Point, or the CBD even... but not down…read morein Uni Row! Maybe I'm biased as a NoHo regular, but schlepping down to Sandy Bay just for some GREY and FELT good times makes me a sad panda. Having said that, G&F is one of those beautifully curated shops that you want to photograph, and one where you kind of fear looking at the price tags. Having said that, I finally headed into G&F after finding out that they're Hobart's only stockist of Shanghai Suzy lipsticks, which are amazingly cheap for what they are, at only $12.95 a pop for a crazily pigmented nourishing lippie in exceptional on-trend colours. As it turns out, I also happened to first visit the week of G&F's first anniversary. No anniversary sale, so I managed to purchase my lipsticks and escape back out of there... mentally adding a few things to my wishlist as I went.

A Priceline is a Priceline is a Priceline, and apart from the fact that Hobart's CBD one isn't open…read moreon Sundays, it's A-OK. I like that the staff do wander the aisles for those of us standing in front of displays and struggling with indecision. Priceline's range is solid, and for people like me who have friends who've recently started beauty blogging and therefore enabling us to explore ourside our comfort zones, having cheap and affordable things like the Australis Velourlips matte lip creams in stock (even though the colour I'm desperate for right now needs restocking, come on Priceline, I put my name down over a week ago for Doo-Bai get on that) mean that ducking in here on a lunch break is quick and easy. Join the Sister club for free in order to get free perks and quarterly discounts, it's worth it if you're even a semi-regular shopper.

Four years ago I began to experience back and hip discomfort which impacted on me playing masters…read morehockey and golf. Proper diagnosis and regular treatment form Dr Conrad has enabled me to continue active sports free of back discomfort. A significant benefit has been improved ability to turn my back and neck. This increased rotation has improved my golf and also my ability to look behind when driving or cycling. I can unreservedly recommend Dr Conrad for his professional in improving your chiropractic health.