Out of the many wholesale clothing stores lining Montague Road, Elite Handcrafts actually sells to…read morethe public. And what it does sell is primarily Indian-influenced, from a huge collection of sarees and flowing, colourful garments to incense holders. Once you squeeze your way through rows of handmade wooden boxes, jewellery, bags and trinkets the back of the shop is piled ceiling-high with wholesale (A.K.A. heavily discounted) Bollywood shirts, Afghan pants, shawls, beanies, silk sarees and scarves. It's a great little place to stock up on gifts for family and friends, such as prayer flags, Babushka dolls and jewellery holders.

An excellent lolly establishment! As a lolly aficionado I would say that The Sweet Zone definitely…read morewins in the NZ candy stakes because they have a lot more variety of NZ brands and treats than other lolly shops I've been to. The other thing that I think is a strength here is that not only do they sell American soda like lots of other candy stores, here they've had the foresight to keep it in a fridge. Everywhere else the imported drinks are just kept on the shelves so you have to carry them home and refrigerate them, but at The Sweet Zone if you want a nice, cold Welch's Grape Soda all you have to do is open the can. The prices of their imported good are also generally more reasonable than a lot of other similar shops who seem to raise the prices more than is justifiable to cover import costs. It's a good thing that I'm usually running late to catch my train because it means that as much as I want to stop and enter The Sweet Zone, I usually have to run past with a longing backwards glance. My waistline would like to thank Queensland Rail for scheduling trains in such a way that I'm perpetually sprinting up the escalators to my platform instead of skipping down the aisles at The Sweet Zone with an armful of candy which is where I'd rather be!

The Sweet Zone is tucked away into Central train station, right after the food court, and right…read morebefore you hit that grungy underground entrance where the buskers and MX dispensers live. You'll often see passengers and school kids stopping by the store for a quick sweet fix for the train ride home. Chances are they'll be picking up some specialty candies, including those exported from the US, the UK, Holland, and New Zealand. I stopped by on the way home and picked up a few treats for my sister (a bag of pineapples), and my best friend (a can of Dr. Pepper). What I love most about this store is it stocks a lot of candies that are hard to come by, and they're sold in snack-sized portions. I picked up a bag of Allen's Mackintosh's toffees, which my mum used to buy when we were kids, but I've since never seen in any other store. I also picked up some Big Red cinnamon gum, which is getting harder and harder to come by.

Fabulous place in trendy West End. Part butcher, part grocer, part Fromagerie this new venue is a…read morefeast to your senses! The Schulte family runs it and with that you're guaranteed amazing meats & small goods. The place also features a walk-in Fromagerie with a brilliant selection of imported and local cheeses. I'm of course biased t wards the Swiss raw milk cheese available there but there are many other brilliant options from local goats milk cheese to English cloth bound cheddar. There's also a The Source store as part of the concept and a bakery is also on the map.

So I moved from Clayfield to West End and left behind an award winning butcher and fruit shop…read more I was bereft. The weekend markets just shunt off old supermarket stock, and the local butcher... well, I was better off with the supermarket. Cruising along Montague I stumbled The Stores. There's a bar/restaurant at the entrance, and once inside you're greeted with a deli, fruit shop, butcher, dedicated cheese room, an organic whole foods store, and soon there will be a bakery too. I have to say it plainly. All the fruit and vege I've had has been sensational. If it's local, it will tell you where it's from. The butchers are Schulte's in the Lockyer Valley (yay, award winning butcher!) Basically, if you're near West End and you're after fruit, veg and meat, The Stores is for you.

I'm not a very 'arty' person. I know this because I'll be impressed by most artworks I see (while…read moreother more discerning people screw up their faces) and the only thing I can draw with consistency is Homer Simpson's head. But I have found myself at this 'artists' art shop' on a a couple of occasions and found it really useful. The first time was to get some paint to cover up a scratch at an old rental property (which shall remain nameless). I took a photo of the paint and the staff happily helped me match it to a suitable paint. Thanks guys -- I got the whole security deposit back! The other occasion went to get some wrapping paper for a wedding gift. Turns out you can get brown craft paper for 80 cents/metre, which figures out much cheaper than buying wrapping paper at other shops. #WINNING!

This place is heaven for the next budding Picasso or Matisse. Stocking a vast amount of canvases,…read moreeasels, water colours, paints, glitter and stencils at wholesale prices (A.K.A. ridiculously cheap!). Whether you're young or not-quite-so-young, this place has all your arty needs catered for. There are stacks of body and face paints, as well as rows upon rows of calico. They advertise art classes around Brisbane, such as life drawing, photography workshops and they even host kids' creative workshops. So it's well worth dropping in to see what's happening in the art world in and around Brisbane.