Not many independant fabric shops left! This is a little gem filled to the pussy cats bow with…read moreeverything a quilter or crafter requires. If you live nearby and don't want to go through the hassle of finding a car park at one of the big shopping centres - especially as they'll be charging soon - then come and support this local store. The staff are very helpful and friendly they certainly know what they're talking about, having been in the business for many years. The prices are good, the fabric selection on rolls is not huge but the store is only so big, a large selection of fat quarters - those in the know, know what I mean - and material cut and priced by the quarter. Fabrics, haberdashery supplies, knitting supplies, lace, stuffing, padding, good range of buttons, etc they've got it covered. And in case they don't they will point out where you can.

Did you know Crowie's Paints is actually an arm of Solver Paints! Amazing the things you learn when…read moredigging deeper and investigating stuff. Yes, so Solver manufacture paint for Crowies under their directions for all six stores located in South Australia. The shop is also a distributor for Wattyl, Sikkens and of course Solver Paints. I suppose you can classify Crowie's brand of paint in the budget category because it doesn't have the same price tag as Solver. Looking at it from a different perspective it's like comparing the same item of clothing, both are manufactured in the same factory then purchased and labelled with different names. And to keep costs down even further, they've got a member card which entitles you to 10% off purchases - pretty good but there's only so many cards my wallet can handle! They also sell the all the other paraphernalia to go with your paint job...brushes, solvents, ladders, paint rollers, spray guns (yeah that's the way to do it), paint trays, scrappers, paint stripper, turps, even harnesses when you want to abseil the house, and practically anything and everything you'll ever need. The staff are friendly and helpful and can also supply a few professional painter names they might know of to help with your redecorating job.

Crowies was my first port of call when I had to repaint, mainly as it is the only paint shop in…read moreBlackwood and also as this is where my Mum, my Pa and my Grandad (that is three generations of oldies!) would buy there paint. A well established store selling the Solver paint range and related accessories at a good price the main reason I'd come here is for the customer service and the expertise. These guys will give you the basics and more when you're getting ready to paint and will help you out in picking the right products for you. I also loved the fact that they weren't afraid to tell you the price brackets (budget, standard, luxe) and let you know what you could get by with on the cheap to get a great finish.