Divine Gifts on Olinda's Main Street is a pretty darn cool shop. It stocks lots of spiritual items…read moreand the music playing is quite mystical. It has a large selection of charms and stones including Amethyst, Moonstone, Amber, Carnelian, and Agate. Some of these come with a little metal loop attached so you can put them onto a necklace or chain. At only $15 they are an absolute steal. The store also had some hippie style clothing with loose pants and colourful tops and jackets. There were a few slogan t-shirts promoting peace and tranquility, which were simple looking but the message was clear. Kids will love to stop by this shop as there is an adult-sized couch set up with a little table complete with drawing pencils and paper. I noticed there were a few sections on the walls that had hand drawn pictures and I assume the owner hangs up the drawings that kids leave behind. Also on the walls were some awesome acrylic paintings and portraits. They were quite original and if you want one similar the owner has the artists card at the counter. Also on offer are Reiki healings in a small peaceful room at the back of the store. It costs $60 for half an hour and clients simply need to ring in advance to book. The shop is open on Mondays and Fridays from 10-4, Tuesdays to Thursdays from 11-4 and on the weekends 10-5.

Upon my travels in this area I was fortunate to discover a shop that charmed me with its warmth…read more When I first entered the owner immediately greeted me and had been very attentive. I was shown the most astounding gem stone and crystal collection, and various jewellery and clothing designed for us men. I found a ring and top I could not live without. I also love my organic products such as soaps and oils and found an abundance on offer that had also been scooped up in my purchases that day. All I can say is that if you visit Olinda you cant go past this divine gift.

Though not a huge fan of Bardot stores in general, given their over-priciness and very disposable…read morefashion, I do enjoy going into the outlet in Abbotsford when I'm in the area, which is in a lovely location just off Nicholson, only about a kilometre or so from the Abbotsford Convent. At the front of the store they have a few new season looks, at full price, which you'd find in any outlet. In the middle there are always some good finds, mostly last season items. Tops range from about $10-50, pants seem to be consistently $50, and there are always some good priced dresses. Just this past week there were racks of black ful sequined mini dresses for $50 and neoprene peplum dresses for $15! And I must admit, I am pretty impressed with Bardot for having the foresight to create a neoprene dress a year ago. Then, ohh, the back of the store is just lovely and laughable. The samples rack sometimes has some good finds (mostly priced at about $20-50) but mainly the "samples" are just irregularly cut current season items. Then, at the back back back of the store is my personal favourite, the $5 faulty items rack. Some of the pieces here are beyond salvagable, even for scrap material (giant ink stains on white silk?!). But but but there are always a few gems, such as current season dresses with a button missing or a few loose threads that can be fixed with a quick darn.

Cute, quirky jewelry & off-beat treasure shop in the Desgraves arcade. Full of one-of-a-kind finds…read more- handmade jewelry, locally designed pieces, with a range of reasonable price points. Staff is approachable and knowledgeable about their goods.

You know those cool shops that stock all sorts of unique stuff that you would never find anywhere…read moreelse? Like dinosaur necklaces, a porcelain squirrel or authentic luchador masks? Well, this is the King, Queen and Lord of all those places you've ever been to. It's like being sucked into a bizarre world where you're first reaction isn't to question how you got there, but rather, pray to never be taking away. Birds, wooden deer heads and little knick-knack decorate the shop. Glass cabinets protect bizarre lamps, figurines and all types of silver necklaces and charms. It's almost like being in the living room of a hoarder who only collects one-of-a-kind treasures from around the world. Speaking of treasures, jewellery makes up a big part of Corky Saint Clair. Wood, porcelain and silver are the materials of choice and often feature cute, cool characters and clever, creative charms. I swear, every item here as a personality of it's own, which makes it all the more harder to walk away. A big warning, you are going fall in love with something here, no matter how hard you resist. So be prepared.

A solid newsagency with a good range of magazines, newspapers and the odd paperback. There's also a…read moredecent range of stationary. There are a lot more little toys and trinkets for kids than at your average pharmacy, with bubble blowing kits, puzzles, face paint and funky texters taking up a good portion of the back corner. It's also a Tatts outlet, so you grab some scratchies and enter the lottery in addition to the purchase of your reading material.

Pretty much as the title suggests, Normanby News & Lotto provide those basic serivces/luxuries that…read moremany of us require. Where they rise above your everyday newsagent however, is in the casual and friendly approach with which they greet and deal with customers. They've a great selection of magazines and curios also. On the downer, the don't stock those everyday must-haves: the Metcard. For a newsagent these days, this is a major blunder and they're saved by the fact that the adjacent pharmacy has them in stock. Still, for your paper and weekly lottery requirements with a smile, Normanby News & Lotto deliver day-in, day-out.

Presence on Puckle is a delightful giftshop/variety store, with plenty to tempt you, and not just…read morefor purchasing presents!! At the moment they've a major emphasis on the spring racing carnival, with the largest range of fascinators I've seen in the North, as well as jewellery and other accessories. And if you're looking at sprucing up your kitchenware range, Presence on Puckle has you covered, with brands including Maxwell and Williams and Bacarrat. Not your usual junky giftshop, they have a spattering of almost everything gifty, but only if its of high quality. The perfect place to purchase presents for people you like, or to spoil yourself!

Great book store just a few minutes from Alburn station in Hawthorn. Can Do stock a great range of…read moretitles from sewing, knitting, papercraft and cooking to name a few. Staff are knowledgeable and lovely to chatter to. Perfect place to track down a crafty book! P.S ask about their meet up groups :-)

A great place for all kinds of readership, and reading materials…read more On par with Avenue bookstore, but slightly smaller, Coventry bookstore holds a range of printed materials from Economics, Philosphy, Photo- graphic, cook books, and of course novels. If you're after something in particular, staff can quite often order it in for you. Packed full of books, travelguides, and factual based literatures. It makes for a great gift stop or personal shopping.

I walked in a bookworm and fluttered out as a happy Bookerfly (like a butterfly but way smarter)…read more A small action packed space offering a wide variety of beautiful books, cards and gift wrapping. The staff here really know their literature and were exceptionally helpful. It was so enjoyable to watch the staff help an older single man pick out books for his nieces birthday. Beautiful, delicate girly books. I have to admit I was jealous that I don't have an uncle like this. The store itself is so clean and orderly. It was hard to choose only 1 book to come home with. No doubt I'll be back again.

A new small gift store on Lygon st close to Lady Carolina. It's a handy spot for last minute gifts…read more There's quite a good selection and some discounted goods too. Hampers also available online.