The Very Curious Kitten also happens to be very environmentally and socially conscious. Good…read morekitty. Her sweet and quirky little shop on Lygon Street is dotted with beautiful treats; things you can drape around your neck, pin to your dress, press onto your earlobes, and so much more. With a 50s inspired look, all the lovely accessories and clothing are either handmade from locally sourced materials, or made from recycled bits, and featuring the creative input of local designers and artists. I reckon the gear is all remarkably cheap considering the trouble the VCK goes to in order to keep her promise of ethically made products. A pair of cute and unique earrings with the tiniest carbon pawprint for $35 - cheap as! I've got my eyes on an adorable pair of brass art deco earrings, so keep your padded paws off them - hisssss.

The Very Curious Kitten is one of those stores that is great to pop into if you're perplexed as to…read morewhat to buy your friend for their Birthday. Everything is made from recycled goods by local crafts artists and clothing designers, and much of it is surprisingly cheap. It's sort of like a really good stall at a market; you're not sure what you're going to find there but you know there'll be something good. The shop interior is all pinks and pastels, and the floor is tiled black and white. Even the chairs are painted pastel, so it's like a living, practical storybook of a space. I've been tempted by the retro bottle cap brooches, rings made out of old spoon handles and some of the one off clothes made from the fabrics of yesteryear. Naturally, the clothes tend to be a bit pricier than some of the craft items but it's all proportionate to the effort involved in their creation. A sweet shop with a lot of cute and original ideas.

The over-busy window displays of this double shop front should give you a clue as to what's to…read morecome, and I don't mean all the different brand signs stuck up. Yes, you'll find products by Lee, Bonds, Hard Yakka and there'll be a suit sale too, but I'm referring to the sheer quantity of stuff. The racks are completely rammed, chock full of stock. The shelves are piled high, and there doesn't appear to be a space that the owner hasn't used for merchandise. The first half of the shop is girls' stuff - vest tops, t-shirts, little fleecy shorts, pink polo tops, and jeans. In the next room is the change rooms and stuff for guys. I came here with my man and he found some good trackie pants and shorts. Not exactly cheap but not too pricey either, and infinitely more interesting than shopping at KMart. I believe they also offer tailoring services, but I don't really know anything about that.

says woman's clothing but has men's gear to. And guys he has a great selection of really good…read morejeans. I found it just because he had a wrangler sign out front. And he is always heaps cheaper than anyone else.

The Brotherhood of St Laurence store in Brunswick East is an absolute gem of a place when moving…read morehouse or needing some replacement furniture. There you'll find an array of cheap second-hand sofas, chairs, desks, tables, fridges, microwaves, pieces of artwork and much more. If you don't have a car, they can even arrange delivery of your stuff if you live in the area. I found some amazing bar stools for $15 each, a lazyboy style chair for $25 and some cheap sofas at around $30 each. In short: it is an absolute treasure chest and you can also feel good about contributing to a well recognised charity that is working for an Australia that is free from poverty. Good luck exploring!

This is possibly my single favourite op shop in Melbourne…read more The clothes are very well laid-out by style and colour (e.g. All white t-shirts are together) although my OCD takes over occasionally and I find myself putting stuff elsewhere if I see it incorrectly stashed. The funky music always makes me smile, and there is a vintage section at the front where they have special items. They have a ton of adult clothing, some kids' stuff, books, a load of kitchenware, lots of furniture and jewellery. They are even open now on Sundays so I don't have to cram my weekend op shop fix into Saturday! The only thing I could think of to improve is to offer a few more hooks in the change rooms.

The day I found Sprinkle was one of true elation. Sure, I'm not exactly one to have a lot of spare…read moredosh lying around, but when it comes to truly beautifully crafted clothing it's always worth it to save out and splash out on the one that truly steals your fancy. Once you've bought one Sprinkle creation it's hard to stifle the addiction. All the clothes are locally designed by Sprinkle herself and locally manufactured, where she can keep a watchful eye on the quality, being a renowned fusspot when it comes to her precious apparel. And they are indeed precious. The emphasis is on curves and femininity, with all the clothes knowing what to skim and what to highlight. Double breasted winter coats that make you feel like a movie star from the 1950s, brightly coloured wrap dresses and tailored pencil skirts are a few of her more notable design staples, but the collections are all unique to that season. The fabrics are all high quality, and there's always splashes of bright colour and texture in each collection. All the designs are made on a very limited run, and for some there's only one garment made in each size. Each season/collection has its' own unique theme and influence, eg. classical Japanese during this last winter, and 1950s cocktail hour for the summer of 2011/2012. The staff are all enthusiastic, professional and well informed about the designs, and will never try and sell you something that you don't feel comfortable in or that isn't quite you. The prices are exactly what you'd expect for locally designed and produced clothing, so it's certainly not accessible to absolutely everyone, but if you can afford it or can afford to get saving, the clothes are definitely worth it.

A gamut of handbags and wallets from the like of AnnaPelle, Diana Ferrari, Levis, Jag and Fiorelli…read moreamong many others, this store is an efficient way to find the most beloved of women's accessories. Although there's also a range of largely high heeled shoes available, there's not nearly as many on offer as there are handbags. The stock changes over fairly regularly, and there's the odd sample hiding amongst the clones. The styles are as numerous as there are handbags, so you can find a plain work satchel-style bag as easily as a brightly coloured statement handbag. There's also a range of luggage down the back. The quality varies from brand to brand, and the odd leather bag may turn out not to be leather after all. Nonetheless, every purchase I've ever made from this store has been a magnet for compliments and my main handbag is still going strong after a year of heavy use. It's always the first place I go for a new handbag or wallet.

Enter via the huge, open roller doorway into an expansive warehouse selling all kinds of clothes -…read moremens, ladies and children's, plus shoes and even vintage bikes. I drop by occasionally to see what I can find in the way of basics for a bargain, and also flat canvas shoes from brands like Topshop and Fred Perry. The canvas shoes are around $10, and t-shirts and jumpers are also a bargain at around $15. There are two small change rooms for trying on stuff. The warehouse is large so it gets pretty cold in there in winter and trying clothes on isn't much fun, but when the weather warms up, it's not too bad in there and you'll definitely come away with a bargain or two.

Ashk tends to cover all the basic bases of women's fashion each season. There's always a lot of…read morebasic black designs, a couple of animal prints and dollops of colour and other textured clothes dotted throughout the shop. Essentially, in all likelihood you'll find something you like and something that flatters you. Maria, the woman behind Ashk, is among the more down to earth and helpful saleswomen out there, and has a good idea of what looks good on different women. She also has a great eye for jewellery, particularly if you like silver earrings. She sources them from a variety of suppliers and only keeps a limited run of each piece, so you're less likely to run into other locals with the exact same accessories. The clothing size can vary a little from brand to brand, but that's nothing unusual in the world of women's fashion. Always good to pop into if you're in the area and have a bit of time.

(Customs) Big kids toys - the amazing art pieces you start to find EVERYWHERE…read more One place I like to hold at least partially responsible is found one Sydney Road. Villain stocks many blank toys and all equipment required to make the magic you find here there and everywhere - to get the idea check out customtoylab.com Villain is a cool space to check out. They have all manner of aforementioned toys, as well as tees hoodies and accessories. Filling up cabinets and adorning the walls you'll also discover amazing street art canvasses and art pieces. The likes of Shepard Farley's OBEY series can be found here, along with Mike Giant's work. Both prints and original artworks are for sale, and the people behind the counter are more than will to help you look though. Any tips of painting and using the products will also come from them.

Villain is one of my favourite stores around Brunswick and it always amazes me how much time I can…read morespend in somewhere as small as this. Before you even step inside, take a look in the window. It's jam packed with art toys, prints, clothing and assorted bits and pieces. Inside, every possible space is filled with much of the same. I'm a toy collector, so I usually check these out first. There is a lot of Kidrobot product here, from blind boxed figures and plush to customizable blank figures and lots of limited edition stuff. There are plenty if other ranges here too, like Pop Vinyl and some more harder to find pieces, and the staff are always more than happy to help you out. They'll usually do discounts in bulk purchases of full boxes of toys too! Aside from the toys, there is a lot of (street) art supplies like paints and markers, which are also great for pretty-ing up those blank figures! There's a small section of fairly expensive clothing here and some really fun homewares pieces. A lot if these pieces are limited editions, such as tea sets, money boxes and cushions, so don't expect to be spending your spare change on them! The only downside to the store is it's size. With a few people in here it can get crowded, especially with so much stock around, but that's really nothing major. There is another Villain store at QV in the city, that is a little more spacious and sometimes has different stock in it, but are always happy to help you get your hands on what you're looking for.