This place is huge - really huge. I was on Smith St the other day and was caught in some…read moreexceptionally sunny weather ill prepared and thought I'd pop in here to get some cheap sunnies for the afternoon. I didn't realise that I was walking in to an emporium of Chinese cheap goods. I like wandering around these stores as you never really know what you might find. Most of it is worthless crap that will break after you use it one, but it's still fun to check out. This place is designed a bit cheekily though. I went down one aisle and as the store is so deep, I figured it would have a break in the aisle so I could move about, but no. You have to walk all the way to the end of the store. You might not think this is bad, but I'm serious when I say this place is huge. Anyway I walked all the way down and all the way back and was too tired to check out any of the other aisles. I found the sunnies - right next to the entrance, and picked up a dodgy pair for $3.50 - super cheap.

In Touch Imports is the biggest and best of the many variety stores on Smith Street, selling…read moreeverything from pet products, to kitchen appliances and Halloween costumes. As is generally the case with bargain stores, everything here is seriously low quality, but also low cost, which is often a good trade off (depending on what you're buying). I did buy a mop here the other week, though, and it broke literally one minute after taking it out of it's packaging. Was not happy about that one. But if you're after really basic things that don't have many parts, make In Touch Imports your first point of call.

This super cute store has only been open for four days but I'm sure it will be a hit with the…read morelocals. Nestled in a part of Hawthorn which is having a must needed revival over the last year, The Woodsfolk plays up the surrounding village feel. The store stocks a variety of homewares, cards and other unusual gorgeous things that you just want to take home! Although there are loads of shops selling cute cushions and cups, I was impressed that they stocked items from makers I know overseas and they were very affordable too! So look out for the bright colours and pom poms in Church street, Hawthorn!

Woop. If you wanna find awesome bargains and miscellaneous crap that you probably don't need, look…read moreno further. Hot Bargains is the best spot for all those little accessory items that you need for throwaway events (fancy dress, kids birthdays, Christmas presents, girlfriend's birthday etc). They more than deliver on their hot bargain promise and you won't believe how much crap they've got piled up in there. This is the reason we need a free trade agreement with China. Sure, they'll benefit by getting access to the very fuckin' elements and minerals the miners pull out of the fuckin' ground here, but you, as a proud Australian, will have access to all of the mass produced plastic shit you can ever imagine. Wow. Our politicians are really on to a winner there. Seriously, do not bother with another shop if you wanna go fancy dress. I got a full Mexican gangster outfit (complete with cap gun) for about $8. You can't fuck with those prices... Honcho.

I buy so many things here. Great bargains. Just watch if you get a few items that it is entered…read morecorrectly. I was overcharged from a $2 item put through as a $1 item 22 times. Very hard to reason with staff & the items aren't on the receipt, only amounts. Otherwise awesome.

Great place for baby and toddler things. Pretty good parking with A huge selection of products…read more Most of the time their is enough staff but when their isn't it's difficult to make major purchases like prams and bedding. Friendly staff and warehouse people. Some large products are collected from the back. More staff is the only small irritation.

The sister and I were able to buy some gifts here while we were in melbourne. It was within walking…read moredistance from where we were staying and it had a lot of things that we could choose from. The store was filled with australian goodies. You could find clothes, locally made trinkets, and anything else you would find in australia. I bought a variety of australian-made soaps and shot glasses. There was something for everybody. My sister bought some pens and office supplies. If I need easy presents for people, I would come here.

I found my makeshift city ornament here for Melbourne. I will have to just add something to it as I…read morewasn't able to find another. This place has plenty of other souvenir items to pick up, very spacious and ranges from unique to common items. The staff was helpful enough to answer my question. The prices were comparable to other souvenir shops.

Mine Ours Yours is quite a small shop in Vermont South Shopping Centre. It stocks gift type items…read moreand has a lot of vases and candles. For the shopping centre that it is in and the demographic of the patrons, I think the items are quite overpriced. While there are some great items in there, I was still shocked each time I picked something up to look at the price tag. I found a handmade photo album that was a whopping $150! I'd rather buy a new machine made one for that price, just saying. I also found a reasonably cheap material bag that was quite boho in appearance. That was only $28. The prices got pretty random at times and it was hard to see the logic behind them. The staff member who greeted me was quite pushy when I all I really wanted was to browse. It really turned me off the shop as I had to be quite abrupt to get some breathing space. Afterwards I felt quite awkward in the shop and I left pretty quickly. If you're after something different and of nice quality then I can see how this shop would be an option for you. If you're just having a casual browse then perhaps not.

Wow, what a different shopping experience. For once I felt comfortable shopping in a gift shop…read more There was room to move throughout the shop without knocking things off tables and stands and they have a great variety of wonderful gift ideas to choose from. The prices on the goods were reasonable considering the quality of the goods. There is NO cheap made plastic or poly-resin rubbish here. I had a large choice for my $50 budget and bought a lovely, bright, red plate and a puzzle for less than $50. I would expect to find such variety and quality either in the Dandenong Ranges or inner Melbourne. It was really fantastic to find a gift shop with such uniqueness within a suburban setting. The staff were engaging without the pushiness and it was nice not to be ignored. They even offered me a mug of tea and biscuit as I had had an horrendous day. For unusual and unique gifts of high quality with interactive staff then this is a great place to visit.

At first I was afraid if writing a good review would make this little jewel get popular but it…read moredeserves it. Organised chaos is the perfect expression of how this place is. Everything is in its little spot and tagged. You just have to manage to find it within the 5000+ square meters of individual 200+ stalls all managed and then paid for at the little counter at the front. It's great! Strangely none of the stalls have their owners there and you haggle with them over the phone! Where you then pass the phone to the front counter so they can take on the new price. It's different but great! If what your looking for is in a locked cabinet, you just head to the counter and tell them the cabinet number and being organised they find it and open it for you. It's lovely. If your looking for those old trinkets or antique decorations to give a little life to your place, this place is the place to go.

Wow! This place is huge. If antiques, second hand, vintage or used is at all your thing then you…read morewill be enthralled and possibly overwhelmed by this place. You'll find all kinds of things from furniture to kitchen wares, vintage clothing, coin collections, books and so on. It's a huge warehouse with many stalls owned by different dealers. Each item has a price tag with the stall number, a description and price attached. Some of the stalls have the dealers phone numbers displayed so you can call and haggle over prices. No phone number means fixed prices. There's a register at the front where you pay for all you finds. Staff are friendly and helpful. At the entrance you'll also find carry baskets to collect as you walk in and a selection of beverages and snacks such as ham and salad rolls. Note, if you're here in winter remember to dress warm as there is no heating and you may find you can't tear yourself in a hurry. The warehouse is set off the street but it's well signed and easy to find. There is off street parking which is necessary as it's a very busy street. I sure I'll be a regular here.

I walked in here for the first time on my 15 minuet break, tried on three T-Shirt, brought them,…read moreand had time to get a favourite muffin in Centre Place. I am a big fan of little boutique Melbourne clothes shop, especially those that have cute designs. I am always getting little comments about the clothes that I buy from here. Conveniently you can buy their products online which means that I don't even need to be on my break the next time I want a shirt as I now know what size fits me.

A funky boutique filled with a mix of fashion, accessories, knick knacks and specialty items that…read moreyou find yourself buying because of its "oh my gosh thats so cute/cool/funky" appeal. The fashion aspect of the store mainly focuses on print tees that catch the eye with bright volours and statement images. If you're a t-shirt kinda gal or guy, you'll find some unique designs that arent available elsewhere. Otherwise, they also supply some great jewellery and fashion accessories, including bags and head wear. Im personally more interested in the bits and pieces you'l find around the store - I've seen everything from fake non disposable coffee cups and homemade cards, to funky kitchen utensils and table decor items. Its worth a look in at the store, and even though its small you dont feel like the sales attendant is eyeing you off the whole time.Its quite comfortable to just browe.And you never know what you could find.