On Glen Huntly Road in Carnegie, just off 67 Tram, stop 61…read more Or Glen Huntly Train Station. Just followed up after a craft friend's recommendation to check out this shop. It is excellent. On the outside it looks clean but truly daggy with black and yellow paintwork. The inside it looks, and is, like an old style full service drapers shop. I was able to get everything I needed related to some specific cloth, to silver brooch clips, and I'm going back tomorrow morning for even more cloth, and I'm seriously thinking about that old fashioned cream crocheted collar on a stand near the desk. The range of fabrics is not humongous, but is excellent: from bamboo jerseys to cotton gingham and silks, to some really good lace, and amazing outrageously coloured tulle; and some of the on sale cloth is really worth a visit to ponder any possibilities. The service is knowledgable and helpful. And courteous and kind.

Don't be mislead by the name the prices may be cheap but the fabrics are not. They are good quality…read moreand they have a great range. They also have a fabulous range of ribbons, zippers, trims and notions. Seriously, wow the notions! Belt buckles, handles for handbags and so much more. They have patterns at reasonable prices. The staff and super helpful and honestly I could spend hours here! I never leave empty handed.

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 got stuck knitting the mens' sock. Sarah in the store was patient and helpful and cleared the…read moreproblem, between attending to customers. I have bought all my knitting wool from this lovely store over the years.

A recent visit to Wondoflex left me a bit, well wanting more. I was on the hunt for a particular…read moreweight of yarn (sport weight/5ply - one that admittedly isn't overly popular in Australia), and the offering was quite limited and I left without getting what I wanted. That being said, there is an enormous range - great colours, lots of different weights, a discounted wool section out the back and all the needles, tools and knitting/crochet paraphernalia that one needs to complete any given project. I didn't leave empty handed however, ended up finding a soft alpaca lace yarn that has been added to my stash for later use. Given the number of yarn stores around Melbourne, I don't think I will go out of my way to return to this one, unless it's part of an organised yarn store crawl. There are plenty of other places with blends I prefer.

The Amber Palace is a shop full of all things beautiful for the home. There are great vases and I…read morefound a lovely paperweight that would have suited my desk perfectly. I also found some really cute baby toys but they were quite expensive at $36 for a stuffed, albeit hand made, rabbit. It was pretty cute but as I don't have a baby and I would have no use for it, I kept looking. There were some cardigans made out of high quality fabric, which were quite nice. Again though they were a bit too expensive considering how plain they were. The store had a nice design and the staff member behind the counter was very helpful when answering my questions. This would be a good place to go to get some new accessories to impress some guests to your home. Or to buy your baby a designer rabbit toy. There are plenty more reasons to visit of course, but those seem like the most mainstream.

Such a great concept store with amazing selection of goodies. Highly recommend visiting…read moreTheSuperCool.

Previously a pop-up shop appearing at all good hipster design markets, The Super Cool has taken up…read morepermanent residence in the SO:ME space at South Melbourne Market. It's a good place to find gifts, with an interesting selection of books, home wares, baby gifts, candles, crockery etc. If you've been looking at Pinterest boards of hipster weddings, they can sort you out here too with dedicated wares like wedding sign posts and mason jar glasses. Some will find it overpriced and tragic, but it's all in good fun and the staff are lovely. Worth a sticky beak if you're at the market.

I can whole heartedly recommend Thomas & Co. to anyone looking for something a little more unique…read morethan is ordinarily found in homewares stores in Australia. Beyond the vast (and eclectic) range of goods, the service from all staff is exceptional. They are truly willing to go well beyond expectations to make absolutely certain you are happy with your purchase. Having purchased a custom made Salon couch from these folks (that ended up not fitting in the house - long story, but the store is looking after the issue perfectly), I can honestly not sing their praises highly enough. I've read a few reviews from unhappy customers and simply can't understand how their situations arose - you'd really have to try to have a negative experience here.

Thomas Gannan is one of those great shops that just seems to attract people. From its clever window…read moredisplays and quirky products, it certainly seems to have a lot going on. And this is very true. The busy store carries a wide range of homeware - from dazzling lighting, jazzy cushions, trendy table matter, witty décor pieces and functional kitchen ware. It also has a lovely range of children's toys, room accessories and gifts. But more importantly, Thomas Gannan carries a good mix of exclusive Jardan sofas and stunning Arthur G lounges. It also features a selection of environmentally sustainable Australian timber furniture, which can be custom made to suit your needs. I've bought quite a few presents from this store and have always been impressed by the service. It's not often that a sales person asks whether you would like a new piece but they do here!

If you're into homewares and colour, mud is definitely one to go and check out. Australian made…read moreceramics, they are rough and textured out the outside with super high gloss on the inside in a bunch of amazing colours. I love bright things around the house, so I came across mud when admiring some of their gorgeous mugs and plates. Unfortunately...a cup is going to set you back in the realm of $40-$50. Each. Ouch. I was too scared to look at the rest as this falls out of my price range. BUT if you have some cash to splash or are looking for a special present for someone, this high end range of crockery is gorgeous. I don't know how much the going rate is for nice crockery because I am clumsy and too scared to buy anything more expensive than IKEA for fear of destroying it. So while I may not purchase something here for myself, it is a lovely spot to look at and a great pick for a list of lovely mum gifts. The service is helpful, the displays are pretty and if you don't find something in the colour you want let them know so they can source it for you.

I am a sucker for ceramics and porcelain so when I came across the Mud store in Gertrude Street, I…read moreknew it would be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. This is a brand that we can be proud of; Mud is made in Australia and has some beautiful colours including duck egg blue and soft coffee shades. This Mud store stocks Kobo candles as well (yay!). The setting is minimalist and sleek; the focus is all on the beautiful plates, bowels and cups as they sit on top of the surfaces. Like I mentioned before when I visited another ceramic store - take your bag off your shoulder and carry it low and steady, you really wouldn't want to knock anything off here. I thought the service was really good - the sales assistants were very friendly and happy to walk me through the products and give you some information about Mud.

A cute little store with a weird angular entrance, Chi Living looks as if it occupies two shop…read moreunits that have been combined into one so the doorway makes an arrow in. Interestingly, this was what attracted us into this store. Filled in a wide array of decorative items such as Budha heads, sculptures, lattice style side tables and cabinetry this store is an eclectic treasure chest. I love the modern Oriental style cabinetry and contemporary table lamps. The staff here are welcoming and polite and encourage you to take your time admiring their displays and products - which is nice because far too often sales people push customers away with their sales pitches. If you're looking for an Asian inspired piece for your mantle place or entrance foyer, Chi Living is a good place to start.

What a great place! The pieces in this shop are well priced. Hard to find affordable gifts in…read morethis part of town. Good range of modern costume jewellery too. And they'll gift wrap it all for you for free. Too easy. I'll go here for my gifts more often.