Not really going to miss the old Chaps when I move away from here in the not too distant future…read more Used to be a lot more exciting years ago but is now a bit drab. Lots of vacant shops, places to get a decent coffee or fancy cocktails in this SY strip of Chapel St are few and far between. Lots of shops to buy polyester clothing if you're into that. Most exciting thing to happen this year on this strip was the fire above cafe Sienna. And that's saying something. Not going to miss the parking officers, the attention-seekers on their over-powered bikes and in their yellow and red Lamborghini's (parked in all of the no standing zones of course)... Nor will I miss the puke on the streets on my early Sunday morning walk or the hotels dumping glass bottles into their bins at two AM. Saying that, I will actually miss B'Stilla, G-Star & Market Lane plus my walks to the lovely Fawkner park... But I shall come to visit you guys so don't worry. I think I've overstayed my welcome. See ya Chapel St. x

This is where an abundance of cafes, restaurants and clothing outlets comes up, almost giving High…read moreStreet Armadale a run for its money. If you do not have much money to spend and/or you are not in the mood to go shopping; well then forget about it. Save your visit to Chapel Street for another time. This experience is not to be rushed either; it is meant to be enjoyed and appreciated at a slowish pace; so make a day out of this experience on your day off. I am not joking about the money part. You need to also be in the mood to reward yourself for all your hard work; otherwise the experience will be made redundant. The vibe is like a visa platinum credit card with a credit limit of anywhere from $20,000 upwards. South Yarra is a great, trendy area (kind of like Newtown in Sydney) yet it is expensive. You could even live in the city on less rent than what your might have to pay to live in this area. I love Chapel Street, and it is usually always on the agenda of visitors to Melbourne in particular: not many people visit Melbourne without having to visit Chapel Street; and it is also a common theme among the locals who are in the mood for a great day out.

Amazing accessories for men and women There are special…read more gifts for your female loved ones too! The boutique is however mostly for women and the ready to wear collections are elegant with a bit of a twist! Magnificent colours and beautiful fabrics! Timeless fashion as the Stileman girls would say! So friendly and helpful in every way! A hidden Jen! Sass stileman ( owner and operator) will give you her time like no other! It's a salon and different soon to any fashion retail i have come across! The Best fashion import boutique in Melbourne. By far as it is wearable and the staff match the format! Labels are all hand made in Italy, France, Japan London and Japan! The cashmere for women is the best in the world! It is by appointment with Sass Stileman at no charge, so make an appointment with Sass today and be perpetrated to be amazed.

This really isn't one of the best shopping centres that I have visited, not that I tend to rate…read morethem all that highly anyway. The annoying thing about it is that you have to walk across a ton of carpark from the tram stop to actually get to the shopping centre, and there really isn't all that much here, other than a cinema and a couple of cafes. Well, the do have an Ikea, which is sort of unique where shopping centres are concerned.

Victoria gardens is personally my favourite shopping Centre! Unlike northland it is not so big that…read moreyou get lost and can't find your way around. And unlike northcote plaza it actually has useful shops. Victoria gardens has lots of clothes shops for example cotton on, kmart, tempt, jeans west etc it also has a very big food court and food for all your fussy family members. It has a cinema which always comes in handy when you have nothing to do. One of my favourite things about Victoria gardens is of course ikea, what would you do with out ikea oh yeah NOTHING!! The ikea in vic gardens is very big and it has a childcare program where you just say "take my kids while I shop at ikea" and then POOF kid free. Vic Gardens includes boost, pet shop, various 2 dollar shops, sushi, Coles, dimmocks, dick smith, bakers delight etc I believe that this shopping centre couldn't get any better

After spending about a month trapsing between bike shops, being given ridiculously expensive…read moreoptions that were unviable money grabs, making calls, sending emails and being told by custom bike makers they weren't interested, as a heavy rider it was almost impossible for me to find a bike, let alone someone who was willing to take an extra moment to talk to me to get a custom setup done. I finally discovered Pista Bikes, and was surprised that not only did their mechanic, Paul, actually acknowledge me, but spent the next half an hour just discussing viable options for me to get myself riding. Within the next half an hour, calls and inquiries were made and quotes were delivered for a reputable frame and custom wheels. Given I approched them during the Christmas/New Years rush, I didn't expect anything to happen quickly, but despite that, John and the team had the wheels in store and fitted to the bike within a week of me making a deposit on the bike, to which they even gave a credit for the original wheels to cut the cost down for me. The teams knowledge, expertise and overall customer focused attitudes make them an absolute 5 star rating. So as a shout out to these guys, and anyone else who may have had trouble in the past getting something to suit you, definitely come see them. They'll sort you out. Couldn't give them a higher recommendation. Thanks guys, Damien.

Small, personal shop, all the time needed by John and the team for even small things. Always feel…read morewelcome and now my go to shop Prahran/South Yarra. No sales push, but good practical ideas from diverse bike riders working there. prepared to refer on if don't have very specialised stuff.

Good. Cheap. Wine…read more Winner! Perfect for those on a budget and still like that touch of class in their glass!

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.

For parents who can't bare the idea of yet another Barbie or Frozen toy in their house, Tickle Your…read moreBrain might just be the answer. The focus here seems to be on educational toys to help your rugrat learn while they play (sneaky!) but that doesn't mean that these toys are boring. There's a large selection of books, fun jigsaw puzzles and other colourful games that kids would absolutely love. I didn't spy any mainstream "trendy" brands, which is just the ticket when you want a timeless toy that can be passed along to younger generations once yours outgrows it.

From the owner: toys, toy store, free wrapping, quality european wooden toys. Janod, goki, le toy van, brio,…read morelilliputiens, moulin roty, maileg, djeko, radio flyer, micro scooters, scheich, dinosaurs, dolls houses, garages, fire stations, prams, cradles, jewellery

After driving past the building that hosts Artbank a few times, I finally managed to break up my…read moreday and stop for a visit. What is Artbank? It's an art rental establishment which was established in 1980 by the Australian Government as an arts support program. We're sold already! Part of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Office for the Arts, Artbank promotes the diverse Australian culture and offers everybody the chance to enjoy Australian art by offering the collection for rent. The revenues from the rentals are then reinvesting back in to the collection. Sweet! Walk through the sunlight filled space and you'll find a large group of artworks by emerging artists from paintings and photography, to contemporary craft, sculpture and Indigenous art. (We hear the whole Artbank collection has over 10,000 contemporary artworks for rental) And even though we'd love to have more art at home, our walls don't have the space for it right now. Just in case, we found out the costs involved anyway and were pleased to discover that rental fees start from $110 per artwork, with the minimum contract total of $550 per year. And for businesses, fees are 100% tax deductible.