My local corner convenience store is called Pop Inn Dairy, owned and run by a lovely friendly…read moreindian family. I always find a lovely range of food, from fresh to packaged in their mini supermarket, eg - bacon, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, salami, fresh herbs, and a large selection of juice, water and soda. You can find just about anything you need for baking cakes, and cookies with the kids, if your looking for a good magazine they have a large selection. I'm always served with a friendly smile and a chat about my day. The store also has a wonderful assortment of candy and chocolate and ice cream for the sweet tooth shopper. My favourite dairy on the shore for sure!

Lovely friendly local dairy, with a great range of goods for its size. I highly recommend this…read moredairy, the milk is very reasonably priced as well.

I recently visited the Design Store in Wairau Park looking for some stylish pieces to spruce up the…read moreliving area. This fabulous contemporary furniture and accessories store has really top quality furniture and items that make your home look a million dollars. If you can spare a bit of change the items at the Design Store do not come cheap, it's the price you pay for elegance and character. Stunning mirrors, paintings, leather couches, ottomans, coffee tables. You name it; they can spruce up any home or office. Sometimes, like me you're just looking for that signature piece to place on a table and emphasize colour, I found exactly what I was looking for in the form of a lime green bamboo place mat! Just perfect and matched up with the colour theme throughout the house. The staff are very approachable, which is wonderful as sometimes in expensive stores you can feel a bit ignored. They will give you tips and choices if you explain exactly what you're after. If just browsing however, you can do so with leisure.

I very often pop in here for a wander. There is a shitload of stuff to look at and it can take a…read morewhile to make your way around the entire store to take in all the cool stuff in it's entirety. Because of this I'm very thankful that the staff aren't the kind to be breathing down your neck and constantly asking if you need a hand! There's a wide range of home decor things in here. mirrors, candles, kitchen things, furniture. A bit of everything really. If you're buying you mother or your grandmother or your aunt a present pop in here and there will almost certainly be something appropriate. Some things can be a bit pricey but there are other smaller things to take away too. Pretty much something to please whoever I'd say.

Awesome store! Such a fantastic range of homewares and furniture that are really unique, I find…read morethis store to be a breath of fresh air, so vibrant and even on a dull day the colourful fabrics and prints are really lifting. This is a very good place to come for gifts, or to buy stuff for yourself, Allium stock brands and ranges that other stores do not or from international brands that would be risky to have delivered due to their fragile nature. The store merchandising is always fantastic though I suppose this is a give in considering it is owned by a designer. Allium is not just a store, they offer a free measure and quote service, in store interior and interior design consultations. So if you're looking for inspiration and staff with the knowledge to help you get the look you're after or don't yet know you are after, give Allium a visit.

Allium has been in Newmarket for a long long time, however they have just recently moved to a new…read morelocation and definitely for the better! When you walk in to their new store they have this amazing feature wall that is just breathtaking and what's even better is that you can purchase the wallpaper that it is made from! They offer lots of beautiful products from linen and home wares to furniture. I have always had really friendly service whenever I have been in. Their prices are expensive but you don't come to Teed St for cheap shops so you do expect them. Allium also have a great online store where you can look at their product ranges as well as purchase.

Arazzo is Mum & I's go to for gifts. They stock a beautiful range of candles, gorgeous body…read morelotions, silk scarves, jewellery, cookbooks and more. But the best thing about this small shop is that they turn over their stock at lightning speed, which means for a regular like me there's always something new to fawn over. It's obviously as popular with the other Milford locs as it is with our family. The other fabulous thing about Arazzo is that, compared to many other independent home decor stores, it's affordable. I love candles and so they have become somewhat of a price indicator for me and at $40 (they have quite a range), Arazzo's are an absolute steal! Try their beautiful handmade ones from Devonport. I forget the brand name but they come in a stylish black and white box and are stunning. They also currently have some fabulous christmas decorations, which the owner tell me are flying out the door. Cute wee reindeer and fairy lights galore - it certainly put me in a festive mood!

I really enjoy popping in from time to time, and checking what is new on the shelves at this cute…read moregift store on Mokoia Rd. Can be overlooked as the store, is located between takeaway food stores, and a skate clothing outlet shop. Venture in to find an amazing range of choice. All the gifts have an artistic flair to them I believe which is amazing. I arrived not knowing what I wanted to buy, and found two presents within minutes- that is not hard to do here. Walk out the back of the store and there is an outside section that sells outdoor/garden gifts- a favorite area of mine. A creative option of gifts here before the store across the way.

Art of Gifts is a gorgeous collection of art and gifts... predictably. There's so much to feast…read moreyour eyes on it's a bit much to take in in one go. What caught my attention first was the stash of wallets on the shelf to the left of the entrance. They were leather and came in all sorts of colours and styles and patterns. For what they were they were quite affordable. I was hooked by a $19 coin purse! Wondering around the rest of the store you see lots of home décor stuff and quite a bit of Kiwiana. The best is outside the back. It's quite easy to think you're done after doing a quick circuit inside but if you potter up into the outdoors you will see a beautiful garden with great little things to make your own garden look just as beautiful. I was mentally taking note of everything I wanted so I could come back on payday and spend up large.

What a wonderful store, such a great range of product. If you needed to buy a gift for a female…read morethen this would be a good bet. I often come through Newmarket and admire their window displays which are lots of fun, but inside, there is so much to take in. You cannot go by what you see on their website, you have to go into the store. There is stuff in here you would not need until you saw it, such as an owl ornament and bright coloured candelabras. When Mothers Day is upon you, come here. You could pretty much by anything in here, the store buyers have made the gift selection edit, all you need to do is pay for it. To make things easy, they do have gift wrap and cards too so it is a one stop, Mother pleasing gift shop. Either that or good for female friends.

When it's my mum's birthday, this is the first place I'm going to come to look for a gift to send…read moreback to the UK for her. The store specialises in inoffensive jewellery, nice smelling soaps and body lotions--Mum Mecca. They've got a great selection of Kiwiana- so perfect for gifts to send abroad- and they have a really good selection of jewellery from popular NZ brands such as Kagi and Karen Walker, so it's nice to know that what you're buying is locally sourced. It's not a place you're going to find the most fashion-forward or out of the ordinary gifts, but what they do sell is of great quality and reasonably priced. The store is clearly aware that it is a "gift" shop and that they are selling things for people to buy for other people. The staff are attentive and clearly know what they're talking about, which I imagine must be a godsend to men looking to buy gifts for the women in their life!

Laura Ashley has beautiful furniture and home accessories, the quality is high and although much of…read moreit is very feminine the store manages to look like a proper English home without being too pretty. The sofas, chair and footstools look so comfortable and the beds are always dressed so well that you just want to climb in, the store overall is laid out well and the colour blocking will help you to figure out what cushion is acceptable to place in close proximity to that coloured lampshade how you will co-ordinate your bedlinen. These are important things to consider. What is great about this store is that it often has very good sales. 70% off sheets and some items such as silk quilts discounted by 50% is hard to pass up. Every so often there are weekend sales for certain items, such as furniture or towels or home accessories so it is well worth keeping an eye out for these in their well dressed windows.

I love Collected. It is possibly one of my favourite shops in terms of homewares, gifts and knick…read moreknacks. Plus everything is super bright that you'll just want to buy the whole shop! They stock Lindi King bracelets (which are all bright colours and come with different charms), wall art, gift cards, candles, home aromatherapy perfumes (the skull ones are amazing), children's gifts and toys, cushions, lampshades, and so much more! I love coming here when I need to buy presents for friends and family, plus staff are always super friendly and helpful and they offer colourful gift wrapping too!

I only just discovered this shop today and it was by accident! They are in the Bloc Building on…read moreNormanby Road (just across the road from the Normanby hotel). On the ground level is the Citta Design shop and then if you go upstairs you'll find the Collected. What a find it is! I wanted so much in the shop. And the really good part is there was some really nice stuff for around $20 or less such as dinner plates, various knick knacks, candles and other stuff made of awesome. There was so much I wanted to purchase. So once I have a bit more cash in the bank, I will definitely be back (come on pay day)!