Flying Saucers is such a cool little gift store. In the midst of all the crap you can buy in a mall…read moreit's a place with really high quality novelty gifts and some nice jewelry too. But it does come with a price. It's quite an expensive store and even things that are kind of disposable (like novelty bachelorette/bachelor night stuff etc) are sold at a premium price. But it's actually one of the very few places where you can find different, fun stuff. I really like their greeting cards too, there are quite a few funny novelty ones and they're always a bit of a laugh to look through. If you're trying to find a fun gift for someone who's hard to shop for or one of those people who kind of have everything they need, this is the shop to go to.

Fabulous true NZ clothing boutique. Well worth a regular visit! Highly recommend for quality…read moreclothing and friendly helpful advice.

Vanilla Ink is a fantastic place for the 30+ woman. Guaranteed to get a good item that will LOVE…read moreyour body. The owner, Susan, knows woman and what they want. She is also super styley, and friendly-casual. Take your older sister and your mums and your grandmas!

Pocket is like the Newmarket branch of MADE in the city. Both stores are owned by the same people,…read moreso it makes sense. It's kind of off the beaten track, behind Rialto cinemas in that little area on Kent Street that seems to be growing more and more popular by the day. It's standalone and the layout of the store is quite nice. They stock similar things to MADE - notably APC. They also do Karen Walker, Standard Issue, House of Holland eyewear, etc. There's men's and women's clothes and accessories, and as well as new, they stock some vintage. The staff were nice, friendly without being overbearing. I tried on a few things, walked out with a pair of really stonewashed 90s Levi's. I'd say the store fits somewhere inbetween Area 51/Black Box and Fabric in terms of prices and brands. My fashion/shopping expert friends thought I should give the place three stars but I think it's a bit above 60%, and extra points because I bought something. Worth a visit.

Another new discovery of mine and new favourite, I left this store with my wallet a little sore me…read morethinks, but who cares I got such lovely things! This is a brand new store which is part of the new street complex in Newmarket. It's a really lovely place, laid out beautifully and stocks labels such as Status Anxiety, Louis Vuitton, APC and Karen Walker as well as boasting a pretty awesome vintage section! Their prices were really reasonable and that is what I loved so much about this place, they hadn't conformed to the Newmarket trend and overpriced everything. I purchased a lovely leather bag for only $150 which I though was a real bargain, as well as one of Karen Walker's new season key-rings for only $29! The two staff working there was so nice to talk to and I felt really comfortable with them, not looked down upon which is sadly common in upmarket boutiques. I knew instantly that I had found my new favourite shop and I'm probably going to have to go back tomorrow and get those boots....yay!

Fabric Warehouse is a great wee fabric store tucked away behind Mt Eden Road…read more When I was in high-school and had various school balls to attend, the Fabric Warehouse was a lifesaver. I've never been much of a girly girl and didn't want the same satin style ball gown as every other girl, so instead went to the Fabric Warehouse found the perfect white fabric with black flowers around the hem and had my own 1950s style gown made. Not only was it completely original, but it was also pretty cheap. The Fabric Warehouse is really fairly priced and the lovely couple that work there are more than happy to help you locate the ideal fabrics for whatever project you are working on. A great selection of fabrics, zippers, buttons and threads are available at Fabric Warehouse, as well as a brilliant variety of patterns. My favourite are the vintage Vogue patterns they stock up by the counter - so inspirational, and what better place to be inspired than in a fabric store?! If you endeavour to sew your own clothing or even whip up some cheap and funky curtains or pillow cases - the Fabric Warehouse will provide everything you need!

The stores you would find me lingering in most of my recent days especially last weekend, were…read moreFabric Stores. On the hunt for that perfect light, silky fabric enough to be used at an event to hide other curtains, was definetly a mission on its own. I found walking into Fabric Warehouse, actually a relief because they seemed to have lots of different options. It turns out that the perfect material they had was all I needed except had to be doubled over to do the job. Good thing is that they had a 40% sale on certain curtain materials, and my chosen chiffon just happened to be amongst it. The lady working at the front of the store, her name was Lily, a very helpful Asian women, who was great in showing me as many options as she had in store. I noticed that you had a variety of material options from budget to expenisive so something to suit all tastes.

No matter where you go in this world, there's one thing that doesn't change -The Mall. Money has…read morethe ability to make everyone the same, if you have it. The Starbucks here doesn't do the App rewards but there is free wi-fi, which is great if you're googling the Foreign exchange rate so you know what you're supposed to get at the banks or exchange stores. Compared to American Malls this place is pretty average.But I really love the fact that at the food courts here - you can leave your tray and rubbish on the tables and the attendant will take care of it for you. The Movie theatre here is a great place to waste time.

Westfield St Lukes is a cross between hell and that stair scene from the end of The Labyrinth…read more Actually, it's so bad that having a tights-wearing David Bowie chasing you around be something of a relief. It would at least add an element of intrigue to what is otherwise a long march along the bright fluorescent corridor to a brain aneurysm. Do not go here if you want to buy the following things: 1. Interesting things. 2. Good things. Also the parking is terrible.

I got a grabone voucher to try these guys out, Albert is amazing!…read moreBest hair cut I've had in years. Very knowledgeable, will defintley be back.

From the owner: Staff at Essex Hair & Beauty are committed to beautify your skin, body and hair…read more We are a boutique hair and beauty salon in the heart of Mt Eden village, known for our expertise in all services with friendliness, warmth and professionalism. We use the latest most effective products achieving your personalised results at an affordable price.

I love this place. It's where I take my "quality used goods" or whatever they call it on their ads…read more Invariably I am distracted by something to buy so I think it's a win-win situation. And my husband can't even really disagree because it's mere dollars of retail therapy after all and it's for a good cause! So this place is pretty well stocked; I guess it's the socio-economics of its surroundings, yup the shopping here is good. There's books, furniture (more than you usually find at Sally stores), china, bric'a'brac (such a great word/s), shoes, household goods, a lot of junk and a lot of clothes. Maybe because I know it so well I find it easy to shop here but even if you don't it's all laid out well. The staff are really nice, just beware if you reserve something from the window display - the right arm does not always know what the other limbs are doing!

I am absolutely flabbergasted at the number of good reviews for this place. How can anyone go back…read moreto this store and stomach the prices? Every single other Salvation Army store in the country (not to mention the Hospice and Red Cross shops) reasonably price their items because they were donated to them - not Dominion Road. I've never in my life seen such expensive homewares and furnishings at a shop like this. If you're willing to pay for donated goods, that's fine, but bargain hunters should avoid this place like the plague. The other Sallies stores (including one about 2kms up the road) are better stocked and the hospice and Red Cross are better charities to give your money to.