I'm not a professional photographer by any means but I do love coming into Camera House in the…read moreCentral Markets. As well as the large selection of camera accessories, film, frames, tripods and the like, they have a truly impressive array of second hand and new cameras to ogle. Oh those old school medium format cameras! Gorgeous. They've also got some lomo cameras and film which I was stoked to see last time I dropped past. They have a full service colour printing lab as well, offering good old fashioned film processing in 1 hour- handy for those of us who prefer a little analogue action. The staff are always friendly and helpful, happy to give out advice to novices like myself. It feels like an old school, specialist camera place where they know the ins and outs of everything from repairs to printing and love what they do. Cheers to that!

Camera House sure is convenient, as I spend a bunch of time in and around the markets. As a result…read moreI've had a bit of printing done here and found them reasonable for anything up to A4 size, but not a place to get prints of any larger scale done. They are moderately pricey and I have had the occasional photo not printed to the standard it should have been, but all in all they're not too bad. As my fellow yelpers have pointed out the staff are SUPER knowledgable and REALLY friendly. Customer service win! They maintain a good selection of old school film cameras... great for the hipster within - oh, and my mum the ultimate accidental hipster.

I had a disappointing experience at the Eckersleys St Leonards branch. I felt I was treated…read moredifferently to another customer who wasn't a person of colour, when my request to have my sheets wrapped in a recycled plastic sleeve was refused, yet another customer received packaging for her items without issue and with extra charges. Instead, my sheets were folded and wrapped only in paper, which got wet from a sprinkler on my way home and damaged part of it. If my request had been followed, this would not have happened.

Eckersleys is on the whole a very good art and craft store…read more I find that Premier Art is cheaper and Central Art Supplies more informative and of higher quality than Eckersleys and would usually use one of those in preferance to Eckerslys. However, they do have a very broad range, stock a number of items which are not available at the other art stores and from time to time have specials on offer which are cheaper beyond comparison when compared to other art supply stores. They have a very broad range of craft papers, as well as a good selection of easels and canvasses. (I recently got a very large italian made studio easel ultra cheap from eckersleys on special.) They stock as a standard item an acryllic paper pad (which I find very useful for water colour painting) which has a great deal more than the standard 12-20 sheets at a very affordable rate. I have not found anything comparable anywhere else. I also picked up a very high quality Kolinsky-Sable brush (a real not synthetic one) from Ecersleys which although expensive is fantastic and has lasted me years of use.

I love coming to this shop. The vinyl records, the great tunes and the old photographs and cameras…read moreare certainly a nostalgic trip, and there are so many gems you can dig up whilst rummaging through the extensive collection of items here. John runs the store, and is one of the coolest store owners I've had the privilege of meeting. Each time I come in he asks what I'm looking for, and then will immediately start playing similar-sounding artists on the turntable based on my answer. His extensive knowledge doesn't end at records - he has a lot of stories to tell on artists, on music, on drugs, on life in general. You can always expect an entertaining conversation upon setting foot in this store. His record collection is also wide and diverse, and there are some real gems hidden in the crates if you care to take your time looking through them. The other chap that runs the photography side of the store is always a great conversationalist, and is always telling the stories behind the old photographs of Adelaide and the city's beginnings. The collection of vintage cameras is impressive, and you can pick up some pretty cool equipment for a bargain.

The only thing as fantastic as this shop is the guy who runs it. Always up for a chat, you can get…read moreonto any topic with him while he's googling on his laptop and you're leaning on the front counter. He's also a veritable fountain of musical knowledge (how could he NOT be?) and will happily share it with you or help you find something obscure you're after. I have a good friend who collects records, and we play a game called "Find the most ridiculous record then play it on repeat." While mostly I shop at garage sales, I like knowing this place is here when I have something specific in mind. Also, the old cameras at the back of the store are like a cluttered museum. Gorgeous to look at, as well as the old photography on the walls. I've been so tempted to buy an old Nikon lens just to see what the pictures are like from my camera, but i can't afford these ones as much as I can't afford new lenses! The atmosphere of this place is so fantastic, it sucks you in even if you resist its charm.

Central Art Supplies is an independednt business housed within Adelaide Central School of Art…read more Entry is via the laneway just before you get to the school if heading from the parade. It's proprietor is Greg Hanisch and he is a most amicable chap. If you have been there three or four times he will more than likely remember your name. If you are looking for budget supplies it is probably not the perfect place, as Central Art Supplies primarily caters to the proffessional artist and the serious art student. Quality is of main concern here, and although they do stock some student brands, such as Van Gogh oils and acrylics, their specialty is really at the high end, for instance, the Michael Harding hand ground oil paints, which although amazing, can be a bit on the pricey side. Greg is extremely knowledgeable and of great assistance. If you have any queries as to the properties or use of materials he is certainly the man to ask and will often be of much more assistance than one could find at Eckersleys or other big retailers. Unstreached canvas, calipers for sculpture and various interesting painting mediums are on sale here, which can be tricky to find elsewhere. They also have on sale some fine hand crafted easels and offer canvas streaching services.

Greenhills is a fairly well respected commercial Gallery in North Adelaide…read more It is housed within a stately heritage building which once upon a time served as an inn. The quality of artists shown at Greenhills varies from time to time. I recently checked out the work of Ben Stack and Michael Lindscott, and I must say I was not thoroughly impressed. Stack's work was there in parts. Consisting of fairly bleary coloured abstracts. I would have little time for this sort of work were it not for Stacks employment of shadowing to achieve a tromp l'oeil effect whereby the abstract clumps of jarring impasto seem to levitate from the canvass. For the most part this merely lifts Stack's work out of the complete rubbish pile, and at times achieves little more than novelty, however in the case of the work entitled "And then .... So clear" a really lovely effect was achieved. This work stood out completely from the others and was reminiscent of an abstract landscape, as opposed to happy pants which was the prevailing aesthetic for the other works on show. The entire work appeared much more considered and the tonal and colour relationships more harmonious. The levetatiting impasto trick, although still present, was much more subtle, thus becoming more of a feature than a novelty and allowing the work to stand on its own. Lindscott's work consisted of washed out poorly drawn photographic compositions with little consideration of colour or tone. Whilst the subject matter was at times interesting, technical competence was clearly an issue inhibiting the artists expressive possibilities. An instance, where this played to Lindscott's advantage, however, was the work "At night there are lights by the river." This moody work captures beautifully the essence and ambiance of it's subject matter and the dimly lit lighting scenario caters well to the washed out appearance of Lindscott's work. Less successful was "Pink Top and Jeans," where Lindscott's inability to handle colour, tone and the human form, and his reliance upon photographic reference material were truly evident.

Hill Smith is an up market commercial gallery located on in the middle of Pirie St in the city…read more It is housed within a beautiful red two story building with large windows at the front and a charismatic black umbrella dome covering the entryway. There are exhibitions more or less monthly, as well as a number of works held in their stockroom which can be accessed on request. Hill Smith represents a number of the better known local and interstate artists, including David Bromley, Robert Hannaford and Nick Harding. Presently on show is the work of Stephen Trebilcock (Main gallery), Janine Mackintosh and Peter Syndicas (First Floor Gallery). I really love Janine's work which consist of something representing Mandalas constructed from various found natural and man made objects. Her work with eucalyptus leaves has an especially appealing aesthetic, the leaves being beautifully preserved and meticulously stitched with linen thread to the canvass. The juxtaposition of rusted man made objects with preserved natural elements also gives the work a musical quality. Syndicas work, exhibited also on the First floor, consisting of sticks cast in iron and bronze, also follows this natural aesthetic but is, in my opinion, less appealing and although certainly difficult to accomplish, less creative. Trebilcock's work, presented in the Main Gallery consists of a series of beautifully painted still lives, vibrant in colour and texture. The few exteriors presented in the body of work appear slightly illustrative and artificial due to an oversaturation of colour which is more suited to the still lives. This detracts slightly from the overall effect. Of particular appeal were the two triptychs, "Australian Selection" and "Oranges and Grapes."

We were very pleased with the results we were provided from Jan at Dowling Holmes. We worked…read moreremotely from Melbourne with our project and the level of communication was outstanding. Our project consisted of a major renovation and extension. We've renovated an existing kitchen bathroom and master bedroom. Our extension consisted of an additional bedroom and ensuite As well as an outdoor entertainment area. As with most building projects that are major there are always minor delays and setbacks but these situations were dealt with professionally and the level of communication was satisfactory. I was not left wondering about the process of the project even though I was some distance away. Well done Dowling homes and keep up the good work.

Thank you to Jimmy at Challenge HiFi . We wanted speakers installed in our house. He was so…read morehelpful. He explained everything so clearly. He installed our Sonus speakers with an amp and a CD player. The sound is incredible and worth every cent if you love your music. Larry and Lina

I bought my first stereo system from Challenge Hi Fi many years ago, it was a Denon for which I…read moreskrimped and saved to purchase. At the time the assistance I recieved from the staff was great as they guided me and gave recommedation plus installed it for me at home. My Denon remained with me for over twenty years before it was taken without my permission, it never missed a beat and is probably still going strong in someones home right now! If ever I were to do such a purchase again I would definitely go to a specialised hi fi centre, as they will know the ins and outs of their systems in detail, instead of scattering bits of info about everything in store from toasters to TVs. Challenge Hi Fi has been in the game for over 40 years and certainly know their stuff, plus with technology for ever changing their specialist team of sales staff have to know and learn the technical side and in turn offer this knowledge to the customer. There is a comprehensive range of audio systems and seven demo areas in which to view, hear and feel various set ups. And more than helpful staff to steer you in the right direction.