Bargain City in Lutwyche is full of a whole range of cheap and cheerful products. They've got…read moreplenty of stuff from pet needs, homewares, toiletries and confectionary. You would be struggling to find anything over the price of $15, as everything is cheap cheap CHEAP. The quality, is not so bad although cheaply mass produced. I've bought plastic tumblers from here that have survived a whole lot of dropping, but are in great condition still. They've got plenty of wrapping paper for last minute wrapping needs and my favourite, cheap art supplies including canvases! The customer service here is really good. They've always got enough staff to handle the customers and they even have enough time to personally help customers out. Pretty good place for a bargain shop.

Holy dooley. I was lucky enough to discover this treasure trove open on a Sunday. Welcome to…read moreWilston's Lifeline Supa Store. It's a two storey jungle of rare as hen's teeth second hand wares. On the lawn outside of the store, there was a $89 mint condition black leather wheelchair as well as a whole range of bikes, some for little ones, and some for adults. The rooms are decked out like small themed rooms, in a similar fashion to how some antique stores set out their goods for sale. The only difference is that you'll pay less than half the price you'd pay at an antique store. They've got a violin for sale there for $50, imitation Chasseur slow cookers for $59 (which is cheap, let me tell you), old school pentax and polaroid land cameras (enquire about prices) and vintage coffee percolators for $20. They've got loads of your standard op shop finds: a killer book and record collection, toys galore, and troves of crockery and cutlery. It's not a bad place to come looking for some new furniture either. They've got a lot of stuff that looks like it was taken from your grandma's house, but in saying that, there are some great retro finds in there. It's not great for clothes- it's more of a odds and ends, nic nacs kind of place. While you're upstairs take a look at the original, aged and worn wooden trusses that hold up the curved corrugated iron roof. I can assure you, if you dare go in here, you will walk out with something great and unexpected.

If you love op shopping, this is the David Jones of them. They have antiques n kitsch, furniture,…read moretoys, collectibles, books, clothes, shoes, cutlery, crockery, cookware, decor, paintings

It's not every day that you walk into a place where a powder puff store keeper comes up to you and…read moreoffers you a cool beverage. She handed me a drink and said "just have a browse around, and come have a chat with us in the front window". Lisa and her two friends were posed like mannequins wiling away the afternoon in the shop's front window. I was in love. Lisa took charge of the space 10 months ago now, and it looks like business is going swimmingly. She says she's going to celebrate Atomic Martini's first birthday with a prom (keep your ears to the ground). Her clothing racks are plump with high quality vintage and retro beauties. She has some great stuff for the gents as well. A nice added touch is the price tags that site the specifics of each item: era, style, and condition. Her prices are hefty (expect to pay anywhere from $100- $500+) and aimed at, as she states "people with good taste who have some money to spend". Lisa is an enchantress. On the day I met her, she was wearing a 1950's boat necked yellow dress, with matching yellow head scarf and with olive green heels. If you give her an idea of what you're looking for, she'll run off and find garments for you that might interest you. I happened to be looking for 'baking dresses'- dresses I can wear while baking. She ran off and returned with a beautiful 1970's cotton, navy blue, embroidered mu-mu. "Cotton, light, breezy, won't get in the way of your baking- I spend all summer in these, I do. I really do." I was impressed by such a practical suggestion to my abstract question. Come here to enjoy browsing through the clothes, accessories and Lisa's genuinely easy, laid back hospitality. What a way to spend an idyll Saturday afternoon- in a retro store in the 'burbs with a couple of new found, and very well dressed friends. Delight.

You wont find better Vintage in Brisbane anywhere! Lisa is…read morethere to guide you into whatever era you like, with knowledge of what styles will suit, and fit you. A great range at reasonable prices with special sales every now and then (so make sure to follow Atomic Martini on facebook) conveniently located right near the antique centre at Clayfield so you can go drool at antiques you can never afford, then pop into Atomic Martini to not only drool, but buy some amazing vintage clothing

The Reading Newmarket Shopping Centre is a curious place. It has this funny blend of class, health,…read moreand yet still retains that slightly bogan feel that shopping complexes seem to have. The thing I like about the Newmarkets shopping centre is its design. Rather than making your way through the bland indoor shopping centres, this one is all mainly on the outside, nice, breezy and open. The complex is clean and has a good open parking area on the ground floor as well as covered parking underneath the complex. The shops have been worked in well to blend with the Newmarket Hotel, which houses a Grill'd underneath. There are a selection of food shops to eat at including two bakeries, a sushi shop, Indian, pizza and more. The trendy Vinnies Cafe and Deli is always a buzz with people and Divine Flowers adds a little bit of class to the centre. There is a Commonwealth Bank, newsagent, hairdresser and beauty salon on the ground floor as well as the Coles Supermarket. You could easily be forgiven to think that the shops are only on the ground floor but when you look up you can see a range of health related businesses such as Life Tec, and physios. The Reading Newmarket Shopping Complex is great for locals but does not offer enough to warrant a special trip there.

Reading Newmarket is the result of years and years of promises, hopes, disappointments, and,…read morewithout a doubt, quite a bit of blood, sweat, and tears. Once a giant carpark, it now seeks to be the face of the New Newmarket: trendy, on the pulse, something for everyone. And it... kind of succeeds. The greatest problem I have with these sorts of shopping centres is how they start out with such grand ambitions and then quickly realise that most people just want run-of-the-mill takeaway (by those being the only stores that survive). After a couple of years, though, it seems to have finally settled (though goodness knows someone needs to tell prospective owners that the dress shop place is cursed for dress shops). The highlights here are: Vinnies (which I've reviewed elsewhere); and the florist (which is extremely expensive, but also stunning). The Coles is your average Coles (but until it was here, one had to abysmal one in Ashgrove, or even further to The Gap or Toowong), and there's also a Grill'd, Subway, Indian takeaway, Red Box Noodle bar, Baker's Delight and a sushi takeaway (all of which are as good as one would expect). Upstairs are several medical places: a dentist, QML, and a mobility services centre (which is now accessible from a lift in the lower carpark). Finally, there's a post office, a discount bookstore, a... glasses shop (?), a newsagents (the second, which appeared about 6 months after the first went out of business), and there's always some new dress shop that has popped up to replace the last one that went out of business. It is a bit of a shame that there couldn't be more... life in the complex: some new exciting restaurants, or innovative book/music/video stores. There did used to be a Mango House homewares store here, which was absolutely fantastic, but unfortunately that closed. Hopefully, though, the area will continue to grow, and perhaps we will see greater things from it in future (and please don't let the florist or Vinnies go!)

Ah Bargain City. It'd have to be one of my favourite shit shops. They got me in with $7 2kg packs…read moreof Radiant (I love that smell) and kept me with discount party goods, craft supplies and pet stuff. I HATE throwing a party and spending a fortune on dinky plastic plates and tiny cups. It's all half the price here (at least) and for $2.50 you get 20 giant cups which won't annoy any of your guests. I also don't see why I should have to spend big bucks on wood glue or other random crafty stuff (looking at you Spotlight, you make it cheaper to buy it already made) so I'm always pretty happy when I need to duck in here. Yes it's a shit shop, so yes there's plenty of shit to wade through (knee high concrete lawn ornaments anyone?) but if you're a student furnishing your house or just a cheap skate like me there's plenty of bargains to be found.

Oohlala, oui tres bien! My French may be awful, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the…read morecharming quality of The French Corner. The shop boasts an air of cluttered decadence; everything is kind of mashed into one place but it only adds to The French Corner's magic. They have some singularly gorgeous pieces, including a thickset white bedframe and the most amazing 20th century vanity and mirror I have ever seen. They also have an array of dazzling jewellery and accessories littering the side cabinets. Wading through the organised chaos is half the fun, because it allows you stumble across some hidden treasures. Just make sure you don't bump anything. I find that walking into The French Corner transforms you into a glutton; you can't just stop at one item. Once you pick up one thing you see a million others and can't bear to leave them behind. And yes, some of their pieces are rather expensive, but they also have a range of fairly priced items - most of them unique items that you'd be hard-pushed to find elsewhere. You can distinguish the shop easily from its trademark sign and if that fails, its beautiful vintage luggage and dressmaker mannequins lining the shopfront will give it away. It's an excellent place for gift ideas and for bits and bobs to add a stylish and quaintly furnished touch to any décor. If you're in the area and have some spare time, I definitely recommend popping in for a look and getting lost in another world.

Driving along Enoggera Rd, The French Corner entices you to stop and have a look. You know it is…read moreopen when the entire outside is lined with unique furniture, classy mirrors, old clocks and all sorts of other glorious decorations. You can tell that it gets a lot of customers from the road as cars pull up out front just for a quick browse. It is the kind of store that is way out of my price range (most of my furniture is second hand and falling apart) but is filled with the stuff I dream of having. There was an old clock outside that I would die to have but the $260 price tag was enough to stop me from impulse buying it. Walk inside and there are three rooms packed with everything from a dining table to a small model vespa. If you are like me and never know what to get someone for their wedding, or birthday than this is the perfect place. Everything is that little bit fancy and very very French. There is barely enough room to walk and if the place has more than a few people in it you end up doing those awkward dances to get around each other. But it is well worth it just to look at all the decadent decorations they have on offer.

Stafford City Shopping centre is pretty good for what it is. It's a simple place of commerce and…read moreretail for many families in the inner north of Brisbane. Its two biggest retailers are Woolworths and a Big W. Soon there will be an Aldi opening. So for basic home staples from fridge to wardrobe most families can find what they need. There are a number of cheap home ware stores like Bargain City and an independent fruit store and butcher. For fashion, there are a few stores but none of the high-end retailers you might find at the larger shopping centres. There is a food court with a range of quick bites and a cinema showing all the latest movies. If you're looking for a dining experience Stafford has a Fasta Pasta and a little pub venture called The Beach House. Sometimes there are the Stafford City Flea Markets held on a Sunday.

This little shopping centre is pretty vintage - by which I mean it often feels like it's straight…read moreout of the 80's. It's got a few coffee shops, a great stretch of fruit shop / bakery / butcher, a couple of jewellers, some fairly 'nanna' fashion shops and a Woolworths / Big W combo. There is also a food court up near the cinemas, hairdressers, Australia Post - standard shopping centre fare. What I like most about it is the convenience factor. Aside from the lack of an ANZ bank in the area (there is an ATM) it has everything I need in a fairly compact layout. Parking is usually pretty easy, and I don't have to walk past 4 km of chain stores to get to the post office.

Cinderella's Closet is one of Brisbane's few and far between second hand designer stores. It…read moredoesn't really house any huge names in fashion, but it does have some seriously nice threads from locally and nationally known brands. Hello Maiocchi, Kerrie Craig and Cooper Street. You wouldn't guess that Cinderella's Closet was a second hand store unless they advertised it. The store is prim and proper, everything in it's right place. The displays of accessories are simply charming, darling. The clothes are well categorised and the store is easy to browse through. If you'd like help looking for a particular item, ask the staff, or as they like to refer to themselves- 'fashion consultants'. They'll find you the right shoes for that dress, and the perfect accessories to wear with that bag, sweetie puff. They have clothes for all seasons here. Shoes, accessories and jewellery are all taken care of too. The clothes seem fairly priced- most of the items I picked up were around the $60 mark. A Maiocchi dress for $55? Snap. You won't pay less for such good quality. This is a great place to come if you're looking for something special but don't have the big bucks to go spending in town at the real stores. Cindarella's Closet has quite the collection and I'm sure you'd find something to your liking. You'll probably have a ball being fussed over too. It's all part of the service, peach.

I visited the museum and jewelry store when they were in a strip mall at the edge of brisbane…read more They had lots of information and lovely stuff at reasonable prices. Also awesome stuff for the richer shopper. My daughter was at a conference in the center of the city and I told her to taxi over on her lunch hour and pick her Christmas present. Sadly I have not been back sincfavor. Mo Ed into a larger space for the museum but I have made several online orders (from California usa). The business is very reliable. The size and the quality is as expected and small packages arrive very fast from eastern australia.. Get on his mailing list. There are sales several times a year which are quite good value. Shipping to the states you don't pay the sales tax and the exchange rate has been in our favor

This establishment showcases beautiful pieces of all sorts of opals! The knowledgeable and…read moreenthusiastic staff were quick to help and show us around their museum. I was able to learn new things, and I thought I knew a lot already. Customer service truly is number one here! Being able to visit an Opal museum/shop in Australia has been a huge dream of mine since I was just a little girl 'ooo-ing' and 'ahh-ing' over these fiery treasures. My dream couldn't have come to fruition at a better location.

Holy cow, this little shop is stuck in the middle of the Homezone Windsor Shopping Centre. On…read morefirst impressions... I can't help but ask myself, how in the world did they manage to fit all of that inside that small little boutiqe of a shop. Don't get me wrong, it isn't stocked in a messy manner, it is all stacked neatly... but my main complaint, is that I find places like these hard to navigate around, things are put in with other things, so if you're looking for that certain something, you really need to dedicate some time to find it. Maybe it's done on purpose? Anyway, getting over the crowding, I like this place. It's one of the only places that sell kind of fancy maternity wear, that doesn't actually look like daggy maternity wear! It's what most mother's want out there, if it wasn't bad enough being bloated and fat with food cravings 24/7, it's being able to dress like something that doesn't resemble a whale going to the shops. You'll find bedding here, you'll find boys and girls clothing up to age 14 here... it's got some brands you won't find anywhere else like Big, Mini Haha, Fox and Finch, Ouch... very cool and trendy brands. Definetely worth a check out.