Unbeknownst to many is that Gladstone- Annerley Road, the forgettable stretch of road that connects…read moreWest End to Annerley, is in fact home to a few of Brisbane's hot spots. Its Vintage Darling is such a place. Its Vintage Darling is a particularly charming store, but because it's placed on a main road, it often gets missed by car go-ers. It's quite an unassuming place, and there's not many quick and easy parking spots if you do catch a glimpse of it. It's young owner has gone to great lengths to make the décor resemble an era long gone. She is powdered and picture perfect, not a hair out of place. Everything in the store is immaculately presented. You do not frantically rummage through her store, you peruse. While you're browsing, you can also ask for a organic free trade coffee ($3), which will be made in the 'kitschenette'. When you find something you like and you're testing out your new found dream threads, the owner jumps right in there with her own two cents worth. It's like serendipitously finding a new trusted fashionista sister to shop with. Yes, she wants you to buy her wears, but I truly believe she also wants you to walk out with something sensational. What's more is that Its Vintage Darling has become an irregular venue for live music as well. Sometimes a live music 'sale' day will happen, which will make you think all of your christmases have come at once. Bring a fair wad of cash with you. It's not an overly expensive vintage store (some op shops in the area have similar prices but the stock here is much better), but you might want to have more dosh in your pocket because there are just so many pretties in store.

Sip on a fresh, hot latte while browsing racks of dresses and reading vintage magazines (10 tips on…read morebeing a good housewife!)? Sign me up. It's Vintage Darling is one of my fave vintage shops. Not only is the name fun to say (It's vintage, dahling) but the staff are sweet, friendly and make a mean cappuccino. It's Vintage Darling has a lovely tiny retro kitchen and coffee machine, as well as a bit of lounge and outdoor seating so you can get a caffeine hit while browsing the retro-wares. There's usually a good range of 80s and 90s grunge, quite a bit of men's stock and on occasion, a lovely 50s or 60s dress. I got a divine 40s gown from there once, and for under $100, so they are well-priced. But best of all is the bargain bins - there are treasures to be found if you're willing to dig and most are under $10. Check it out!

The Most Amazing Shop. That's a big claim, but this shop is pretty amazing, filled with new and…read morepre-loved gear that just tumbles all over itself and invites you to keep browsing. The yard is filled with every statue and ornament you can imagine, from the garden gnomes to angels and even the grim reaper makes an appearance. Inside, there's lovely timber furniture, bags, clothes, collectable china and glassware, novelty itesm and toys... you name it, it's probably there. When I went, I bought a china doll and some glasses, but a heavy carved bed head and room divider certainly caught my eye. It's almost impossible to describe, you just have to visit and see for yourself.

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

I literally stumbled across Connected Inc. while out on a walk waiting for a car repair to finish…read more A large sign advertised an Op-Shop located in a hive of post WWII warehouse buildings so the location made me curious enough. I made my way past a few of the buildings until I found Connected, which was simple with the number of cars driving past me to park there. Once inside, it appeared to be the usual array of used/vintage clothing, toys, books, costume jewelry, cutlery and more. But the place had a certain mysterious charm unlike others I've been in and the people shopping there seemed to be truly in need of such discounted and used items, unlike many of the "white" privileged masses I see who simply go there on a whim to see how much money they may save on a particular item, if they can find it, when they could certainly afford to pay full price. Connected Inc. is a not-for-profit charity providing practical aid and assistance to people affected by hardship, domestic violence, natural disasters and more. It's motto is "Rebuilding People's Lives" and it seems to be doing a pretty epic job at that. Donations are welcomed. www.connectedinc.org.au

From the owner: Connected Inc is a Not for Profit Charity assisting the Homeless, those affected by Domestic…read moreViolence and Natural Disasters. Our main source of income comes from our OP Shop, where we sell everything from Clothing, Furniture, Manchester, Kitchenware, Jewellery, Books, Toys and much more.

If it weren't for the lack of repetition among the clothes here, or the rather obvious sign out the…read morefront stating the stores purpose, you wouldn't know this was a second-hand clothing shop. I'm not sure I've ever come across a preloved clothing store with modern clothes that are in such good condition. This isn't really a place to go if you're after vintage pieces, most of the stuff here doesn't seem to very old at all actually, boasting about as much vintage credibility as Miley Cyrus. Still, they do quality used clothing very well. I'm getting a bit sceptical about these places that proclaim they sell recycled designer labels. While in some of them you will certainly find a few labels that would usually have the power to make me guilty for touching them with my greasy, can't-afford-it mitts, while others are not so intimidating. It's a pretty big store with a lot of stuff - definitely worth checking out.

The fact that the guy working in this place mistook me for a recent high school graduate, when in…read morereality I am closer to attending my ten year reunion, could have a lot to do with why I loved this store. But I don't think so. I really can't express how positive my experience here was. Everything about this shop is adorable; the design, the vintage clothes, the atmosphere and the locally made jewellery. This is no ordinary secondhand clothing store. Everything has been carefully chosen and only the best items make the cut, so the store is not cluttered, but tastefully arranged with perfect clothes to space ratio. Not only are the clothes here unique thanks to their preloved status, but they are all in excellent condition. While the clothes are lovely, it is not that alone which makes this store what it is. The design compliments the shop perfectly; giving customers the feeling they are exploring a charming boutique. Perhaps my favourite thing about this shop was the locally made jewellery. I love supporting local artists and buying pieces like this not only ensures you do so, but also guarantees that you won't end up looking exactly the same as every girl that shops at mass-produced jewellery stores. Finally, when I visited, not only was the sales assistant extremely friendly, kind and a poor judge of age (to my immense pleasure), he was also ironing. I found this an enchanting touch. How often do you see staff in a shop ironing? It added such a welcoming feel to the store, and also assured me the people here really care about and take pride in their work.

Willow & Fox work under the banner of 'Recycle, Reduce, Reuse'. Even from the outside it's…read moreendearing. They have handwritten protest articles written up on the door about stopping the palm oil industry. HANDWRITTEN! The owners are people who really do care about the state of our world. Their collection is humble, but immaculate. The threads they sell are all secondhand, in perfect condition, and I guess you would say that most of them come under the category of 'hippie clothes'. They've got all sorts of excellent bits and bobs around the place- there's some reused tetra pak bags there for sale, and some beautiful reused wine goblets. My favourite item was the lampshade made from natural fibres. This store is one of it's kind in the Cleveland area. It provides people with an avenue to have all the nice things they want without costing you or the environment too much.

You know how sometimes there's shops you want to visit but you don't dare walk in because you feel…read morelike it is too cool for you? Sunday Social was one of these shops until today. With friends visiting from San Francisco we were exploring Winn Lane and I finally ventured into this small nook known as Sunday Social. Upon walking in I realised it was the exact opposite, there's something for everyone here. Full to the brim with carefully selected vintage clothes and accessories I began searching through the racks with endless pieces catching my attention. I couldn't resist walking out of the store with two tops for $90, which, if you think about your mainstream stores could easily equate to one top that a handful of others will also be wearing. For the same price I've gotten two tops, that I'll be hard pressed to find others wearing. Best of all as an introvert, the sales assistant let us just browse without hovering over our shoulders at every second. Sunday Social feels like discovering a secret world of clothes with great stories. I'm so glad I walked in and know I'll be back to revisit their racks for one of the kinds from this vintage wonderland.

Yay, more vintage! Sunday Social is a really cute little place nestled in the tiny Winn Lane market…read morearea. I had never even heard of the Winn Lane markets until my friend suggested we stop by on one of your shopping trips in the Valley. The lane is lined with drawings on the walls and market stalls, all filled with lovely jewellery pieces and vintage wares. It reminded me a lot of the lanes and alleys you find in Melbourne so I was more than enthused to see what was down there. It's so nice and secluded that you feel a little like Alice going down the rabbit hole. Anyway, enough about the lane itself. Sunday Social is perched at its end like a tidy little cottage. It's a tiny, gorgeous little shop with vintage clothes and pieces, including a very sweet range of shoes. Indie kids would have a field day in Sunday Social, but I also think it has a little something for everyone. Their pieces are just so gorgeous with bags hanging in its middle with accessories dotting the central table. Guys are confined to a rail and a few shoes but girls have their pick. They have clothes from cute peter pan collared dresses through to funky light, fluttery tops. There's also a really random but totally awesome Indian headdress behind the counter the wall too, just for a little bit of flair. I hear this gorgeous little place went from being a market stall along Winn Lane to a now staple store with four walls. It's no wonder, because they have such gorgeous novelty vintage pieces that you'd be crazy to pass by. Sunday Social has no phone number as yet but you can email them! sundaysocialstore@gmail.com

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.