Have you heard the expression, "match made in heaven"?…read more On my last rendezvous in Fortitude Valley, quickly become Brisbane's Mecca for exceptional coffee. I was taken back by the smooth taste of flat white order that may have come about by accident. I asked for an almond flat white, since I wasn't too excited about the soy milk on-hand. Now, I am putting my reputation as a coffee snob and caffeine addict on the line with this next comment...but! " I believe with all my heart that Black Star (Rev - Espresso) Coffee and almond milk hand crafted by the lovely young lady barista at Foundry Records, is the bomb, hands down the best in Brisbane".

From the owner: Foundry Records and Cafe are Brisbane's local dealers in caffeine and vinyl (records not the old…read morefloors from Auntie Tracey's kitchen). We think there is nothing greater in this world then losing yourself in the immersion of your favourite record. To take this to the next level, do this while you slowly sip on some of the best coffee in the world. We love music and all things music, but there isn't enough time in the day for all of it. So, we have become avid lovers of the magic powers of the little brown bean that delivers the finer things in life.

Gametraders is one of my favourite stores at Chermside, as they often get in retro video game…read moreconsoles such as the Nintendo 64, the Gamecube, the PlayStation 2 and the original Xbox. They also have a large selection of video games for older consoles. You should definitely avoid Gametraders if you have an addiction for Pop! Vinyl Figures, as they sell hundreds of them, in addition to merchandise for franchises including Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Doctor Who and Star Wars. They also have a large selection of board games and card games, many of which you would not find at most toy and department stores. Gametraders also sells comic books, anime DVDs / Blu-ray's, a small selection of clothing and various video game / TV show props, which would be perfect for cosplay. You will often be able to find items that Gametraders are selling for less online, though they offer convenience and a unique retail experience, which EB Games is finally catching on to, with the launch of their new Zing Pop Culture stores.

Video games are expensive - and don't really have anything to do with videos anymore now I think…read moreabout it. Gamestraders has a very clever model based around letting you trade in your old games to help offset of that brand new $100 game YOU HAVE TO HAVE RIGHT NOW. Other game stores do this too, but Gamestraders seems to be a bit more generous with their refund. Don't get me wrong, they then turn around and sell your traded in game for heaps more than they paid you, and it's pure profit (they only have to pay the manufacturer for new games so selling second hand games is heaps more lucrative than selling new). There's a decent range, and parents and partners can feel slightly better about watching their loved one trade in that game that cost a fortune just a week ago (trust me, you never really go back and play a game once you've finished it).

As you walk up a certain flight of stairs on Adelaide St,…read moreThe sounds of the grumbling city slowly fade off until all you can hear is the beginning riffs of jefferson airplane. You have entered the musty dusty and glorious Record Exchange. I have bought the majority of my records here, as well as finding other odds and ends to lust over (Engelbert Humperdinck discography. ONE DAY YOU WILL BE MINE.) They have everything here. Music Books, Magazines, Figurines , Clothes ,Doc Martins, Record players, VHS, CD's, Cassettes and memorabilia. This place is refreshingly free from music snobbery and feels more like your uncles haphazard attic. Record Exchange will provide hours of entertainment and with actual reasonably priced stock, prepare for a sizable dent in that wallet.

Ah, Record Exchange. My true high school love. How I used to run to you when double maths got too…read morereal and I saw no other option except to flee from school to the city. I'm happy to report that 10 years on, Record Exchange is still the same. The clutter, the chaos, the musky smell, the random oddities- they're all still there, fermenting into some nostalgic musical brine. They've got a second hand clothing collection that is akin to a flea market. You'll find genuine article 80's acid wash jeans, leather vests, doc martens and all of that other old school die hard muso business there. They've still got some VHS lying around along with turntables and arcade machines (all of which may or may not work). The music collection is off tap. The records are priced anywhere from $2 and upward. It depends on how rare, and what condition the vinyl is in. In the collector's section, I did find a $36.99 double record Face Off Soundtrack. Holy bejesus! As a side note, Record Exchange also buy whole collections from people. Looking to get rid of your outdated, dorky music collection? Give it to these guys! I have spent hours on end trawling through the goods at Record Exchange. If you haven't done it, I recommend you do, and even if you were there yesterday, do it again today. Different day, different treasure.

Full of hidden gems and for the older people like me full of memories of my childhood. The liquor…read morecabinet I bought now has pride of place at my home.

From the owner: Best in Brisbane for Vintage Retro Vinyl Records and Collectiblesread more

Walking into this place, is like stepping back in time to Cuba in the 50's the decor and setup is…read moreamazing, Saturday nights they have DJ spinning vinyl records, pumping out Latino music, there's plenty of to dance if you wish. The cocktails amazing, the service was good as well, prices are what you would expect. I will be definitely coming back. If you stay long enough, you almost forget we live in Brisbane.

As the name implies, ZiNG Pop Culture specialises in selling various pop culture related items. The…read morechain of stores is owned by EB Games, with the Indooroopilly store being just over a year old. I mainly visit the store to view their large range of Pop Vinyl Figures (they are a big thing right now, with hundreds of figures being available for various TV shows, movies, and games). In addition to Pop Vinyl Figures they also sell various plush toys, clothes and accessories, posters, board games, action figures, collectables, and other various geeky items. They are reasonably priced for the most part, though you might find that some items are available for less online. I quite like how the store has areas that are sorted by franchise (e.g. Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead etc). The store is located near Dymocks on Level 3 of the Indooroopilly Shopping Centre.

I remember being a fresh-faced university student prowling through Rocking Horse Records, looking…read morefor CDs, records, posters, strangers eyes, discussing with likeminded friends about how we knew, "the music would save us". After four years of university and life I don't know if I would rummage through Rocking Horse Records with the same optimism that I once did. Rocking Horse Records offers an extensive range of CDs, DVDs and EPs old and new. The establishment itself seems to permeate a sort of grungy vibe, however now days the service staff seem to dress more hipster, as opposed to diehard, melancholic Nirvana fans from the late 90s. It's nice to see a music store with such a vast range outside of those larger outlets that dominate that CBD. All the products are categorized accordingly; it's just up to you to know if you're "into" 'alternative folk dubstep' or 'new-age punk metal' (categories may not be as specific as the latter). It's no mystery that the electronic innovations in music have hit the music industry hard, especially in terms of unique stores like Rocking Horse Records. There are of course attempts to reestablish their necessity in the market, such as being a place to purchase tickets for concerts and festivals. In addition, has anyone noticed how vinyl has made a real comeback? Even I have developed a real romantic inclination towards listening to my favorite music on an EP. I don't know if it's real or just manufactured in my head, but it does seem to add a certain quality to the sound that seems to hit me harder; perhaps it's just because we're sick of our music existing solely in our phones and on our computers? I couldn't help but wish that Rocking Horse Records would have a more extensive range of EPs, however I can understand how it may prove to be unprofitable to stock a wide range of music on record, when only a handful of people would come looking for. This being said, shouldn't they be establishing themselves as a business that offers us something we can't get online? Maybe if they got on board with this "hipster" trend and sold more EPs and record players we'd leave the safety of our computers and flock there on mass. After all, they are called Rocking Horse 'Records'. At the end of the day Rocking Horse Records is a great venue to have a browse and remember what it was like before we all had IPods. The unfortunate truth is I tend to go there to browse and buy my music online instead. This being said, those of you who prefer to have hard copies of music or have developed an ethereal connection to the sound of vinyl, Rocking Horse Records is the place for you.

Still the original and the best music store in Brisbane. You only had to see the outcry and the way…read morethe community pulled together earlier this year to save Rocking Horse from folding to understand the special place this record store holds in Brisbane's heart and history. Impressive that after so long in the business Rocking Horse manages to stay at the forefront of what's happening in music, especially indie music, and provide its customers with the rarest, coolest, and hardest-to-find records, CDs, t-shirts, memorabilia, and DVDs. Rocking Horse also sells tickets so if you are after a ticket to a music festival, band, or solo show chances are you can grab them at Rocking Horse. Sometimes I just go in to their ticket desk to see what's coming up. This is also a great idea if you want to buy someone tickets to something, but aren't sure what's on or what they'd like. Rock on, Rocking Horse!

Butter Beats has it going on. If the buttery store sign isn't enough to entice you inside, then the…read morerows and rows of records and music will. Welcome to a music library where the records are plenty and hard-to-find music is actually not so hard to find. Thanks goodness! This place is a music lover's ultimate dream with a collection you can get lost in and pore over for hours upon end. It's obvious that this place lives and breathes an intense love for music, and you'll find anything you desire from 80s rock to modern pop and hip hop. No holds barred! They're hidden away on an upper level in Broadway on the Mall, so make the trip up and grace yourself with a new lover in the form of endless music choices.

I'm no DJ, in fact I don't even own a record player, but there's something so good about flicking…read moreyour fingers through a stack of old records. Butter Beats is a place where you can certainly do this. My most recent visit was for nothing in particular, but it was just nice to wander through the small store and reminisce about Dad's record collection and some of the weird stuff we used to listen to. The walls of the shop are stocked floor to ceiling with spray paint cans in every colour imaginable. I'm not sure what the connection is between music and spray paint. Anarchy? Art? I don't know, but it's effective nonetheless. If you're looking for a hard to find vinyl, in need of a new band T-shirt or just keen for chat about great music with one of the knowledgeable (yet very cool and intimidating looking) staff, then head into Butter Beats next time you're in the city.