Life Goods is one of those stores that should be on every corner. It is a "general" store that just…read moreseems to stock everything that one would need for life! What I like, is that provide across a number of household needs; home-wares like Japan Home Centre, stationery like the mom and pop shops, hardware like the guys on Wellington Street. It seems that if you need anything, you can get it here. It is moderately cramped in the store, I suppose the stock has to go somewhere, so if you have shopping bags or a ruck sack, be careful! There are two floors, with mainly stationery, kitchen-ware, and hard ware downstairs, and bigger home-wares upstairs, like ironing boards and plastic boxes. Some of the store highlights include; photo albums, plastic boxes, paint pens, plastic spiral key chains, lots of carabiners, toys, and decorations, and a few items that I would not have expected, including; gas torches and soldering kit for plumbing, and thick transparent plastic sheeting, like stuff they drop down the sides of the junk boats to stop the splashes coming in. The staff are very friendly, if not a bit difficult to spot as they don't wear any uniform, and will help you to get out stock, or cut rolls of linoleum. The prices are very very reasonable, basically cheap as chips, so fill your boots! The store is also very close to Tin Hau station, so only a short walk if you are carrying a plastic box full of stuff!

Who would have thought that there would be any need for a gardening centre in HK? I mean, who on…read moreearth has enough garden to require an entire centre with which to cater to it? Ahhhh, yes the bling ring on ex-pat contracts - lucky! If you ever do need to do any gardening, then the Garden Gallery is a great place to come. What it does above the outdoor furniture shops and other specialist gardening shops (like Jervis Bay BBQ), is that it has most things under one roof, and sells many more of the small accessory items, rather than just the big ticket furniture pieces. For example, you can get BBQs and garden furniture, but also K'Archer power washers, lawn sprinklers, plant food, furniture covers, table cloths, sheds, storage units, swimming pool tiles. It really has a very extensive and diverse range of products, but doesn't seem to sell plants and/or plant pots! The prices are pretty competitive in comparison to the other shop in Horizon Plaza, but this may be to do with their pile em high sell em cheap approach. This is definitely a shop and not a showroom! The staff are a little bit absent, but I can imagine they get pretty busy with few of them. It's the sort of place you should really know what you want before coming. There are three products I particularly from Garden Gallery, that I have not seen in many (or any) places in HK. Wall planters; these are teak plant pots which click into a shelving unit to make a straight or curved partition wall. Made in Thailand by a company called Deesawat, these are definitely worth checking out. K'Archer pressure washers; for car or garden, every man needs a pressure washer - go on, feel the power! Pond accessories; from giant plastic waterfall scenes to pumps and linings, Garden Gallery stock a lot of pond building materials. Garden Gallery is right their on my list of greatest hits in HK. I don't know any other gardening centres in the area, and this store has so many bases covered, so that when I do start to grow my own herbs on the terrace, I'll be coming here first.

Great range of items IF you want exactly what they have e.g. we wanted 9m of garden hose, had to…read morebuy 50m. Who needs 50m in Hong Kong? We wanted a connection tap to hose - they didn't have the simple connector and would only provide a fancy connector at 4 times the price. NO CUSTOMER SERVICE, no empathy for the customer. We will not go back. They don't care.

From the owner: Profoundly influenced by his love of antiques, his father's military background, and an inherent…read moreaffection for British heritage, Tim created an authentic, visionary brand with the deepest integrity and a passion to deliver the extraordinary. Handcrafted with only the best traditional techniques and fabrications, each Timothy Oulton piece is inspired by the past, but reconceived from a modern perspective, producing uniquely authentic collections which push the boundaries of furniture design.

You may be wondering who on earth needs to buy carpet in HK, but if you have ever lived through a…read moreheater-less winter, in an apartment with tiled floors, you will probably realise that I'm talking about you. K&L Wallpaper Carpet may just be the solution that you've been looking for. As it says on the tin, it supplies carpets. Now, it's unlikely that you will need to wall-to-wall carpet your entire rental flat, nor should you waste the money on it for two months of cold(ish) winter. However, and this is my Hong Konger inside trick, you can buy offcuts of carpets from K & L Wallpaper Carpet, at a fraction of the price that they sell in IKEA, the cheapest of cheap shops. The carpet offcuts come in a variety of random sizes, I have seen everything from 12' x 12' down to 3' x 2', they are hemmed all the way around so that the tufts will not shed when you get home, they tend to be single coloured (which is great if you're not a big fan of these heavenly pattern rugs you get elsewhere in Hong Kong), and again, they are very cheap. I have a whole bunch of these offcuts that I wheel out every November to keep my feet warm. They even match my decor at home! Of course, there are many carpets stores that offer the same "treated" offcuts, however I particularly like this one in Wan Chai because of the strangely grumpy owner. He is as straight as an arrow, will let you know what is in stock, and if there is anything else due to come in which may suit, and he will do this with no smile and no pleasantries. It is strangely refreshing. However, he will offer some discount, usually rounding down rather than anything concrete. With regard to the other offerings of wallpapers, to be fair I'm not a big fan because they are very kitschy. However, if you want your bedroom to look like inside of the Laura Ashley catalogue from 1982, please do have a browse and see what suits.

A great shop to buy souvenirs or gifts as everything here is Hong Kong or Chinese inspired! It's…read morea place where they sell hip-modern items. I especially like their t-shirts that they sell... These t-shirts are like "touristy shirts" but a better quality, hip and fashion forward. Priced at $280 so it's an expensive "touristy t-shirt" but you'd feel cool wearing it. Lol They also have throw pillows, some furniture, mugs, everyday items but with an Asian-Hong kong twist. Love it? Get it!

GOD, I loveeeeeeeee this branch!!!…read more I love going to this branch of the shop. I am a frequent visitor of Stanley. I take all my out of town guests there, aside from that, I do a lot of hiking, twin peaks is my favourite trail and we never forget to have lunch there afterwards. Okay, I feel bad for saying this, but I always go into GOD after a long gruesome hike to steal their air con. They are always blasting it in there, no joke. That is normally the first place I walk into after the hike. While cooling down in there, I do a lot of window shopping and (occasionally) make a few purchases. The reason why I like this branch of GOD over the others, is because this one is very big, it's all on one floor, and it's got a really nice decor. The entrance uses the old apartments, it's great for photos. My visitors love it here as well because it sells a lot of modern yet traditional Hong Kong goods. I love the kitchen section here, it's bigger than the other GOD shops I've been to. I love cooking, so I am always fascinated by the new toys they have to help with cooking. It's almost like a kitchen store inside GOD. The decor inside is really nice. The last time I was there, right in front of the cashier, they had a big outdoor furniture display, with a massive weaved umbrella top and ultra comfy-looking sofa seats.... boy, what I would give to own one of those. The stock they have never ceases to amaze me. I am dying to go back next to buy this really cool water bottle with a built-in lemon/orange squeezer. I'll be back soon!