It's bit hard to image these little book stores in Causeway Bay have been surviving for more than…read more15 years already. Believe it or not, Causeway Bay, despite being a shopping area, probably got the most book store brands together, among all districts in HK. Big names like Commercial Press, PageOne, and the latest addition to the team, Eslite. Smaller stores like Luck Win seems to have its edge to stay relevant. Indeed, it is almost ALWAYS cheaper to buy books at Luck Win. And since the space is very limited, they are really good at getting the right selection of books to sell. In the age of Kindle and tablets, I still find myself very tempted to buy books whenever I'm here. So here it is. Mind you all these smaller book stores can be highly specific on the topics of books they have. Luck Win is more a generic one, but still, you will probably find more Chinese books here (and Traditional Chinese-translated version of English books). But that's probably why they have their perks - especially when Chinese e-books are not as popular (not available on Amazon) as English's.

I can't decide what I like better, gadget stores or true stationary stores like this one. We have…read morenothing like this in Toronto. We have staples but nothing special or unique about the inventory. This place is small but has a huge selection, everything you could imagine and amazing prices. I shop here every time I come to Hong Kong and take home a fresh supply of unique office and home management supplies. Does this make me a boring person?

A Disney store at airport! That's the best way to spend time and money waiting to board your…read moreflight. There's a section just for Duffy & Friends. And a section for HKDL exclusive merch.

Any Disney store is a good store but this one is on the smaller side and not nearly as well stocked…read moreas some other ones. It was quite busy when I went which meant having to squeeze by other shoppers sometimes.

If you're trying to find Abercrombie and Fitch, the spot for overpriced basics and home of denim…read moreshorts and supersoft sweatshirts, follow the suffocating perfume smell and once it is so dark that you hardly see and the music is really loud, you're there. Most of their clothes have bad cuts and too big prints, some pieces are fresh and groovy though. Sizes are unreliable and lines at the changeroom entrance get long. You must go there though since it's the only place where you can see the clothes you consider buying and an Abercrombie&Fitch "small" can be anything from huge to xxsmall. Unlike GAP they hardly ever got sales. Please pity and humour the sometimes overfriendly and sometimes grumpy staff who has to be in the perfume smell invested dark labyrinthine store all day long. And once in a while you can still be lucky and find one of the supersoft high quality T-Shirts, hoodies or sweatpants, they became loved and famous for in the States before they changed their image and became known as a trend store.

Saturday. 50% off…read more SHEER INSANITY. Great deals. I never miss the opportunity of taking the Star Ferry over to Hong Kong side and descending on Hennessy Road, when visiting Hong Kong. Pro-tip: this is primarily an area for shopping, not many exciting eats around. Eat before you embark on your retail therapy.

There are many floors in Sogo, however the layout on each floor just confusing for us…read more Not the greatest department store. My sis bought skincare items and the merchandise did not come with a carrier. I get it that we need to protect the environment and use less paper, etc etc.. But this a bit much. My sis has to put her purchase and stuffed it in her designer leather bag. The only thing I like is the grocery store in basement two. So many things to buy and many interesting food items to check out. And yep, we stuffed our groceries in our designer bags too :( Extremely crowded on weekdays evenings and all day on weekends.

As an ABC I really appreciate this store as they modernize and update traditional Chinese style…read more clothes and "hipsterize" traditional Chinese prints/items. For those that are familiar with HK pop culture they generally have some hidden gems. I try to get something from here anytime I'm in HK. They have a store at HKG also for those that are just doing a layover.

My husband read about this place while searching for locally manufactured gifts to bring home after…read moreour trip to Hong Kong. The store is beautiful and offers a wide array of different items, from clothing to arts and crafts and jewelry. Everything is made in Hong Kong and we loved the idea of buying something that is not mass-produced. I got some hair tube wraps, a t-shirt and some jewelry: prices are on the expensive end but I got very quality, unique items that I did not see anywhere else during my stay so all in all, it was a good trade.

This houseware shop is so cute and very reasonably priced. They have a unique selection of home…read moredecor and small items. This is a shop that I really enjoyed browsing. It's a great place to get a souvenir or purchase a gift. They have some interesting novelty items. I purchased a scented oil diffuser, a fake floral decor, and a wallet. They had a special promotion and gave me a free rice paddle with a rabbit handle.

THIS PLACE IS TOO CUTE IT IS A PROBLEM. Full of things you want but don't need. Prices are....well,…read morethey're Hong Kong. Soft towels with random prints, DIY plant kits you know are never going to work, fancy eye masks, plenty of kitschy things to get your SIL or MIL or when you just need to treat yo self. Worth a walk through just to see the sale section. Just in cases.

CD warehouse is a legacy from the old days when people still bought CDs. As opposed to HMV where…read morethey seem have diversified and aimed at higher end consumers, CD warehouse seems to have positioned itself as the neighborhood CD shop that you would find everywhere in the old days. As much as they have tried to spice up their image in terms of better lighting and refurbishments of their stores, they still can't shake away the image of something that's from an era passed. Although the focus these days has shifted from CDs to DVDs and collectible items for the enthusiast, you are still hard pushed to think: is anyone actually still buying anything from these shops? From personal experience, this is further exacerbated by the fact that they don't categorize their CDs properly and I never seem to be able to find what I want from the shop unless I'm looking for something fresh off the shelf. Not that I'm questioning why this shop is still here, in fact I would very much love to preserve these shops because they are relics and we really still need them around. Many people still appreciate to have a CD in hand and to be really geeky and read through the infolds. I would buy myself a CD just to keep it for later years when people will probably have no idea what CDs are. So, CD warehouse, please keep going even though you might not be the best in the world- because you are the last of your kind and we need you!

Shopping arcades in Hong Kong have become more and more identical nowadays. Sad but true, isn't it?…read moreSmall-scale stores have gradually been replaced by brands. Even chain bookstores find it hard to keep their place. The New Town Plaza in Shatin is no exception. Apart from hordes of people, all I can find in the plaza are just luxury or brand-named items. It was frustrating sometimes, but I'm sure you can find your little place, if not heaven, there. Mine is on the 7/F - CD Warehouse. I regarded it as my secret paradise (but now it's not secret at all) when I was Secondary 2 - the time I became a huge fan of Taylor Swift. Every time when I was in the plaza, going to the 7/F was a must. Strolling around the store was just amazing. Music is always a place to relax. As a music lover, I loved to buy CDs even though the songs are actually available online, perhaps in an illegal way... Having something tangible would make everything more concrete. At home I enjoyed putting the CD on the player and then standing next to it to soak myself in music. Yet, tortured by schoolwork and exams, I rarely listened to music as my CDs were just isolated. I started to take up the habit again after the public exams. Now, the range of music to which I listen is more diverse. I love different kinds of music instead of just a particular singer's. What's more, now with applications like Spotify, my craving for buying an album is not as strong as before. So, I didn't buy a new CD in these two years. Since I was admitted to university, it didn't visit CD Warehouse as frequently as in the past. I finally have the chance to spend some time there today. There are three sets of iPads and headphones for us try listening to some newly-released or popular albums. The songs provided in the three iPads aren't the same. The one on the far right was more about Asian songs. Sometimes you may need to wait for a while when somebody is using the set. When I was skimming through the international albums today, I heard a newly-released song and started to enjoy it. Then out of curiosity, I asked a shop assistant what album they were playing. And she replied "Jason Mraz's" and directed me to the shelf. I smiled, as Jason's actually one of my favourite singers! Okay, I should save up and consider buying it... and maybe listen to them on Spotify for a few days first... The CDs offered in the store is rather mainstream. That means you can't find the albums of Hunter Hayes, or other foreign rising stars. But I hope they'll be there some day!