Shopping in Pacific
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Empire Vintage
Lyn Gardener’s style is evident in every last piece of stock in this bounteous space. Vintage dresses, aprons, bedspreads, fabrics and jewellery share the shelves with some wonderfully strange industrial paraphernalia. All pieces are sourced from far and wide or lovingly handcrafted from beautiful materials.
reviewed
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Zomp
At sale time or on a Saturday afternoon there’s a thinly veiled air of hysteria in here; shoes can do it to the best of us. The range is the main draw: you can get anything from a pair of superb Italian boots that will cost most of a week’s wage to a pair of knock-off ballet flats or flip-flops for well under $100.
reviewed
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Dot Herbey
Grandma Dot and Grandpa Herb smile down upon this tiny corner boutique from a mural-sized photo, right at home among the vintage floral fabrics and retro style.
reviewed
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Fragile
The cutest in pampering kidswear can be found at this darling shop, which stocks a brilliant array of designer duds like Oilily and Petit Bateau. For mums, there's a good selection of Paul Smith and Diesel maternitywear, along with some spiffy papooses. Find it by the parked prams and coddled babies out the front.
reviewed
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Evelyn Miles
Ensconced in the ground floor of the luxurious Stamford Plaza Hotel is this high-end retailer of footwear for women. It's here that credit cards and chiropodists' nightmares merge into one stiletto-heeled fantasy. Join Naomi Watts and Sarah Murdoch as owners of these stylish, colourful and attention-getting shoes.
reviewed
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Tuchuzy
Tuchuzy stocks an edgy collection of local and imported labels for male and female rockers, including Karen Walker, Lonely Hearts Club and Marsu Homme. Flashy accessories and vintage stuff, too. If you’ve been wondering where you’ll find your baby’s first Che Guevara T-shirt, look no further.
reviewed
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Paspaley Pearls
Paspaley started Australia's first cultured-pearl farm 420km north of Broome at Kuri Bay in the 1950s.
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Aquadisiac
We doubt you’ll be able to smuggle a butterfly pantodon, a long-nose whiptail or an axolotl back from whence you came, but this fish-fanatical shop is the perfect demonstration of a kooky obsession finding prominence in a big city. These guys have turned something not very cool into something almost hip.
reviewed
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Yalaka village
Yalaka village sells striking lime pots that are small and easy to carry. These gourds are decorated with a distinctive black pattern that runs around the girth of the gourd and fitted with a boar's tusk stopper. Most pots are costed depending on size and quality, and a must for the discerning betel nut chewer.
reviewed
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Claude Maus
Subtly gothic, darkly urban local label by lapsed artist Rob Maniscalco. You’ll find great jeans and lovely leather for men and women in a heritage-listed shop with soaring pressed-metal ceilings and the textured remains of ’70s leopard-print wallpaper. The pieces have a cross-seasonal appeal too.
reviewed
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Lee Hardcastle Antiques
Queen St, Woollahra is famous for its antique shops. Bordering on bizarre, this one is more like a natural-history museum than an antique dealers. Eighteenth- and early-19th-century taxidermy (zebras, warthogs, black bears and deer) jostles for position with whale ribs, grandfather clocks and walnut wardrobes.
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Tongue & Groove
The store has an interesting mix of classic midcentury furniture, much of it Australian, as well as contemporary Scandinavian homewares from Flensted mobiles to Höganäs ceramic tea sets. The owners know their stuff and are hands-on – the smell of woodworking permeates from the workshop beyond.
reviewed
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Bike Shed
Bike Shed hires out mountain bikes from $35 per day, including helmet and lock. Ask them for updates on the Mountain to Sea Ohakune-to-Whanganui bike track, which has been ascribed ‘Quick Start’ status as part of the proposed New Zealand Cycle Trail project.
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Sass & Bide
Brisbane’s Heidi Middleton and Sarah-Jane Clarke got their start with a stall on London’s Portobello Rd before heading to Sydney in 1999 and creating the label that has made them international fashion stars. Come here for sassy low-cut women’s jeans, body-hugging jackets and mini dresses.
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2 Danks Street
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Children's Bookshop
This sprawling shop has shelves chock-a-block with stories, adventures and sneakily educative titles. The excellent NZ section stocks supreme children's authors such as Margaret Mahy and Pamela Allen, as well as Maori myths. Helpful staff can help you choose a book to suit your toddler to your young adult.
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Good Living Growers' Market
This picturesque foodies' market not far from Darling Harbour showcases the best NSW regional produce. Peruse the 90 stalls packed with all sorts of delicacies from goat's cheese and sourdough bread to smoked tuna and wattleseed ice cream. Grab a coffee and reconstitute with an egg, bacon and chutney roll.
reviewed
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Hobbyco
Run by hobbyists for people who take toys seriously, Hobbyco's aisles fill with excited boys (big and small) effusing over slot cars, Meccano sets, Hornby trains and radio-controlled cars (like the kick-arse Audi TT). First Fleet models and 12,000-piece jigsaw puzzles are perfect projects for a rainy year.
reviewed
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Sydney Antique Centre
Sydney’s oldest antique centre has 50-plus dealers specialising in porcelain, silver, glass, collectables and furniture. Items range from sports memorabilia to grandfather clocks and art deco jewellery. Pick up a 19th-century alabaster mannequin and drag it around the cafe and bookshop.
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Big by Fiona Scanlan
The clothes in legendary designer Fiona Scanlan’s bright, bold kids’ shop manage to be bang on-trend while retaining the whimsy that is the under-eight’s due. Parents will wish they still inhabited a world where a tutu teamed with a chunky knit cardie was perfectly acceptable daywear.
reviewed
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Deus Ex Machina
Translating to ‘God is in the machine’, this kooky showroom is crammed with classic and custom-made motorcycles and surfboards. A hybrid workshop, cafe and offbeat boutique, it stocks men's and women's threads, including Deus-branded jeans, tees and shorts.
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Station Store
You can smell the oiled leather in the Station Store , which sells stockman's gear, saddles, riding boots and Aussie bush hats and clothing. At the back is the rustic Changing Station Cafe, and the Australian Bush Picture Show (adult/child $7.50/3.50), where you can watch a classic film.
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Mondo
Creative additions to your contemporary lifestyle are found at this cosy boutique, with everything from office accessories and fancy imported perfumes to clothing fashions and small housewares. Owner Ilana Katz makes sure her offerings are affordable and well-designed, and you'll appreciate her efforts.
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Kitty K
This splendidly girly-girl shop is the place to go for special-occasion lingerie designed by the likes of Kirrily Johnston. Unlike the rest of the stock, Zoe Elizabeth’s Liberty Print bikinis can be worn in public without causing too much of a commotion. The rest will need to be kept under wraps.
reviewed
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Calibre
Hip, high-calibre Calibre fills the wardrobes of Sydney’s power players with schmick suits and shirts in seasonal fabrics and colours. You'll also find them in Westfield Bondi Junction and Sydney.
reviewed