Craftworld

The concept that Craft World has going on is pretty sound; local artists and crafters hire a small booth, put their goods in their, set their own prices, and then the shop takes care of the retail side of it. It’s a great way for people to sell their stuff without having to trawl around markets all the time.
This makes it a good place to go for present shopping; there is always a big range of items, with everything from t-​shirts to jewellery to garden furniture. There’s lots of people making baby items so you’re guaranteed to be able to find something here if you’re looking for it, including lots of hand knitted items. Some of the stuff (well, quite a lot of it) is not to my taste — a bit too many cutesy prints and lace — but there’s always such a range I always leave having bought something.
They also have a little waiting area with a TV for children which is a good idea.
I’m a little bit surprised they don’t have any online sales; this seems like it would be easy add on to what they already offer.

A very handy place if you want to buy an arty/​crafty gift for someone. It does have some of the cliched paua shells and pictures of the skytower but it has a raft of other stuff as well. Some of the stuff is really usual such as these surreal shaped ceramic drawers. You could use them to store jewellery and they look like something out of Alice in Wonderland. There’s plenty of baby and kids clothes to choose and I got a t shirt for my nephew which said «I’ve got a cool uncle». There’s also lots of items for the house and garden. It’s a big store and with so much to choose from, you’re bound to find something for a gift. It’s mostly local artists and craftspeople so you can rest assured that you are supporting them and the local economy.