In Auckland for one day

By CMKMStephens. 19/04/10, 02:54 pm

...and I'm adding to my Wellington Cosplay ball costume. The theme is Steampunk. The questions are then, what are some particularly good second-hand stores, army surplus places, which Savemart/ Geoff-Ike-Arthurs Emporium is the largest/best, and so on? Any super-special-awesome places for relevant cosplay resources you'd care to share? I'll probably find some interesting stuff around K-road, but Auckland is somewhat large and most of it unvisited and unknown. Due to it being only a day, and my transport constrained for most of it, just whipping out the yellow pages isn't necessarily as helpful as people in the know.

By NZFlyingRock. 19/04/10, 03:24 pm

Lol, we have a thread on this here

Else im afraid i personally cant be of much use. maybe someone else will be able to help? *stares expectantly at audience*

edit - tho not so much in the second-hand department

By CMKMStephens. 19/04/10, 03:32 pm

I know about that thread, but it's mostly fabric/craft stores in the primary post. Like I said I'm limited in time and transport. I'll probably only get one or two excursions outside the CBD so if there's somewhere especially relevant for stuff I could use as additions to a steampunk type costume...

Unless you're saying it'd be better to post in there anyway, in which case the mods could merge this thread into it should they wish to.

By Winds-Of-Despair. 19/04/10, 03:46 pm

I believe there is an army surplus store on K road ( http://armyshop.co.nz/ ) as well as many second hand stores. I don't live around the area so I have no idea. I believe there is Ikes emporium in Browns Bay

By neimhaille. 19/04/10, 04:19 pm

Yes, they are made of much awesomeness and you can get WWI goggles for $20 a pair, in their own little tins :) And belts and boots and lots of other stuff.

In the CBD there is the $3 (plus gst) japan store, apparently a rebranding of Daisco- they are next to Borders.

There is a large dollar store on Victoria St East, don't look at the mini trophies in there ;) Ehem...

You can get a bus down Dominion Rd and get out at the stop where there is a large Foodtown (if you get a 26- or 25- bus it should be the first or second stop once the bus turns onto Dom. Rd) Geoff's Emporium is just there and across the road is Nick's Fabrics where all dress fabrics are $4 a m and furnishings are $8. I have a few rolls of silk I have bought from them as it is so cheap, it's a matter of luck of course :)

Back on the side of Geoff's there is also a Bernina store if you go a block or two south and you go past a place that sells Bubble Tea to get there ;)

There is a Warehouse at the Downtown shopping mall (opposite Britomart). Also an antique shop and King of Cards in the Queens Arcade. Also a stand of bling and a nice tea shop Very Happy

If you are able to catch a bus further Lincoln Rd has another Geoff's, Spotlight and Mitre 10 mega all within easy walk of each other.

Onehunga has Antique Fabric and Lace, a sewing shop a large second hand shop (I have an amazing art deco trio set from there) and a huge huge dollar store. There is an army surplus type place further up the mall too.

http://www.maxx.co.nz for bus and train timetables and routes :)

By CMKMStephens. 19/04/10, 04:44 pm

Going by its location, I *think* Antique Fabric and Lace might be the place where I finally found the orange stretch velvet/velveteen for my Mars Djinn. Back then (as in, 1.5-2 years ago) I couldn't find a proper orange anywhere (and the beige-orange on my Venus Djinn is a non stretch velvet as well due to this historical orange-scarcity). Is it the place with fabric and shiny objects all over the walls?

In the last few months for whatever conspiratorial reason, Arthur Toye has restocked on it and now has that particular shade along with a bright red as well Neutral

By neimhaille. 19/04/10, 05:11 pm

lol! That sounds familiar ;)

It has an old fashioned shop front, with display areas in the windows so you walk in through a sort of hall. The walls are indeed covered with sparkly trims and collars and the like.

By Le_Saboteur. 20/04/10, 01:47 am

There's another Army Supply st on Hobson st, near the Victoria st intersection.

At least I think it's that kind of store, I've never been inside, but there are uniforms and stuff in the window.

Everything else has been very well covered Very Happy

Oh, and don't trust second hand stores in the CBD, they're 'boutiques' and will charge you $20 for a shirt that cost $15 three years ago.

By angellsnz. 20/04/10, 05:18 am

^ This

I brought a white shirt at Savemart for $5 that would have cost me $30-40 dollars at a opshop in the CBD.

By CMKMStephens. 21/04/10, 10:43 am

Right, this thread can be disposed of or closed or whatever since I am now on my way back. Found useful things at Kiwi Surplus, the Antique shop on Dominion Road, buttons from the Antique Fabric place, etc. It was nice just to have a good look around anyhow.The most excitingly named thing I saw was 'Ingram's British Made Breast Reliever "Omega"' It looked like a tiny clown horn. .,

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