Chinese delights, ceramic art and bargain baskets - Beamish Street has it all, writes Melissa Penfold.

HOME THINGS
Big parrots and cockatoos - full of personality - are a sure-fire winner on a wall sconce or table once they have been treated to a coat of white paint, $12.99 each. Reminiscent of the English antique porcelain examples, which might cost 50 times more, these will give not just aesthetic pleasure but the thrill of a successful safari.
232 Beamish Street, 9718 7741

DAE MYUNG HEALTH FOOD WOOL QUILT WHOLESALE
A manchester shop specialising in pretty cotton quilts, cushion covers and padded pillowslips in faded yellows, greens and pinks, from $10. If you have become a jaded shopper, this is the kind of place to bring back the excitement.
164 Beamish Street, 9787 4000

SUN JEWEL VARIETY STORE
At the doorway is the usual clutter of souvenir tea towels, Lalique-look vases, bordello lights, baskets and floral hand towels. Sweep past all this and prepare to dig deep for rattan-covered kitchen canisters, $2.99, glass storage canisters with steel lids, brushed aluminium picture frames, barbecue lighters in the shape of Brett Whiteley's iconic matchstick, door curtains, placemats, porcelain clip-top containers, wicker coasters, melamine Thai-style Buddhas, kitsch piggy banks, ribbons, china tea sets and noodle bowls, Chinese lanterns, glasses and plastic storage containers aplenty, chrome pedal bins and door curtains.
190 Beamish Street, 9718 0464

DOLLAR 123 STORE
Tissue paper and cellophane in every imaginable colour, $1.20 a packet, Teflon-coated plastic tablecloths in vibrant shades for children's birthday parties, white porcelain oil pourers, salt shakers, big mugs, bargain cane baskets but beware of too much lacquer on them - a muted patina is better.
231 Beamish Street, 9789 5236

STONE ART
Jumbo ceramic tiles, 250mm x 330mm, in a good finish, from $18.20 a square metre, wall and floor tiles in chocolate, white, blue and green from $9 a metre, as well as vitrified and polished travertine (400mm or 600mm square tiles and 600mm x 300mm designs) from $28 a metre.
273 Beamish Street, 9718 0066, http://www.stonearttiles.com.au

SHOPPING PARADISE
A vast supermarket-style store that is strong on household goods with the best china, glass and melamine in the strip plus inexpensive ribbon reels, tools of every description from drills, pliers, wrenches, clamps and spanners, and an entire aisle devoted to plastic (think buckets, boxes, baskets, draining racks, drawers and waste bins of all sizes).
251 Beamish Street, 9718 0486

C MART BARGAIN CENTRE
This busy emporium has gifts for every age group in attractive textures, understated details and subtle colours. You'll find timber and leather treasure-chest boxes, vases, plate stands in timber, metal and perspex, from $1; big rolls of natural jute twine at $2; bonbonniere bags, packs of eight, $2; giant glass storage jars with proper seals, $9.99 (get five - for rice, flour, sugar, tea and pasta). It heaves with mortars and pestles, teapots, hot-water flasks, casserole dishes and white towels, plus joss paper, joss sticks and all things to do with traditional Chinese celebrations.

It usually stocks antique-look temple warriors and stone-coloured ceramic vases with seriously textured surfaces that are hard to tell from those on sale in high-end homeware stores, but turnover is fast and furious; there were none in stock when we visited.
210 Beamish Street, 9787 9188