When the ‘Thrift Pioneer’ and my teen hero Bay Garnett gave an interview on Popsugar giving some of her favourite London charity shop haunts, I was scratching my head why I hadn’t given my top five. Oh that’s it. My quasi-completed project Style Bubble Shops which is on hold due to that 48 hour day not happening was suppose to give people a heads up as to where my favourite charity shops are… I’ve become a creature of habit and whilst I do pop into any charity shop that give off glimmers/vibes of a good charity shop haul (don’t ask me how I get those glimmers/vibes…but for some reason older/rubbish shop fronts usually bode well for me…), I do have the list of regular haunts…
Trinity Hospice, 31 Kensington Church Street
Why? It’s a pricier than most as per what the SW postcode would suggest, but I’ve found vintage Balenciaga, old Chanel jackets and then very new discarded high street dresses here and if designer charity is your thing, this one is pretty good and not has picked as the Red Cross in Chelsea. They also seem to have a range of sturdy old shoes like my beloved Ferragamo Vara pumps and Clarks Loafers which I like buying up.
Retro Mania (Fara), 40 Tachbrook Street
Why? There’s a fair few charity shops around this area which I used to go to all the time during my Pimlico days at uni but this one is gussied up as a vintage shop but have kept their prices fairly low. The bargain rail outside is pretty amazing and has yielded a John Richmond jacket for ¬£2 and the man in there is very jolly.
Notting Hill Housing Trust, 24 Goodge Street
Why? Centrally located charity shops aren’t amazing and it’s a bit of a lucky dip with this one and also the YMCA next door but because it’s across from Bang Bang, one of my FAVOURITE shops in London (that’s of ALL shops, new and old….), it makes sense for me to go into NHHT and I’ve fared well with basic buys…silk t-shirts, slinky dresses, unlabelled lovely goodness to dabble with at home and customise and all very cheap.
Charity Shop, Whitecross Street
Why? Yes, I’ve written about this already and I don’t even have a proper name and address for it but it’s at the top of Whitecross Street across from Bread & Honey and I’ve been in there whenever I have a lunch break spare and I always find SOMETHING…I haven’t bought much due to the new move but once I’m all moved in, I’ll be frequenting this place more…Armani trousers, lots of Topshop and H&M with some spangly Versace chucked in there.
North London Hospice, 123 High Street, East Finchley
Why? I’m going to have to say goodbye to this place so soon and it will hurt pretty bad seeing as I’ve scooped two Valentino dresses, some great books, old lady blazers and plenty of florals here. I don’t really remember how much I’ve bought here but it makes up a good deal of my charity shop haul which doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best in London but it matters that it’s local and regular combing of a place gets you in the mood for spotting things. No doubt, I hope to find a replacement when I move…location to be revealed because it is quite a hilarious one…
Hi Style Bubble! Thank you for the shops! I love your blog.
I would love to come to England just to shop at the Charity shops. You are so lucky to live in such an exciting city!
The out of the way charity shops have always yielded a good result for me. I once saw a vintage buyer on Tv say about charity shops “laminate floor, walk out the door”. I think this generally holds up!
I have the most amazing local charity shop, the woman who runs it even gives me a student discount. And they always have a 50p rail, it’s excellent!
Thanks for the recommendations! I’m going to London for a week in the fall. I’ll try to squeeze a couple of these places in as pit stops.
the ones opposite bang bang get all bang bang’s unsold items after a couple of months, apparently.
unfortunately I doubt it will ever extend to chanel/celine, but no matter.
I also picked up two antony price 1970’s jacket in there for less than ¬£30. and a boudicca dress for ¬£12.
love,
Alex.
gosh your charity shops look like they should do, all old school and yellowed signs and jumble! sadly here they’re all turning into shiny, colour coded oxfam clones!
Now that just got my attention and makes me want to go to London just to do some major hoarding from these charity shops!
Or people can just follow gorgeous blogger Sharon Rose around. She’s the queen of the 1 pound designer purchase.
I would love to check out those shops..!
Good tip Wendy…. she sounds like a charity shop pro…I’m more of a mix-it-up kinda gal…. as Selina says, the number of them that are becoming generic/boring and not worth looking into means that charity shop time is more selective and less random…. I’m dabbling in car boot sales this weekend as for the first time, I actualy have a car to fill up with the goodies to buy…wish me luck!
Amazing list, thanks! Charity or thrift stores are only a dream here though, so I have no idea what means pricey or what is a bargain in those places… Maybe it’s not so polite to talk about money, but I always wonder how much should I (reasonably) pay for thrifted stuff…!
Ah I love the North London Hospice!
Golders Green has amazing charity shops.
The Trinity Hospice charity shop is fab – the last time I was in there I scored a Jaeger jacket and Italian silk skirt – under ¬£20 for the two of them! I work in Camden and the charity shops aren’t bad here – I would recommend the PDSA in Kentish Town though, it’s my favourite! The last time I was there I was narrowly beaten to a lovely white linen Reiss dress.
I’m moving to Old St in a weeks time and look forward to seeing the standard of the shops Eastwards 🙂
Ooo, thank you for this! I’m moving to London next week with terrifyingly low funds, so I’ll probably be checking out these places if I get a sudden urge to shop…
ooh i have to keep this… for my next trip to london. when i lived there, the last place i lived was in barnes… and there was a little shop i stopped by on the way home every day. thinking back on it, it wasn’t cheap, but they had some really great high quality pieces.
I LOVE you for this. I live in London and never know exactly where to go for the best thrift stores.
do they do menswear in them shops ? , i know it sounds weird but yeh we men want some bargains aswell
My husband used to work at Retromania! I’m so glad to see it on the list, and I was lucky enough to buy some great pieces there when we lived in London.
G– go to Retromania from time to time, as I know they have men’s bits-n-bobs!
thanks guys x i will try retromania , who knows maybe i’ll find something really cool, i let u know =] xx
i been to the trinity shop in kensington a couple times and didnt have much luck finding anything. i also went to the one a little up the street which had interesting pieces but not my style.
i also frequent the notting hill house trust shop when i visit that area but never realize the name! i do remember there is a YMCA beside it. though i like the oxfam that is more into goodge street the best.
i will be sure to check out the other ones you mentioned =)
I love this post thank you! I have found some wonderful charity shops outside of London, in the South West but I always get so frustrated in London because they’re so much more expensive. It probably doesn’t help that I usually hit the King’s Road because I live nearby! Thanks susie! xx
i love beyond retro, in either great marlborough street (soho) or cheshire (the east end).. i havent seen any high-end designers in there or anything but its really reasonably priced and its like a big fancy dress shop for the eras 1950s – 80s. i love their old school sweatshirts, i might post me in something from there in the ‘does this look stupid?’ section 🙂
Seeing this has made me so happy! I’m currently putting a magazine together for my final project for my masters degree at LCF and it’s a fashion magazine for charity shops which would be distributed through smaller chains of London charity shops (I’ve actually approached Trinity Hosice, Notting Hill Housing Trust and North London Hospice and asked if they will be involved) so it’s reassuring to see them pointed out as good places to shop.
If anyone reading this, like me, is a keen charity shops enthusiast and would like to help me in any capacity I would love to hear from you. Please email foxycoxymoo@hotmail.com and I will be happy to explain the project in more detail.
All the best,
Lucy Cox
Hello, Style bubble
the Charity shop Opposite “Bang Bang” on Goodge Street is no longer The Notting Hill Housing Trust Charity Shop, it is now under the charitable housing association called Octavia Housing, doing the same/similar work as NHHT but now raising funds for The Octavia Foundation.
Thanks
Asha