On Friday (would’ve posted then but absence of my camera prevented this) I ventured out to my local town of
Skipton for a heavy session of charity shopping.
Skipton is hardly the Northern capital of style, although it was once crowned ‘
Britain’s Best High Street’ (the how and why evade me), but it
is however the mecca of charity shopping.
Okay, okay I may be exaggerating ever so slightly, but for such a small town it really does pack in its fair share of charity shops- I found about eight!
Navigating ones way around this maze of infinite treasure troves was a task I wouldn’t have wished upon Christopher Columbus; I, however, managed to hit them all (I think) before my 2 hour short stay car parking expired- score.
I might further explain that while 2 hours is rather a long time, the sheer amount of rooting, searching, rummaging, scanning etc. required in this activity is extensive; plus I needed to get a new mascara and the time I chose to pop into Rackhams (that’s House of Fraser to me and you) happened to be the time that the bloody fire alarm decided to go off and I was kicked out for a good 15 minutes whilst the staff and fire brigade created a suitable farce.
So, back to the matter at hand; I started out at what appeared to be a new addition to Skipton’s charity shop repertoire-
Greyhound Rescue. This shop is fairly small but has some good quality bits and bobs in stock.
I spotted a necklace and clip-on earring set which I loved for £3.50. The set is gold with what can be described as peach-coloured droplets attached. These are pictured with a belt below.
Next, I visited
Scope- one of Skipton’s larger charity shops. It is here that I made my favourite purchases of the day. The first item which caught my eye was these vintage Levi orange tab jeans.
They’re a perfect fit, a high 28 inch waist and just what I’ve been looking for to cut into shorts for my upcoming holiday; although it almost seems a shame to dismember them. For only £5, I don’t mind so much.
I’m not sure how old these are. Orange tabs were introduced in the sixties but they definitely aren’t as old as that! The care label doesn’t mention shrinking either which was typical of the older ‘shrink to fit’ styles. They are 891’s and the care label reads ‘891 0216’ then ‘367540 0598’ if anyone has an idea of the age please let me know!
I also bought these great vintage sunglasses for only £1.50- They came in handy too because it was a scorcher outside and I’d forgotten mine!
Another new (I think) charity shop I found was the
Martin House Children’s Hospice which is on the high street.
I thought this one was great for household bits, the upstairs area is large and holds a wealth of kitchen and other household goods as well as larger pieces of furniture, mirrors, large picture frames etc. The menswear section is also upstairs.
Nothing really took my fancy, other than this navy, white and gold belt, pictured with the necklace and earring set I mentioned previously. The belt was £3 which isn't bad considering that it's leather.
Other shops I visited were
Sense,
Oxfam,
British Heart Foundation and not one, but TWO
Age UK shops!
If it’s vintage jewellery you’re after (and if you’re in the area of course) then I found Scope and Martin House Children’s Hospice to have very well stocked desk cabinets- don’t be afraid to ask them to unlock it so you can have a good look!
Martin House Children’s Hospice and Sense were good on household bits and bobs. Sense in particular had two very old cameras which I was tempted to buy but I doubt I’d have use for them! I’m sure someone into photography would find them interesting though.
Vintage clothes seem to take a fair bit of digging out in any charity shop. Increasingly I’m finding that they’re overstocked with cheap, mass-produced modern clothes from brands such as Primark and George.
Note to the volunteers- we love the old stuff, bring it out to the shop floor!
