Sooo...I've recently made two trips to London and had a chance to spend some time visiting charity shops. Obviously there's a huge number of charity shops in London so it's quite tricky to write about them, there're too many of them! So I will focus on two areas with a high number of charity shops instead.
First of all, I realised that London charity shops are too expensive for me. I go there as I normally go to Selfridges - just to admire prices, fabrics and designers. It doesn't mean you won't get a bargain there - you will, but it will be a different kind of bargain. For me, a bargain means a £20 wool and cashmere winter coat, not a pair of Zara trousers. In London charity shops an average price for a high street item is around £15.00-£19.00. So for me this doesn't feel like a bargain.
However, it's also easier to find designer items in London charity shops. Brands like Gucci, Coach, Dior etc. are quite common. It's in London that I bought an unworn Dior silk skirt for £50 a few years ago. So it's a good place to shop designer items at seriously discounted prices. You still need to prepare to pay quite a bit for them, yet in comparison to retail prices it's a bargain.
Anyway, let's look at the map...The first area where I love to shop when I'm in London is Warwick Way.
It's very close to the Victoria station and has quite a few charity shops. Fara has some more accessible prices, this is where I bought my Dior skirt.
Royal Trinity Hospice (corner of Wilton rd and Warwick Way) is probably my favourite place. They always have amazing designer brands, very beautiful and very expensive items (for my budget), but I love visiting them anyway. They have both modern designer clothes and some vintage items as well as some jewellery and household items.
First of all, I realised that London charity shops are too expensive for me. I go there as I normally go to Selfridges - just to admire prices, fabrics and designers. It doesn't mean you won't get a bargain there - you will, but it will be a different kind of bargain. For me, a bargain means a £20 wool and cashmere winter coat, not a pair of Zara trousers. In London charity shops an average price for a high street item is around £15.00-£19.00. So for me this doesn't feel like a bargain.
However, it's also easier to find designer items in London charity shops. Brands like Gucci, Coach, Dior etc. are quite common. It's in London that I bought an unworn Dior silk skirt for £50 a few years ago. So it's a good place to shop designer items at seriously discounted prices. You still need to prepare to pay quite a bit for them, yet in comparison to retail prices it's a bargain.
Anyway, let's look at the map...The first area where I love to shop when I'm in London is Warwick Way.
It's very close to the Victoria station and has quite a few charity shops. Fara has some more accessible prices, this is where I bought my Dior skirt.
Fara and Oxfam, 12-30 Warwick Way, London
Royal Trinity Hospice (corner of Wilton rd and Warwick Way) is probably my favourite place. They always have amazing designer brands, very beautiful and very expensive items (for my budget), but I love visiting them anyway. They have both modern designer clothes and some vintage items as well as some jewellery and household items.
Royal Trinity Hospice (corner of Wilton rd and Warwick Way, London)
A few blocks away there's a small charity shop called Terrence Higgins Boutique. I took these photos while I was enjoying my coffee and pastry at Gail's coffee shop - I love artisan bread and couldn't resist it!
19 Churton St, Pimlico, London
It's a tiny place with two rooms. It has been listed by Time Out as one of London’s top 20 charity shops, you can find more information here. I found prices are quite accessible and there's a nice mix of vintage, high street and designer brands. Even though I liked the place I struggled to understand why it was so highly regarded by Mary Portas.
Next area that I love visiting is Thayer Street. It's close to Baker Street and Regent's Park so it's fairly central.
Here, my favourite shop is Barnados. I love this shop for it's atmosphere and pleasant staff. Again, like in other London charity shops I found prices were a bit too high for me. One thing that I could afford were raffle tickets - two tickets for £1. I bought a few tickets and won a silk necktie. It's a very nice tie yet I'm not entirely sure how I will wear it - I'm not really a tie person. Still, it was very nice to win something. At the same time I really wanted to win a Longhamp bag. So on my second trip I came back and played tombola again hoping to win the bag but no luck. I then sent my husband (I'm not proud of this) to the shop and asked him to play tombola on my behalf. He didn't win the bag either. So the bag is still there!
Barnados shop, 3-9 George Street, London
Across the road there's a tiny charity shop called Geranium. It's filled with all sorts of stuff and you could easily spend hours there browsing and digging through piles of stuff. It has lot's of vintage items, crockery, jewellery, bags, shoes, books...all sorts!
Geranium charity shop, 3-9 George Street, London
A bit further away, on Marylebone High street, there will be Cancer Research and Oxfam. Cancer Research has some of the highest prices that I've seen in charity shops. However, it's not surprising given its location and also items that they sell. Here, you can easily buy Coach and Burberry bags and Tod's shoes.
Cancer Research, 24 Marylebone High street, London, W1U 4PQ
I've also visited other charity shops in other areas. They had more affordable prices so I did buy some items in the end. For example, I got a pair of M&S leather boots for £15 in Oxfam on 52 Goodge street. Further away there's YMCA (22 Goodge street) - a small shop with affordable prices. I would recommend these two shops if your budget is fairly modest.
Another affordable shop that I was able to find is Sue Ryder on 46-50 Parkway. It was on my way when I visited Jewish Museum so I couldn't resist. They had a few designer items there but the prices where not as high as in other places. Also, I liked their idea of having a separate area with vintage clothing.
Sue Ryder, 46-50 Parkway, Camden Town, London NW1 7AH
Finally, another shop that I would like to mention is another Royal Trinity Hospice shop near Waterloo station. It too has lot's of designer clothes but more affordable so it's definitely worth a visit.
Royal Trinity Hospice, Unit 57 11, Elizabeth House York Rd, Lambeth, London SE1 7NJ
I would like to come back to London soon and visit other areas and explore further.
