Kathy O’Donnell comes in most days when she’s not looking after her grandsons. ‘The staff are lovely here – every one of them. It’s great just to talk to them, although they seem a bit busy today to chat. I go to two other charity shops regularly, but I never buy from them. They don’t have the designer labels like here does. I’ve got it all in here – Max Mara, Paul Costelloe, Chanel – I got a lovely Chanel scarf. And look at this, a Gucci jacket – that would fit you, that would.’‘I’m from Stoke Newington and I was just passing really,’ says another browser, Andrew Gallimore. ‘ I look out for DVDs – a lot of the charity shops only have videos. I’m after old films and, well, bargains.’
‘One of the real pleasures about places like this is the environment,’ says Lisa Roberts, a visitor from Sydney. ‘Unlike other shops, it’s not all ‘sell sell’. I’m a bit shy in commercial shops and don’t like trying stuff on. Here, I can buy it and then if I don’t like it when I get it home, I just donate it back. The books on sale reflect the community and the ethos of a place too – and I value that.’
Feature continues
There’s always too much to have out on display at any one time, so stock is rotated. Each item gets a week number written on its label and if no one’s bought it after three weeks, it’s taken off to a smaller branch or recycled. Any saleable goods there isn’t room to store go to the warehouse.
When people aren’t bringing in their unwanted hand grenades and vibrators, they’re quite often nicking the stock. ‘We get loads of shoplifters,’ says Anne Marie, shaking her head in disbelief. ‘They think we get it for free so why shouldn’t they get the same. One man got chased down the road by some other customers for taking something and when they caught him a load of schoolgirls all clapped and cheered. It’s like a soap opera round here.’
Marie Curie, 318-320 St Pauls Rd, N1 (020 7226 0565) Highbury & Islington tube/rail. Open Mon-Sat 9am-5.20pm. To find your nearest branch of Marie Curie Cancer Care go to www.mariecurie.org.uk/shopfinder
|
|
The best of London in your inbox
|
|
