We are all familiar with the charity shop cliché — musty, unexciting, and full of the over-fifties. However, after an afternoon of charity shop rummaging, The Linc has found that the high street’s charity shops have a lot to offer.
We searched Lincoln’s Age UK and Oxfam, and our finds included patterned silk scarf, beige chinos, a faux fur coat, and enough brooches and rings to fill any jewellery box.
— Photos by Anneka James
The bargains found in charity shops hold a lot of appeal to those shopping on a budget. Adrian Thacker, manager of Oxfam in Lincoln, says that students in particular have found that these stores have become a necessity their lifestyle.
“In the past Oxfam used to be for the little old granny, but it’s not like that anymore. It’s much more student orientated,” he says.
Several students in Lincoln have already discovered the benefits of second-hand shopping.
Leanne Nixon, a 19-year-old fine art student, says she enjoys charity shops because of the unique pieces she finds: “Everywhere you go everyone has got the same top from New Look, the same trousers from Topshop… but you go to a charity shop and you see something completely different.”
Beckie Steward, a first year university student, regularly searches charity shops for items to use within her Fine Art degree, commenting that “you never know what you can find and obviously at a much cheaper price”.
Second hand shopping also has an element of unpredictability, as the stock can range from designers to the well-known high street stores.
Thacker says: “We’ve had Jimmy Choo shoes, we’ve had Karen Miller outfits, so we can never say what we are going to get because it changes every day… it’s worth it to keep coming in and having a look.”
This is something 18-year-old student and charity shop fiend Jess Beresford can definitely agree with, declaring her best purchase to be a Ralph Lauren jumper at a bargain price of £3.
So if your bank balance is looking bleak and your wardrobe is looking worse, the many charity shops of Lincoln high street may be the answer.
The searching is also now easier than ever, as Lincoln’s Oxfam has gone online at www.oxfam.org.uk