I am ashamed. Why? Because I lived RIGHT OPPOSITE an op shop a few years ago and never even visited it. You see, hubby and I resided in Manning once upon a time and directly opposite (I’m not exaggerating!) the Manning Southcare Op Shop. I vaguely remember thinking I should explore it, but never got around to it. Then we moved down to Margaret River and I didn’t think about it again.
That was until driving home from work one day it popped into my mind and given I had a good hour before it shut I decided to keep trucking down Manning Road and finally pay it a visit.
After a quick scan of the old digs (which has gone to rack and ruin in my opinion!) I pulled up in front of this tiny little oppie and ventured inside. The Southcare group provide care to residents of the City of South Perth and surrounding areas. Some of the services provided include the New Horizons Day Centre, Mankara Low Cost Food Store and of course, their oppie.
Now, this oppie is small but it’s got quite a lot to offer, particularly in the realms of manchester & linen as well as clothing.
Immediately to your right you’ll find the bric-a-brac offerings. It’s a small collection featuring some little knick-knacks along with some everyday type crockey & cutlery. Good kitchen filler type stuff. They do have a neat little glassware selection and I did see a vintage America’s Cup champagne glass which I thought “I must grab that” and promptly walked out of the store completely forgetting about it. Der.
Apart from that, I didn’t really find anything eye catching for me, but that was ok, because all of a sudden I was mesmerised by the linen “cupboard”. When I say cupboard I mean a small curtained off section full to the brim with sheets, pillowcases, baby blankets, tea towels, doona covers etc. You name it, it’s there and it’s all individually labelled so you know what you’re getting.
OP SHOP RULE No 34: SIZE MATTERS!
One thing to note is that not all op shops label their linen. I have been caught on a few occasions when purchasing sheets/bedding, believing my own idea of what a queen sheet looks like, only to get home and find it’s really just a king single. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll find something to do with it, but it’s obviously not going to be for it’s original purpose. I even purchased a couple of vintage floral pillowcases recently, thinking I’d scored big time, to get home and find they were actually half the size of a normal pillowcase. Again, popping into my local oppie to find pillows to fit was no problem for me, but I was a little disappointed and a little cranky with myself for not checking in the first instance.
My advice is, if you aren’t sure of the sizing of a particular item, most op shops will carry a measuring tape, so feel free to borrow it and feel free to pull the sheet out and measure it. Or if you are heading out op shopping specifically for bedding, have in mind what measurements are needed beforehand. And all in all, if you do make the odd mistake here and there, you can always refashion it into something else – click here to read Erica from Recycled Fashion's post on how to turn a pillow case into a shirt!
So I went rifling. There was so much to choose from and in such a small space. I had piles here and there of possible purchases and actually had to reign myself in a little. I ended up with some lovely pillow cases, sheets, a doona cover and a single doona cover which whilst I can’t use right now, will come in handy for a rainy day…perhaps!
Given I had an armful of material, I asked the ladies behind the counter if they could hold it for me, which of course they obliged. It was while I was here that I overheard the ladies discussing what was being offered next door in the Mankara Food Store too.
So I headed back to where I came from and perused the games & books but again I was more concerned about the next section which was the shoes. These are priced with a blanket pricing and I couldn’t believe my eyes (and luck) that I was able to pick up an AS NEW pair of tan Sandler pumps for $5. Even the ladies admired my find when I paid for them a little later on… Onto the linen pile at the front counter they went.
The rest of the store is filled with clothing – on shelves and on racks. Again, all clothes are designated into various prices which are either noted on a sign (ie dresses $6 & jackets $5), or the ladies will let you know from their pricing sheet. I did note some of the dresses and blouses were perhaps aimed at the more mature aspect of the community (as I was indeed able to pick up a 'The Dress Shop' dress as well as a Jane Lamerton blouse) however closer to the counter there are a few more younger styles such as Morrissey and Saba.
I have a feeling that some of the labels donated are indicative of the suburbs in which the donators are coming from, if that makes sense? For instance there wasn’t a lot of Tempt, Valley Girl or Supre. Not that there is anything wrong with these labels, but it is possibly not the target market in this particular area. I did think however, that there were some cool one offs here that would make nice pieces for my niece, but she wasn't so lucky this time - I just concentrated on myself haha.
Another little decent offering here is sleepwear. I don't usually look at sleepwear in oppies (not for any particular reason) but the nighties and dressing gowns appeared to be in good condition and definitely worth a pick through if you are after something from that section.
I had fun looking through it all and believe you could definitely find some more expensive labels in this mix, for bargain prices. There is a fairly decent selection for men here too situated off to the back left corner of the store including suit jackets and long sleeved shirts (I saw Sportscraft & Quicksilver here). I didn't see too many great selections in the shoe section though, but I'm sure that changes on a weekly basis.
There’s a tiny little CD collection near the counter along with your pick of jewellery. I found myself a beautiful little pair of button earrings from “Awoke on a Whaleheart” which the ladies ended up popping in my bag for free! But please don't get me started on the 'bedroom floor gremlin' who has since taken one of them and not given it back :(
This oppie is small in the scheme of op shops in general, but definitely well worth a visit (or two) especially for the linen cupboard alone. I was so glad to have been able to finally pay it a visit even if it was a few years too late!
Tell me, do you live close to an op shop that you’ve never visited?
K x
Go For: Haberdashery/Manchester/ Linen & Designer Finds
Try Another: Kids / Furniture / Electricals
Southcare Op Shop
54 Bickley Crescent
Manning WA 6152
Open: Mon-Fri 9-1pm
www.southcare.org.au
My Haul
Pillow cases x 3 $1.50
Queen doona cover & sheet $5
Single sheet $1
Jane Lamerton blouse $4
No label nanna dress $6
The Dress Shop dress $6
Sandler pumps $5