I recently found myself out and about in Midland again, this time work related. And given the topic of the workshop I participated in was on suicide response, I decided a debrief of sorts was to be had. And what better way to do that than to explore another unfamiliar op shop!
Now, I was put in a real sticky situation once I had decided this - you see I had 1/2 hour to utilise and two op shops begging for my patronage. The Salvos to my left, Vinnies to my right. What's a girl to do? Flip a coin? Nope, last bit of change was used for parking. 15 minutes for each? Nope, not enough time. Forget about it? Ha, no way!
So I chose the Salvos based logically (in my mind) given I had reviewed a Vinnies the week before. Oh, the dilemma one faces in life!
The Salvos in Midland is quite a big one, there are rows and rows of everything. I was actually a little bamboozled as to where to start to be honest! But given the clothes hit you first, I decided to work my way through them until I found the shoes.
Not wasting any time, I picked up a gorgeous retro red flowy Regency blouse for my girlfriend Siobhain ($4.99), along with a cute little Target dress for my niece ($2.99) and a lovely girlie Monroe blouse for moi ($5.99). Not a bad start I have to say!
There is a massive amount of shoes to be viewed - some good, some not so good, but I think they are definitely worth a perusal. I saw some cool vintage-y numbers and a couple of decent labels, but alas none were in my size :(
You'll also get a great selection of bags to rifle through - both on hangers and in the 'cheap' bins dotted throughout the store. I tell you I almost came away with a few more for my collection, but resisted the urge. I'm still yet to debut my Ted Baker and new Glomesh numbers, I thought I better do that before I bought any more!
I think the highlight for this store (and possibly one of the reasons for it's size) is the furniture. There's quite a good selection and obviously one of its best sellers, I saw two people walk away with chairs and tables in my short visit. I noticed two vintage dressers which, had I the storage space at home, I would have snapped up. They came at good prices ($40) and just needed a bit of TLC.
So that actually brings me to:
Op Shop Rule No 21: Don't Buy Furniture Unprepared!
Casting your minds back to my review of the Salvos in Maylands, you may remember hubby and I picked up a gorgeous little bar to house our alcoholic goodies & wares. You may remember we also had to pay for it, try and get it into one car, and then hoon home to get another car which would accommodate the item? Now this worked out for us in the end as we had another car to help us out, as well as the time to work it all out. But we did also face the predicament of really not having anywhere suitable to put it when we got it home!!
I also had the experience of purchasing a second hand couch late last year, to be told that the store could only hold the item for 3 days (not fitting in with my booked removalist) and I therefore had to make alternative arrangements (thanks to hubby's borrowing of a work van). So, my suggestion to you is that if you are going to op shop for furniture, do so with a bit of preparation. Have a handy car / be aware of 'on-hold times' / be home if you choose instore delivery options / have somewhere to put it! Oh and also, be aware that you may have to pay the delivery driver separately (and with cash) when they delivery your goods. And very timely, please check out Laura from A Little Boutique Near Home's blog on op shop preparation with tip six chatting about furniture shopping too!
There is also a great selection of bric-a-brac to make your way through - from the amazing cup wall on the left, to the electrical (all with a certified Salvos 'checked' tag), to silverware, to linen. My new crush at the moment is vintage tea towels and unfortunately I was not able to get stuck into them due to a couple of employees sorting it all out.
Perhaps it was fortuitous given I had no choice but to check out the next section where I found the matching lid to my recently purchased frypan. $1.50 - thankya very much!
I also came across a lovely little 70's set of Bilson's coffee cups which, given my friend AJ is borrowing my tea & coffee cup collection for her upcoming wedding, I thought I better just take a few to add to the offerings. And for 50c each, who was I to argue with obvious logic??!
I was really impressed with the kids and men's collections here too. I think men are really well catered for and I saw quite a few rows of men's pants, collared shirts and jackets. Kids had an amazing array also and with summer just around the corner, the colours are great!
The other thing I was impressed with at this store is it seems really neat and tidy. I could see there were at least 2 employees working the counter and another two I could see on the floor, keeping things in shape. As I've said before, I don't mind a rummage in stuff, and I certainly got to do this with some of the bags, but I also like a little order too - especially when you're on a time limit!
When I got to the counter I noticed they had a few little collectable things featured at the back, which I noted some Glomesh amongst the goodies, but there wasn't really anything there I was too fussed on taking a closer look. Besides I was running out of time - fast!
All in all I didn't mind this Salvos at all and I think given it's proximity to a couple of other op shops in the area, it's a great store to have on your op shop itinerary when you're out that way. Just a reminder that there is street parking on the highway itself, but if you're not too keen on parking on a busy road, there are plenty of other ticketed bays dotted around Midland itself.
Also, be sure to keep up to date with the different discounts the Salvos have each day and/or week. I visited on a Monday and that's the $2 Monday Madness Sale (where a selection of clothing hits ya for $2!). And while I didn't come away with anything from that rack, I can't complain about a $17.50 total!
K x
Go For: Furniture & General
Go Somewhere Else: Collectables & Labels
Salvos Midland
284 Great Eastern Highway
Midland WA 6056
Open: Mon-Fri 9-5.30pm / Sat 9-5pm
www.salvosstores.com.au
BE THE FACE OF SALVOS STORES
You've surely heard of it? Become the face of Salvos Stores for your chance to win a $500 Salvos Stores shopping voucher! Here's how to enter:
1. Visit your local Salvos Stores and buy a funky new outfit.
2. Post a photo of yourself in your new outfit on the Salvos Stores facebook wall. Ensure you put your state in the photo description.
3. Ask your Facebook fans to vote on your picture by 'liking it'. This must be done on the Salvos Stores page, not on your own wall.
4. Competition closes on 31/10/12. The person with the most likes on their photo will win a $500 Salvos Stores shopping voucher. The likes must be on the original competition entry, not a picture shared by anyone else.