When I was living in Joondanna many moons ago, I clearly remember an old girlfriend of mine being a regular op shopper at a little shop on the corner of Loftus & Green Street. It was a pokey little dive, with a massive table in the middle of the store full of heaps and heaps of dusty bric-a-brac and a suspicious looking guy sitting up the back behind the counter. I remember going with her a few times so she could pick out some bits and pieces, but I was only there as company, I wasn't wise enough to value op shops as I do today.
Unfortunately the name of that little oppie has been stored way back in the recesses of my mind, along with that friendship, but I'm so glad to say that with a few face lifts that little shop is now the wonderful space for a Save The Children op shop.
I was actually quite entranced when I entered the door because of how swish the whole set up is. It's only small but it's got a lot of great stuff. I saw a section for 'retro', I saw $2 racks and I saw a huge sign pointing me in the direction of the back room... which is filled with bric-a-brac!
So let's start at the beginning. When you arrive you step into the magical world of clothes. There's retro, there's designer, there's discount, there's shoes, there's dresses, there's men's jackets, there's knitwear, there's kids. Yes, it's all there, and given this particular oppie is only tiny, they've crammed s much as they possibly can into this one, but without the 'over stuffed' feel.
I picked my way through the entire store and did a second round of it, just to be certain. You see I had my eye on two things - two very opposing things. First of all there was a lovely black nanna skirt that caught my eye, and it was only $4. But the material was super heavy and given I wanted to wear it NOW and it's heating up slightly, I ummed and ahhed over it a bit. The second thing I found (actually there were three of them) was a cut-off Iron Maiden tee for $2. Hmmm, it's cool but where on earth would I wear it? What's a girl to do??
I decided to leave them both for further thought, and check out the retro section instead. It's a cute little section featuring some super-cringy K-Mart numbers from the 80's and a few jackets I think were probably worn to death in the 90's. Unfortunately nothing caught my eye here.
At the moment this op shop has the majority of it's Christmas offerings out the front, luring the you in. It's a lovely little set up complete with holiday-themed china and pretty tree hangings. At the time there were four or so teacup trio's on display and again I ummed and ahhed over them, but they were just a tiny bit over priced for me.
I was fairly impressed with the offerings for the males, it was yet another section that whilst small, had some really good quality, good labelled, good condition stuff. Nath actually asked me if it was worth checking out for a new suit and I stated that it probably was. I think you guys would pick up some great stuff here.
The kids section is relatively small in comparison to the adults, but there is definitely a nice little selection to be had; good labels and good condition. So it's probably timely that I introduce the next op shop rule to you:
Op Shop Rule No 24: Trust Your Label Instinct
I'm sure many of you are aware of the cheap and cheerful labels coming through these days which are now finding their way onto the op shop racks. The other thing you may (or may not) notice is the influx of some of the 'fake' options also. I mean who hasn't got themselves a D&G handbag from Bali every now and then? But what I'm saying to you is, is if you spot a higher end label and your op shopping instinct says "holy moly a Gucci in my oppie?", there is the possibility that it's a fake. Trust your instinct.
Today in my little local I saw a gorgeous yellow Prada bag going for $10, but under my close inspection (ie I opened the bag up), I was able to ascertain from the crappy lining that it was in fact a little Bali number. So don't get too sucked in - be sure to know the tell-tale signs that your find is the real deal - if the real deal is what you are after of course!
Still thinking about my Iron Maiden/Nanna skirt dilemma, I decided to head out the back to the bric-a-brac room. Now, when you head in here, don't get caught thinking that the next room onwards is for viewing either, I almost did until I realised it was the back sorting room - and while you can possibly see gold sitting there, it ain't for sale just yet.
I adored this little room. Whilst there wasn't anything really really collectible (read = Johnson!) there is plenty of fab stuff to just poke through. It's almost museum-y. There is a wall of dolls from all eras here which then in turn becomes the crockery and glassware which then becomes the plastics which then features some odds and ends in between before finally settling on a neat shelf filled with cheap books and dvd's. Oh, and you're change rooms are here also.
In the middle of this room you'll find haberdashery type stuff - anything from cot sheets to tea towels as well as some more regular bric-a-brac. So while fossicking through this section I came across a gorgeous little Sesame Street cot sheet for a whole $1.50. Now that I didn't have to think twice about, it was far to cheap and cute to not grab!
All in all this is a lovely little place, it's neat and tidy and obviously well cared for. There's a little something for everyone and well worth a visit, it seems to be a special kind of Save The Children op shop.
Oh, so in the end I left the blood-dripping zombie Iron Maiden tee behind and came home with Oscar the Grouch instead. Much more my style I think!
Kx
Go For: Good quality / Good condition clothes
Try Another For: Collectible bric-a-brac
Save The Children
19-21 Green Street (cnr Loftus Street)
Mount Hawthorn WA 6016
Open Hours: Mon 9.30 - 4.00pm / Tues-Fri 10-4.30pm
www.savethechildren.org.au
SAVE THE CHILDREN PLAN BIG!
Save The Children have teamed up with the guys behind PlanBig, a community of people with the tools, ideas and passion to create change and put ideas into reality. And so Save The Children have put their 'plan' out there in order to get more vollies into their op shops. And the type of vollies they are after are exactly as the slogan says; people who like to WORK, SHOP, PLAY, have fun and be friendly. Vollie jobs require you to help customers, finalise sales, display donated goods and keep the shop tidy as well as having fun (they also encourage groups of friends to volunteer together!).
To find out more and to view the plan head over to Australia.