More Charity Shop Bargains for 2018 & beyond!

goldfinches

Miró said:

I bought a Cos top last year, (from a chazza, natch!), but it is a very strange and unflattering shape ..... sort of square and boxy.  Only bought it cos I liked the fabric and I also wanted to try the brand. Not impressed!

Don't  know too much about silk but I've always thought Mulberry silk was the best quality.  Rather like Egyptian cotton is in the cotton world.  If the chazza fairy is listening I would love a pure silk pillowcase please.... supposed to be good for the skin & hair.

Looking at the Cos website you picked up a representative bargain!

On the subject of silk I hitherto understood silk to be derived from the cocoon of a moth whose caterpillar feeds exclusively on mulberry leaves and then spins a cocoon to pupate. The farmers collect the cocoons and boil them to dissolve the glue holding the threads together and then finding a loose end they wind the silk thread onto bobbins. Thus there is only one type of silk with several different weaves possible. Is this not now the case? Have other types of thread been discovered and utilised? Will go and consult wikipedia tomorrow but am off to bed now, sweet dreams to all, goldfinches.

Floss

The Cos tee is really nice - good shape, good length, scoop neck but not too much... it's probably one of their basics rather than a high fashion item. Must admit I did a @Miró and went on the feel of the fabric rather than label.

dolly84

Miro - where I live we have been in a local lockdown for about 4 weeks or more, last week all the Conservative areas around us came out of it and all the Labour areas stayed in even though we had way less cases.  To be honest no one is taking any notice, apart from a few hangers on they seem to have lost everyone, no wonder really, I've never bought into any of this so for me the concerns are not about health but I am massively concerned about my kids and their futures.

Had a few ventures to the charity shops recently.  I bought a vintage sideboard for £25, a vintage pot cupboard for £10, a huge and absolutely gorgeous gilt framed print by Roger Desoutter for £30, a F&F seemingly new striped jumper for DS for 99p and a BNWT Joules long sleeved red top in lovely soft and thick cotton for £3.49 also for DS.

I haven't looked at clothes for either myself or DH but we have donated quite a few.

Miró

dolly84 said:

Miro - where I live we have been in a local lockdown for about 4 weeks or more, last week all the Conservative areas around us came out of it and all the Labour areas stayed in even though we had way less cases.  To be honest no one is taking any notice, apart from a few hangers on they seem to have lost everyone, no wonder really, I've never bought into any of this so for me the concerns are not about health but I am massively concerned about my kids and their futures.

I'm pretty resigned to the idea of a local lockdown now then as we are a labour area!  Very few people are taking it seriously here now too - we had a rave on the park over the road from me a couple of weeks ago with hundreds attending and no social distancing and yesterday there was a 'no masks' demo over there where they protested by mass hugging!!  And the police just stood by and watched from a distance both times.  And....and we have three big universities here so are about to be 'invaded' by 60,000 students who will, no doubt, all be socially responsible 

Anyhoo....sorry for going O/T.  Just back from a little wander about the local charity shops and came home with a pair of M & S khaki jeans, as new, and cost £3 in the Martin House Hospice shop.  Only problem is someone has pressed creases into them.....(aaarrgghh the horror!!!)  Shall have to get busy with a wet cloth and a hot iron.  Also picked up a gorgeous delicate white lawn top with pin tucks and cobwebby lace and white embroidery.  On the half price rail in the Community chazza at £1.50.  Another woman picked it up and was walking about the shop with it with me in hot pursuit willing her to put it back and she did!!

Wraithlady

Was going to have a browse in a charity shop just to see if they had anything interesting - rather put off by there being a queue to get in, so left it. That'll teach me to try to do chazza shopping on a Saturday

wondercollie

It wasn't a charity shop but FB marketplace.  A maple dining room set (long table, 6 chairs, buffet and hutch.  $325.   Now bear with me, I have a similar set that only sets six at a push, and the hutch.  I paid over $3500 back in the 1980s, so when I saw the pictures, I jumped.  All of it matches what we own, so now, I am ready for family dinners, the extra hutch is great storage.  I was and am very happy.  You just don't get the quality any more.  The sad thing is, it's so not fashionable that real wood is being given away at a joke price.
Coats?  I live in an area where it is -20 and worse for at least three months of the year.  I own three down coats and several wool ones.  The wool just doesn't cut it.

goldfinches

wondercollie said:

It wasn't a charity shop but FB marketplace.  A maple dining room set (long table, 6 chairs, buffet and hutch.  $325.   Now bear with me, I have a similar set that only sets six at a push, and the hutch.  I paid over $3500 back in the 1980s, so when I saw the pictures, I jumped.  All of it matches what we own, so now, I am ready for family dinners, the extra hutch is great storage.  I was and am very happy.  You just don't get the quality any more.  The sad thing is, it's so not fashionable that real wood is being given away at a joke price.
Coats?  I live in an area where it is -20 and worse for at least three months of the year.  I own three down coats and several wool ones.  The wool just doesn't cut it.

Cor, wondercollie what a find, well done. I've been noticing a similar trend with bookcases and particularly chests of drawers for the last five years or so on this side of the pond and every now and again I snap up some really lovely quality item at the local auction house for less than £50. I only wish I had a large house with big rooms to furnish with mid Victorian furniture as it could currently be done beautifully for a song. It does make me laugh when I see the prices in the emails from Wayfair, Ikea etc. for shoddily made items that probably won't last their purchasers more than a couple of years but I suppose everyone has to find these things out for themselves, don't they?
Sweet dreams, goldfinches.

dolly84

wondercollie said:

It wasn't a charity shop but FB marketplace.  A maple dining room set (long table, 6 chairs, buffet and hutch.  $325.   Now bear with me, I have a similar set that only sets six at a push, and the hutch.  I paid over $3500 back in the 1980s, so when I saw the pictures, I jumped.  All of it matches what we own, so now, I am ready for family dinners, the extra hutch is great storage.  I was and am very happy.  You just don't get the quality any more.  The sad thing is, it's so not fashionable that real wood is being given away at a joke price.
Coats?  I live in an area where it is -20 and worse for at least three months of the year.  I own three down coats and several wool ones.  The wool just doesn't cut it.

I love solid wood vintage furniture and have quite a lot of it, it is so well made and any damage can easily be repaired unlike laminated stuff which just chips and peels away.  Last weekend I refinished my solid oak 1930's tea trolley, I stripped off the damaged varnish, cleaned with wire wool and waxed it to a high shine rather than re varnish, it looks beautiful and can be wheeled around if needed, I paid £25 for it and will have it forever.  Most of the things I have are 1920's - 1950's and were very cheap really, a recent find in a house clearance place was a tall, solid oak hallway cupboard with all original hooks and hat shelf, lots of detail on the exterior and jewelled pull door handle, we have all our everyday shoes and coats in it plus baskets on the shelf with hats and scarves and dog leads etc, I paid £35 for it.  Like goldfinches I wish I had more room.

wondercollie

I know.  The sets are fantastic.  Solid maple, made in Canada.  The table has the date it was made and the factory brand (and I do mean brand, like in red hot poker on the wood.  There are a couple of sets go on FB marketplace every month, because they are no longer trendy.   One woman called her set "a beast from the 80s".  Well, strong, sturdy, and a bit of a workhorse set of furniture.

I'd love to find a proper china cabinet, the bow fronted variety that every Granny had.  The are pretty scarce in my part of Canada, but available in BC and Ontario (higher proportion of UK immigrants).  I just have figure out if there is enough space in my vehicle to bring one back from the coast.

dolly84

wondercollie said:

I know.  The sets are fantastic.  Solid maple, made in Canada.  The table has the date it was made and the factory brand (and I do mean brand, like in red hot poker on the wood.  There are a couple of sets go on FB marketplace every month, because they are no longer trendy.   One woman called her set "a beast from the 80s".  Well, strong, sturdy, and a bit of a workhorse set of furniture.

I'd love to find a proper china cabinet, the bow fronted variety that every Granny had.  The are pretty scarce in my part of Canada, but available in BC and Ontario (higher proportion of UK immigrants).  I just have figure out if there is enough space in my vehicle to bring one back from the coast.

We used to have DH's grandmother's bow fronted cabinet but when the children came along the room it was taking up was needed so we got rid of it which I now regret, they are easy to come across here though but I still don't really have the space.