Summertown Charity shops

Oxfam Store Window

Oxford folks are really good at recycling.  We have garbage pick-up every Friday; one week it’s the real trash; the next, it’s the recycling bin (glass, cardboard, junk mail, aluminium, etc).  In addition, every week they pick up the vegetable waste (we have a special bin for veggie bits, out-dated fresh fruits and vegetables, etc.)  It’s all very organized.  Admittedly, we have very large garbage cans…

So one of the main ways people get rid of their old cloths, furniture, household items, etc. is to donate them to charity shops.  In Summertown alone there are 5 shops.  I frequent them at least once a week.  You never know what you’ll find!

Let’s have a little tour of the Summertown charity shops then.  We’ll start with the Oxfam Store.

Most of you have probably heard of Oxfam.  According to their website, it’s a global movement of people working with others to overcome poverty and suffering. They have stores everywhere in the UK.  There are a bunch in Oxford.  Most are general charity shops, with a wide range of merchandise.  However, they do have special bookstores; there are at least 2 of those in Oxford alone.

The Oxfam Store in Summertown has a little of everything.  When you walk in, you might think you’re in a boutique.  Everything is neatly arranged.  The clothes are arranged by color and even have the sizes on the hangers!  One of the people in the store explained to me that they only sell used clothing that’s in excellent condition.  They wouldn’t want any of my junky clothes!

There are a few areas in this store that I always visit.  I love to check out the dishes and knickknacks that line the sides of the front area.  The jewelry cases toward the back are always good too.  I usually go upstairs sometimes to look at linens, books and pictures.

Across the street from Oxfam there are three more charity shops: Scope, the Helen & Douglas House and the Blue Cross Animal Charity.  I only went in Scope recently.  This store supports a British charity that caters to disabled people.  I always thought this was a dress shop till I saw a sign out front about donations!  It does have mainly clothes.

In the same block, you’ll find  the Helen & Douglas House, which supports hospice care.  Now this too looks like a boutique.  The windows are always well dressed, and, like Oxfam, they arrange their clothes by color and size.  The knickknacks are by the front door.  In the back is the book nook.  They have a bit of jewelry too. 

 In the next block is the Blue Cross Animal Charity Shop. Blue Cross is dedicated to improving the lives of sick and unwanted animals of all kinds.  Now how can you NOT support them!  The shop is a little shabby compared to the first three I’ve mentioned, but I always enjoy rummaging through its contents!  They have color-coordinated clothes in the front.  In the back they have the household items and the books.  One thing they have for cheap are knitting needles and crochet hooks (which I purchased for less than a pound).  I also like to look at their book section and their linens.

Well, there’s one more shop on my list – and it is my favorite:  The Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary on South Parade (just off Summertown’s Banbury Road).  Like Blue Cross, this charity is focused on animal welfare.  Their shop on South Parade is very quaint -- it beckons the junque collector to come in and explore!. 

When they’re open, this shop always have neat things outside.  Inside the door are the clothes, then in the back on the left are the kitchen things.  My favorite section is the linen section in the back right – table cloths, napkins, aprons, etc. 

One of the favorite things I bought here were two old Laurel and Hardy dolls for Karl, who collects L&H memorabilia.  I also bought a really neat tea cozy.  Oh yeah, the other intriquing thing about this shop, is that it’s mentioned in a Morse mystery.  An important pair of red running shoes show up in a bag on the doorstep of the Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary shop in The Remorseful Day, Morse's last novel!

Window of the Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary Shop

So here are some of the things I’ve purchased at Summertown charity shops.  I tried to buy things that would pack easily.  Had to bypass furniture, pillows and glassware…