This Christmas try taking a fresh look at your gifting options by exploring the fascinating world of Ireland’s incredible charity shops, where you will discover original and sustainable presents alongside a treasure trove of unique designer fashions, handbags, shoes and even furniture and home accessories. You can also pick up everything from China tea sets to antique dolls houses and handmade wooden toys.
The popularity of shops like Oxfam, St Vincent de Paul (SVDP), Enable Ireland, and NCBI are driven by our innate desire to bag a bargain or a discover an object that comes with its own story. Choosing charity shops also comes with the added bonus of giving back to the community and helping a good cause. It’s a shopping trip with purpose.
Carrie Smith is a visitor to these shores from New Zealand and she loves charity shopping. Her favourite hangout is the Oxfam shop in Ringsend, Dublin, where she has found Jaeger knitwear, vintage cowboy boots and wide corduroy trousers that she intends to take back home as presents this Christmas.
“I love rummaging through the rails. There is always something surprising there that brings a sense of joy and reward, and I feel like I am saving the planet from more clutter. It’s also a break from the homogenous nature of the high street where so many styles are replicated across the shops. Here you have a good chance of finding a standout concept and giving it a fresh lease of life.”
RM Block
The Oxfam shop in Ringsend certainly has lots on offer, from discount cosmetics, perfumes and sunglasses to vintage denims, paintings and books. The eclectic nature of the stock means that your chance of finding interesting gifts for a variety of personality types is increased. It caters for a multitude of tastes, unlike many mainstream high street stores.
In fact, every charity store we explored, from the community-led thrift shop in Kilcoole, Co Wicklow, to the funkier ones in Dublin’s George’s Street and Temple Bar, had its own inimitable style, plus a sense of character, that attracts discerning customers who know their tribe and labels well.
Charity shops play a vital role in Dublin’s circular economy too, with each preloved present becoming part of the wave of environmental sustainability. Shoppers feel good that they are helping a worthy cause without damaging the planet. The Irish Charity Shops Association even maps “thrift trails” through neighbourhoods such as Ranelagh, Dún Laoghaire and Rathmines that offer a perfect opportunity for a day’s festive browsing.
Oxfam’s branches have a browsing boutique feel, with different compartments for fashion, vinyl records and musical instruments, plus leather bags that hang out alongside handmade cushions, quilts and rugs.
“We also receive a lot of brand new pieces from stores like Marks and Spencer and high-end clothing such as Mango coats or knitwear by Paul Costelloe – more than ever,” says a volunteer in Oxfam Rathmines. “As people declutter and buy less, with more quality, they are finding beautiful and useful gifts at great prices- items that might have been dumped in a previous decade.”
NCBI has numerous outlets across Ireland including on Camden Street and Capel Street in Dublin. Last Christmas you could find a gorgeous cashmere jumper by Paul Costelloe and a Kate Spade handbag in NCBI for a fraction of the usual price.
Among the goods for sale in the Dún Laoghaire store was a hand-woven, navy cardigan by Ireland’s Eye. The fact that it came from a charity shop only serves to enhance its value to a generation who adore surfing the shelves and rails in search of vintage surprises.
Vision Ireland is the second-biggest charity shop chain the country and has a great outlet in Dún Laoghaire. Every time you shop with them you are helping the 54,000 people living with sight loss in Ireland.
Vision Ireland offers community-based services providing practical and emotional support, rehabilitation services, visual aids and other training designed to help people with sight loss to live independently.
The Vincent’s (St Vincent de Paul) shops can be found in many locations around Dublin, from Thomas Street to Blackrock and Rathmines, whose stock includes high-quality winter coats and designer handbags. I even spotted some brand new Coach shoes.
“We get students hunting for offbeat jumpers, or guys searching for original vinyl records, and then a lot of older people coming in for a chat. It’s a melting pot for a mix of generations,” says a volunteer in Vincent’s in Meath Street.
Age Action’s shop on Camden Street shop is full of friendly volunteers, young students and curious tourists intrigued by the packed shelves that sell everything from bedside lockers to lamps or crockery.
Back in Dún Laoghaire charity stores like Barnardo’s are also doing a bustling trade. All the proceeds go towards vulnerable children in Ireland. A friendly shop assistant picked out some key favourites that included a grey wool coat and a pair of black patent shoes.
“The good merchandise moves fast, and the bargains are snapped up quickly,” she advised. “There are certain expert shoppers who know their bargains when they see one.”
She also selected some interesting pieces including a barely used handbag, a JBL speaker and a guitar – perfect for the budding Brian May in your life.
The charity shops are getting more high tech and Christmas brings extra supplies of popular gifts such as headphones, and more mundane electrical items such as new hairdryers and irons at a fraction of the recommended price.
The Hope Cancer Support online store is dedicated to helping those suffering with cancer in the community in Co Wexford. The charity also has an online retail store where you can snap up a range of interesting gifts, from dresses to men’s shoes. It uses all proceeds from the store to fund counselling, holistic therapies and support groups for clients.
If you’re venturing out to seek some Christmas stocking fillers, here are a few tips from the bargain hunters:
- It’s important to start early in the day as the best pieces are snapped up quickly.
- Sometimes you can negotiate a price, especially for furniture or designer lamps which shops like to move swiftly due to space considerations.
- Check out the Christmas corner or the dedicated gifting section of the stores as they frequently have very good quality items at bargain prices.
- Seek out the brand-new donations from top clothing stores that like to donate last-season clothing.
In a frenetic season that can feel overrun by commercialism, profit and urgency, these well-curated charity stores offer a more relaxed shopping experience that emphasises slow, sustainable purchases and meaningful gifts for our loved ones.
Of course, if you feel like volunteering or donating yourself, you can always sign up by contacting the charities through their websites.
