Summer sell out

All summer clothing was 50 cents at Vinnies in Phillip, today.

Op-shopping: A rough guide

I found this link on Victoria's Youth Central a while back and forgot to post it here until now...

Op shop poetry

My grandmother forwarded me this poem which she found in the Autumn 2010 Otago Poems in the Waiting Room (see info the original UK initiative here):

Op-Shop Fever

I must go down to the stores again
on the back streets of our town,
I’ve thrown my wardrobe in the bin,
I must have some hand-me-down.
And all I ask is a welcome smile
from the ladies at the tables –
They know my taste for silk or lace
and all the better labels.

I must go down to the stores again
to rummage through the racks,
Oh I can’t wait to clinch a deal
and snavel designer slacks.
And all I ask is to frisk the bins
and smell the ancient scent,
To finger satin lingerie,
to click the hangers bent.

I must go down to the stores again,
it’s a thing that I enjoy …
To act like a vagrant Gypsy type
and mix with the hoi polloi.
And all I ask is to trudge away
with the haul to my trusty Rover,
And a quiet stare in a looking glass
and some cash left over.

Barbara Strang

When contacted for permission to reprint the poem here, Barbara replied:

"I am the author of "Op-Shop Fever", which is as you probably realise is a parody of "Sea Fever" by John Masefield. It's fine if you use it on your website. Also is you wouldn't mind mentioning that it was first published in book form in "The Unbelievable Lightness of Eggs" (incidentally the title of another poem of mine in the book) published by Hallard Press.

Your blog looks great! I do op shopping myself, and one of my sisters does even more!

Cheers,
Barbara Strang"

half price sale

today only @ Vinnies, Phillip

---- Sent from my 3 mobile

The Op Shop ladies of Emerald Hill

I just stumbled across this documentary on ABC iview. No idea how good it is as I don't have time to watch it just yet...

Summer Sale

Vinnies at Phillip is selling off summer clothing for $2 a piece. 

A question from a reader:

Hi There,

Love your Op Blog, and I love Op shops! I will be in Canberra for this weekend, and hoping you can give some advice on the best op shops where I'd find:

* Toddler clothes (age approx 2yrs girls)

* Toys - the kind that are good quality like Fischer Price (I dont mind how old)..

I'll be staying in Gunghalin, but don't mind travelling around Canberra (I am a committed op shopper!)

Thanks,
Kelly

Thrifty Thursday

Reprinted from The Shopping Sherpa

Spare money + spare time at lunch = a trip to the local op shop, not more than a block away from work. Sadly, it's been almost a month since i've been able to do any op shopping.

I picked up yet another pair of cropped denim pants. ($5. Do I need them? No. Do they make me happy? Yes)

And a bag containing almost 200g of Studio Mohair and a couple of balls of other fluffy white stuff ($3. Do I need it? No. Especially after a recent delivery of a gift which I now dub Mohair Mountain. Does it make me happy? Yes)And while we're on the subject I found my $30 Witchery voucher a couple of days ago and cashed it in:Leather conditioner for my wonderful, faithful, most favorite EX23 vintage leather satchel ($0 but RRP $12.95. Do I need it? Hell yes!) and a palette of eyeshadows to replace random containers that have been banging round for far too many cruise adventures ($0, RRP $19.95 but marked down to $14.95. Do I need it? Not just yet, but maybe sometime soon...)

There's still money left on the card but unless I fancy a set of overpriced hair elastics it'll stay there and slowly rot.

St Ninian's Occasional Op Shop

Bron in the comments reports:

I went to the St Ninian's op shop today and it was great. Lots of clothes - good selection and very cheap. There was also a big selection of household stuff, particularly kitchenware.

They are holding a book sale on Saturday 15 May and then another clothing sale on 12 June. The dates are already on my calendar!

Thanks, Bron - we've added those dates, too and I'll put them in the sidebar as well.

TOF and I got there very late, but I did snag a Liberty cotton blouse for $1.50 which will become hankies, or trim for a garment .  TOF got some shots of the price lists - definitely good value.

Buttoned down

TOF and I celebrated Canberra Day (acutally on the 12th, but we had the day off today), in a way that John Gale and the other advocates of this region for the National Capital would approve - we supported the economy of Queanbeyan.

The Bargain Hunter was the smartest of the four Queanbeyan op shops - it had a Canberra Day sale, marking down the half-price summer stock to $2 a piece where we picked up some yoga pants, a couple of shirts and a Geelong Cats t-shirt for my nephew.

At Vinnies, I picked up 3 vintage Patons patterns for the collection for 10c each.

My favourite buy, though, was in the little Salvos shop (not the Family Store), where I picked up all these gorgeous vintage leather buttons for $6 and we found a piece of hard to find Tupperware for $2.

It's on again.

I have been informed that Second hand Sunday will be held on Sunday 28 March.

So I-op readers, let's get out there and see what we can find.

A couple of occasional op-shops

While travelling around the Canberra suburbs I have noticed a few churches will be having their "coffee op-shops" or "second hand clothing op-shops" (their words, not mine).

St Ninian's on the corner Mouat and Brigalow Streets in Lyneham will be having a second hand clothing op-shop between 9am and midday on Saturday 6 March.

View Larger Map

Also the Anglican Christ Church in Hawker, on the corner of Belconnen Way and Beetaloo street in Hawker will be having a Coffee Op-Shop on Saturday 6 March between 9am and 1pm.

View Larger Map

Can any I-opers who go to these sales please find out for us, how often, and when, they have these sales.