I'll tell you now, this is some mad little charity shop that the Air Ambulance have got going on…read morehere. At first glance, it's the usual kind of low-budget charity shop with a few boxes and rails of stuff outside. When you walk in what hits you is that all the clothes which line the side walls of the shop are arranged according to colour. If you think about it, this makes a kind of sense, but when applied in a retail situation has an incredibly disarming effect. It's like wondering into some bizarre colour co-ordinated tunnel with a bold red section bleeding through pink into white and green melting into blue through a mix of chiffon, silk and polyester. I picked up a handful of obscure 70s soul records (the kind that sound like funky porn soundtracks) and took them to the counter at the back of the shop. I think it took the two ladies sat having a brew and a chat a minute to realise I wanted to buy something because they just sort of looked at me for a sec. I'll definitely be visiting this wonderful little aladdin's cave again.

West Bromwich High Street isn't as laden with charity shops as one might initially expect it. It…read moredoes have it's fair share though and one of them is for this shop, which raises funds for a charity native to the Black Country. With charity shops becoming ever more brighter and laminated, Compton Hospice remains resolutely old-school and is thus one of the darker charity shops around. There's nothing wrong with that though as the less a charity shop looks like River Island, the more I like it. This particular one has recently had a move around which makes better use of its layout. Long forgotten Bee Gees singles from the 1980s rub shoulderpads with jigsaws and football videos. One thing I like about this shop is that it closes at the strange time of 3.55pm, presumably so that the folk who work there can be on their way by 4. Now that's how to treat your staff!

I must admit that until I moved over West Bromwich way, I'd never heard of Betel. Having swung by…read morethis shop a few times, I was very interested to learn that it deals mostly in furniture restored by people taken in by the Betel charity and taught, among other things, how to restore furniture. The amount of stuff in the shop on West Bromwich High Street is staggering. There are tables, bookcases, chairs, stools, footrests, wardrobes, chests of drawers, the lot. The prices of a lot of the stuff are quite high - we're talking £150 for a restored bookcase. Generally this is because it's proper old-school hand-carved stuff and not horrific 1970s cast-offs which line their aisles. Most of it's not particularly my taste (or in my price range) but the quality is fantastic and probably far better than you'd find in a lot of antique shops.

Harborne is one of those areas that is blessed with both a large number of charity shops and a…read morereasonably well-to-do and educated local community. This makes for occasional rich pickings along the main high street, which has 7 or 8 charity outlets of various denominations. Depending on which end of the High Street you start at, Oxfam will either be the first or last you visit as it is situated at the south end, just opposite the Waitrose supermarket (Harborne has a Waitrose as it's main supermarket - that ought to tell you everything you need to know about the demographics at work here) The outlet is a fairly standard Oxfam layout and it a mixture of clothes, books and bric-a-brac that the public have donated and a selection of the stock which appears in all Oxfam shops; fair trade coffee, Guatemalan Worry People - you know the type of thing. As there is an Oxfam bookshop at the other end of the High Street, the records and books available here tend to be those that didn't make the cut, but that's not to say you won't find a gem if you're lucky. The same, of course, goes for the clothes and other stock. For the clothes there is a changing cubicle, so you don't have to perform guesswork regarding sizes.

Not to be confused with Oxfam bookshop a little further down the High Street, this is a long…read moreestablished charity shop that is worthy of note for its rather fab window displays which has featured vintage clad mannequins in shopping trolleys (a nod to the students who sometimes come in here to buy fancy dress perhaps?!) amongst other things. Inside you'll find a variety of nice things - including high-end labels (in sadly, often teensy sizes), a decent vinyl selection and a good range of nonfiction and fiction books. Their cards are good and I've bought some unusual pieces of jewellery from here over the years - although compared to other charity shops in the village they are a bit pricier than you'd expect. Ethical detergents, washing powders etc and fair trade chocolate and notebooks are also available and whilst staff seem to change on a regular basis - I guess they get a lot of requests from volunteers - the people who work here always seem very jolly.

Oh my gosh, I love rummaging through this charity shop! It doesn't sell much in the way of…read moreclothing, more furniture, ornaments, crockery and glassware. They have big furniture items like wardrobes, beds and dressing tables - all at ridiculously low prices. I saw a fabulous 1950s dressing table in there a couple of months back and they wanted £25.00 for it. I love looking at the glassware - I've picked up some very cool Babycham glasses from there (£3 each) as well as some pretty pressed glass serving bowls and vases. They must get a lot of stock from house clearances - there are complete dinner services and tea sets to be snapped up. There is a glass cabinet by the till containing jewellery and more collectable items, though even these items are still really cheap. I love going in around Christmas time, as it makes a great place to pick up "vintage" style stocking fillers without breaking the bank.

Second Chance is a Charity shop or Thrift Store on the Ladypool Rd,…read moretied into the Church there. Formerly a butchers the shop still has the railes going around the ceiling where the meat was hung which now make convenient hangers for clothings. If you're into digging through Charity shops to find those rare collectors items or iems of vintage clothing, Second Chance might be one that you're not so familair with. I tend to go into Charity shops with three things in mind; clothes, books and the chance that I find something out of the ordinary that catches my eye. In Second Chance I have found some great books and a few decent items of clothing, but as is ever the way, you never know what you're going to find! If you're passing the Ladypool Rd or are a commited Charity shopper intent on routing out that bargain item, Second Chance offers a new opportunity to find that lucky find!

There's not many charity shops in this part of Birmingham, but Second Chance has more to mark it…read moreout as unusual than that. In an era when many charity shops have become, for want of a better word, modernised, Second Chance seems to be stuck in a much earlier decade, possibly sometime in the early eighties. This applies to the look of the place, the products on sale, and the pricing. You get the feeling that Second Chance don't really price their products by referencing internet sites like Ebay as some seem to. Rather what seems to happen is items are priced via a price it cheap and sell it quick ethos. Unlike some of the charity shops in other areas such as Moseley where you might see designer products from time to time, the products could best be described as "curios". If your passing and the above appeals then it's probably worth a look for no other reason than novelty value, and charity shop addicts might want to make a special trip for a dose of genuine character.

Ever had that awkward moment when you go to drop off some bags of stuff at the charity shop but…read morecan't find anywhere to park nearby, so end up having to trek a mile across town with two heaving bin liners? It can't just be me! This Donation Centre in Quinton solves the problem by having plenty of onsite parking. The unit is geared towards the donation side of things rather than the shop aspect, so you can drop your bags off without worrying about distracting the shop staff. A selection of items are on sale too, so you can have a rummage though the rails whilst you are there. The donation centre is also a base for furniture collection and house clearances. You can give them a call to enquire about these services.

The Mary Stevens Hospice is a charity that will be familiar to Black Country folk as it/they/she…read morehave charity shops all around the area in places such as Cradley Heath and Dudley. To a land-locked Brummie such as myself, this is a new name in a world filled with Oxfam, PDSA and Settlement Shop signs. Their outlet in Blackheath sums up their approach to charity shops quite nicely - it's big, clean and deals in a lot of furniture. I'll be honest, when I walk into a charity shop I'm only looking for two things: Vinyl and books (in that order). Sadly Mary Stevens has no vinyl to offer in Blackheath but it/they/she does have a lot of books. These books are mega-organised by both alphabet and subject, although I seemed to notice that the books were almost all reads to be enjoyed more by women. There was a really good section of music and film books and biographies though.

Another greater Oxfam in the area! Two reasons to visit this one: bags and bags. Seriously, someone…read morewas really generous to donate some fine bags to this shop and I bought some for less than 10 quid. I mean some! The average price of each one of them is £ 3 and I don't think you can make better deal even in the usual ( and popular) department stores. It's just a tiny shop located in the Scott Arms Shopping Centre but only two minutes inside it and I already enough to have a good laugh with the customers and the lady who works there. As I like keeping my puzzle colletion, I was pretty glad to find plenty of options there and the prices vary from £99p to £2. Really cheap even for a charity shop! The usual also is find there: DVDs, Cd's and books and if you have a kid (and a VCR player) there are some VCR tapes for children that can be a good option to make them happier when the English summer weather doesn't help!