Sadly it seems that Larne has gone overboard on the charity shop front and this means that most of…read morethem end up selling second hand junk that no one wants to buy. I think maybe that if they reduced the numbers of these stores they might end up finding out they will sell much better stock. But who am I to know really? The Action Cancer shop on Larne's Main Street is one of the many charity shops in Larne which all sell the same sort of mish mash of unwanted goods. I love the idea of charity shops and everything they stand for so I wish this branch all the luck in the world. The N.I. Hospice shops raise money and funds to help with hospice care. Annually they raise more than £400,000 for the hospice. This is a great cause so please show your support and sustain our local charities.

Twice is Nice is my favourite newest discovery. I happened to stumble upon here on a lazy afternoon…read moreshopping with a friend. Now, to be fair, if I even so much sniff a second hand book I have sensors that flare and light up the room. I'm lassoed by an invisible rope that drags me toward it. I can't help but nosey around for a bargain. I was pleasantly surprised that there were actually some good books in here (note: some, most of them were rubbish) but this was juxtaposed alongside a funky range of second hand clothes, that were dirt cheap, probably the best prices I've seen in a shop. There's an array of teddies, ornaments, toys, shoes, a bike helmet (hopefully for a collector or decoration, but if anyone ever buys this I really hope they get a severe safety warning!) but just nosying round the memoirs of the past gives me a real sense of history and the charm of all these products being recycled makes me happy (I'm a tree hugging hippy, what else can I say?)

I'm a real book worm. I love a good book and can get through them like nobody's business. The only…read moreproblem now is that my house is coming down with them! Unless a book was particularly fantastic, I will only read it once, so for that reason, I don't like to spend an awful lot of money on them. I popped into Twice is Nice on the off chance, just to see if they had any books, as a lot of charity shops don't have a great range, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had lots! I found two books I hadn't got from a series of books I had been reading, and also picked up three good well known cookery books. Best of all, when I took them to the till, the whole lot only came to £6.75. I could easily have paid that for one of the books if I had bought it brand new!

One good thing about recession - it makes second hand cool again. In a time when everyone is…read morewatching the pennies, charity and vintage shops are making a killing. This store opened up in 2009 and seems to be doing very well. I love going in for a wee hoke about and while, like at most second hands, the results are varied, I've managed to find a few little pieces amongst the rails. It is predominately clothing, but there is the odd bit of furniture which tends to be beautifully crafted dressers or wardrobes - just what you need to hold all your beautiful vintage items, right? The staff are always very welcoming, the prices are right and there's always something new to find, rather than the same old stuff you see on the high street normally. Plus, it's run by the East Belfast Mission who do a lot of good work in the poorer parts of East Belfast, engaging with young people and homeless outreach, so everyone's a winner!

'Vintage, re:use, re:style, re:store'…read more I love the idea of this shop. I hate waste and I'm always one for restyling my own clothes. This isn't just another vintage shop, it's slightly better quality than the others. They do a great job with mannequins, I'm always impressed with their window dressing skills. The clothes in the shop front was the first thing I ever noticed about the place. It's always a really good job. So kudos to whoever sets this up. Inside the store it's always laid out brilliantly, some vintage shops are a bit like TK Maxx at the best of times, you need a good few hours to sort through the jumble until you find the gem you're after, but in Vintage they've got everything in order around the shop and you can immediately find some real gems. They sell (amongst a myriad of others) trousers, skirts, dresses, shoes, jackets, formal and casual wear. Anything and everything. Paradise! Even their furniture is for sale (so pretty too!) Like most vintage shops they don't offer refunds but do offer a credit note exchange. I find this particularly handy if you don't have the time to try items on. You're always going to find something you're after anyway.

I hate second hand shops…read more They are smelly, poor merchandise and nothing you would dream of having new never mind used This place however is a nostalgic dream, full of all those brings you didn't know you needed, from old 35mm slr cameras to that record that you wanted when you were younger Great place for a rummage and helpful yet not overbearing staff

A wonderful cornucopia of nostalgia, Alison's Vintage (previously of Glasgow's West End) is a…read moredelight to browse around. Nice collection of weird and wonderful things including some neat fifties and sixties tea sets that caught my eye and some old vinyl records to thumb through. I may just do all some advance christmas shopping in here!

The Used Clothing Co buy old clothing and shoes for recycling. Basically, you bring them in your…read moreold clothes and shoes, they sort through them (to ensure that the items are in good enough condition and clean) They then weighed my bag, and gave me money based upon the weight. I'm not sure what they pay per kilo, but I had one large black bin liner full of clothes, and I got £4.55 I'm the sort of person who gets clothes all the time and easily get bored with them, so the clothes were fairly new and I would have been able to get a lot more for them if I'd listed them on eBay, but if you need stuff gone ASAP, it's a good option.

I am more than surprised to note that I don't have anything special to say about this shop. Maybe…read moreit's because Larne is coming down with thrift shops, but I just didn't see anything I liked in here (and trust me, I tried, I love me a good bargain!) So apart from it being great that it's a charity shop, supporting a fantastic cause, I don't really know what else to tell you. It's a run of the mill shop, with nice people that give up their days to volunteer for the cause. It's located on Larne's Main Street along a row of busy shops and traders. You can find the usual charity shop buys; second hand clothing, books, toys, curtains etc. The staff seem pleasant enough but I wasn't captivated by anything on sale.

I was cutting through Wellington Street on my way to Upper Queens Street yesterday when I stumbled…read moreacross Octopus's Garden. Belfast used to be a wash with Vintage stores but over the years these have slowly become extinct so it's always good to see a new one rise from the bottom of the ocean - much like an Octopus. Octopus's Garden has many strands or arms/tentacles (may as well continue down pun street). It sells vintage clothing for both males and females, old school vinyl and various other retro artifacts. The main thing I liked about Octopus Garden was that their was a varied choice - the rails were jam packed with everything from flannel shirts, band T's to leather jackets and potentially bum cheek exposing denim hot pants. The prices were reasonable too - you often find that vintage stores inflate the prices of their stock but it seems that Octopus Garden have made a concerted effort not to extort their clientele. I was only going in for a browse but I ended up walking out with a loud shirt that has already proved a controversial choice - but that's the beauty of buying vintage items - they always divide opinion and create a talking point. I recommend popping in here for a wee duke round - you never know you might come out with your (not everyone's) new favourite shirt.

If I was trapped in the Garden of The Octo I would never have a time of misery or boredom. This is…read morethe slickest place so far and I would tell anyone who visits this city that loves music and old clothes to begin their journey here. I love this place!

This is a charity shop with a difference and frankly, was a bit of a god send to me whenever I…read morerecently moved to a new apartment that was dangerously empty when I got there. Unlike most other charity shops this one accepts and sells a lot of furniture and house hold appliances for shocking cheap prices, compared to what they would actually cost brand new. I got a full sized book case and coffee table from this place for around £45 all together which is great value, and they are in perfect condition. If your moving into a new place and need a lot of furniture for less or are just looking for a bargain, this is the place to go!

I love this charity shop, and have converted many a reluctant friend by dragging them along and…read moreleaving them to their own devices while I dive straight in among the clothes racks. They sell the standard clothes, hats, shoes, belts etc that all others do, but there's also a very wide selection of books and plenty of furniture and electrical stuff in great nick at great prices. My best bargains picked up there, apart from the many books, were a tie belt for 50p, and a full length grey Kookai coat for just eight quid. I got loads of compliments on both from other laydees who wanted to know where I'd bought them, and who were invariably disappointed when I told them. Even my mum's friends made a point of complimenting the coat, a true rarity for any item of my wardrobe. (It very nearly put me off it.) While most charity shops are of the 'call in as I go past' variety, the SVDP one is one I'd recommend getting on a bus for if you're not from the area. In fact, I think I'll take a run up there on Monday.

Stuck in the back of the now very depressing Flagship Centre is The Elim Relief Association which…read moreis basically the Elim Church Charity Shop. This store is in a fantastic location in the centre of Bangor but unfortunately I doubt it gets much footfall in the struggling Flagship. The store itself sells all sorts of large items at cut prices. you can get decent second hand sofas, wardrobes and I even saw a few baby cots when I was in today. There was also a Lazy Boy recliner I had my eye on. The prices are extremely reasonable and I'm sure there would be some wiggle room if there was an item you really liked the look of. If you're renting an unfurnished property I'd make this your first port of call - you might just nab yourself a bargain.

Isle of Man has numerous thrift shops, Crossroads Boutique and Dress Agency will accept top…read morequality items on consignment. They accept up to 10 items at a time, the donor completes a form with their contact info, if items are sold the donor receives a check at month end. If after four weeks, the items are not sold, the items are kept as donations to the shop. Consignment items must be clean and in very good condition. The shop is nicely merchandised and Crossroads does great work, so even if the items do not sell, happy to donate them to the cause. They offer special occasion wear and vintage clothing, shoes, accessories, men's, women's and childrens wear plus gift items, collectibles and jewellery. Donations always welcome! The staff is very helpful. Also, Crossroads' charity shops offer volunteer and training opportunities to young people.