He saved me. I went to 4 shops to get some self made xmas…read morecards and no one would do it The gentleman did it for me straight away and fixed some size problems Great!!!

A brilliant resource centre for the local community, Marc Ltd is a not for profit organisation that…read moreoffers cheap design, print and computer services. The materials are more limited in terms of colour and stock than other printers but it's ideal if you're looking to photocopy hundreds of copies of a zine or get flyers and posters printed for a new gig or club night. To paraphrase the band Bis: The DIY revolution starts here!

Total Reuse CIC is an all-encompassing social enterprise to do with recycling and resuse. I've…read moremainly been a customer of The Bike Shed, which is one aspect of what they do, with The Tool Shed, The Paint Shed, The Sewing Room etc being other aspects of the enterprise. It looks like they offer a domestic and industrial clearance and decluttering service. The furniture etc from the clearances plus other donated items are then refurbished and upcycled for sale in their warehouse shop. I would think their workforce are combination of paid project leaders plus volunteer clients who need a hand to get back into employment. The warehouse is impressively full of white electrical goods, beds, tables, chairs, sofas, vinyl records, paint and so on. I think you could bag a bargain here, especially in terms of the more basic or less fashionable stuff, but if it is a really cracking old pine table then I think they will price it accordingly and also there are probably a certain class of people (retro interior designers or hobbyists) watching this sort of place like hawks. If you are looking to kit out an unfurnished house on a budget, then Total Reuse should be your first stop. If you like the British Heart Foundation furniture shop in the Connie, then this place is probably right up your street. There is probably more chance of a bargain at Total Reuse, their showroom is much bigger and also they have some unique lines depending on what has recently been donated. For example, Laura Ashley denim paint seems to be there in some quantity at the moment. Plus, with The Sewing Room on site, if you like the chairs but not the upholstery, they will reupholster them with the fabric of your choice. And then there is the whole "upcycling" aspect, which could easily see you walk out with your very own custom-built Heath Robinson machine, if that is your bag! Given the fairly boring retail environment that is the Connie and indeed the shopping centres on all of Skem's estates, I think Total Reuse is a must visit for the intrepid shopper.

Used to go here often as a teenager & loved the youth club kept us out of trouble lolread more

A treasure trove of second hand & vintage items!…read more This is a charity shop which funds the work of the Mustard Tree. They support vulnerable people across Greater Manchester in a variety of ways. This shop is a couple of minutes walk down Oldham Road, just out of the end of the Northern Quarter. They have a huge range of second hand items including furniture, white goods (but not cookers), clothing, bric a brac, electricals and entertainment items like vinyl. Everything is very reasonably priced as you would expect and they get some amazing vintage items in. They offer delivery for either £5 or £10 depending on the distance which is much cheaper than most other local charities. They also accept donations of items and can collect furniture for free on their vans. Call their office to book in a collection of you want to donate or you drop things like clothing off at their site. Check the website for opening times. It's well worth the extra small walk out of the main city centre to have a rummage in this hidden gem!

This place has furniture so laughably cheap I could, well, laugh. As the proud new owner of a small…read morehouse I visited here one Saturday to kit the place out. I left with: 1 double bed (frame) 1 single bed (frame) 1 double wardrobe 1 single wardrobe 1 chest of drawers 1 bookcase 4 kitchen chairs 1 hallway unit All look very nice, all very functional. Combined cost: £253. Add on a tenner and they delivered the whole lot, carried each piece into the correct room etc. NB: CASH ONLY. They know where the nearest ATM is, but don't get caught out.

I must admit, this isn't the best shop of it's kind in the area, and there are a few, it's stock is…read moreusually quite poor and the shop itself is, well, not the freshest. However, it is, if you can compare charities, one of the most worthy. Jospice is entirely run by volunteers and raises money for the St Joesph's Hospice in Thornton. Jospice provides care and support for the terminally ill and their families and is a very popular local organisation... so I don't really understand why locals dump their unwanted rubbish here.. Have a look, and give where you can. The staff are so lovely and very grateful.

In terms of stock this was once of the best charity shops in the area. I would often come here and…read morepick up several books for school and university studies. Now however the book section is quite poor and there's little to me up for this. Obviously the standard of the goods sold depends on the goods donated, it's tough times and people must be less willing to give away their property! Fair enough, but the charity shops are suffering a bit! This is a nice big store, the staff are always very friendly and do what they can to keep the store tidy and attractive by way of window displays and stock arrangement.