OK, what a great, fun, funky and totally unique place RE is!
It is almost too much of a challenge to try and review it here - the stuff they source is like no other I've ever seen. As they say themselves, if your shopping list includes a plaster Virgin Mary, some French bubble bath, a recycled cardboard candlestick and maybe a reclaimed chandelier, then bingo, you've found the right place to come.
Located just behind the Shell garage in Corbridge, it's not immediately obvious that this place exists bar a small A-board on the pavement, indeed the first time I discovered it was purely by accident! What I love about RE is that you're more than welcome to pop in to their converted garage/workshop and have a browse around with no pressure whatsoever to purchase. The background music is just the most eclectic mix of tunes, you could almost just spend your time listening to that.
The stock changes a fair amount, it is a real gift they have in sourcing these items and keeping things fresh (must take ages to find and move around), so you never know what you might find in RE. I suppose that if I was being *really* picky, this mix of stock means you'll sometimes pop in with the specific purpose of browsing and nothing else. Also, some items do go slightly along the line of 'I love it now, but what would I actually do with it when it get home?!' - but having said that, the selected items I've previously purchased from here either for home or for gifts for others, have always been spot on.
The unique nature of some items brings a slightly higher price tag compared to something similar you could pick up in a 'normal' store, but I have to say it is this uniqueness that makes RE exactly what it is! Chances are a purchase you make from RE will soon be a talking point... especially if you end up going away with a 6-foot plaster Jesus plus crucifix for your living room wall. Not that I have, just to clarify...
People, if you find yourself in Corbridge at some point, do make the detour behind the garage and pop into RE, I'm sure you'll not be disappointed you did. read more
