When I see or think of a Salvation Army charity shop I have a vision of the one next to byres road…read morethat is full of hidden gems, clothes, CDs & China. This one in Paisley is a tiny shop that sells mainly clothing, there is no furniture, due to lack of space, but there is a little selection of household items, books and CDs. I think you would struggle to find anything really old, any good finds may be only in the clothing.

This is a whole other experience when you head into this shop located on the ground floor of the…read morePaisley Shopping Centre. You don't take it in at first but you stop, look, blink lots, then think, "did I just see what I thought I saw? Yup, a shop with people dressed in period costume". I just had to go in and investigate more. This shop is part museum, part sewing shop, part information centre. The shop is run by a group of volunteers who are using the shop to promote the event Renfrewhire Witch Hunt 1697 event on Saturday 9th June. They have examples of period costumes from the 17th century hanging on the walls. If you want an instant change there is a painted wooden panel where you can pop you head in and suddenly you're a 17th century peasant man or woman. You guessed it, I couldn't help myself and pop my head through. They encourage you to not only to come along to the event in June but to make your own costume and transform yourself so you can join in on the day in your own period costume. I want to become a lady, I'm no peasant woman. Hehe! There's sewing machines and volunteers on hand to help you out. There's also tutorial videos to help guide you. Not only can you get information from the staff and information dotted around the shop but there's a interactive multi-media package on a laptop that you can scroll through at your own leisure finding out the history of the project and what the project have been doing. They said even the MSP Douglas Alexander came to visit the shop. It's a very unusual shop and to find in a shopping centre makes an interesting stop/shop to the day.

From the owner: The young people uncovered unexpected findings about the links between the "witch hunt" of 1697 and…read morethe rise of the textile industry on which Renfrewshire's wealth was based. Crucially, they discovered the power of the myth of the horseshoe and the powerful symbolic act of replacing it was incorporated into the project. The task now is to carry out further research into the textile history, its origins around the events of 1697 and the way it underpinned the flourishing of Paisley and Renfrewshire in the 19th Century until its decline in the 1960s as well as to spread the findings as widely as possible in the community through a touring exhibition. Our core young people are now sharing their findings with schools throughout Renfrewshire (supported by a CfE approved learning resource) The original young members of the team have now formed a separate organisation (a SCIO) and are represented on the board of Renfrewshire Witch Hunt 1697. Three are serving on the committee.

Located within the centre of paisley which makes a difference from the usual pubs, betting shops or…read moreempty shops that seem to be the main feature or at least seem to be fairly common within the center of paisley & high street.

This place is amazing - a huge warehouse full of curiosities and salvaged items. Fireplaces,…read moreradiators, various items of furniture, old doors, books, piles of wood, chimneys and church pews... We went in search of some bits of wood to make some shelves and the service was excellent, we found the perfect bits and the member of staff clambered over various things to get to it for us. They lent us a saw to trim it to fit in the car and they take cards for payment. Despite measuring more than twice, we ended up needed more wood so I went back alone to get some and asked for help sawing it and she did it for me. Brilliant service. I also found some great wee glass bottles the first time (I bought 3 for £3) and when I went back I spotted some awesome bowls which I bought for 25p each!! It's an amazing place to explore :)

WIN! I've been all…read moregrannied out with charity shops as of late - think it's because I've overloaded my house full of rag and bone merchant tatt. I wouldn't have it any other way, but it can be exhausting. Then I came to the Biritsh Heart Foundation in the Clydebank Shopping Centre, and found the best teapot in the world! It cost a tenner, but if I took that bad boy to the Antiques Roadshow I'm sure I'd come back a millionaire. It looks amazing - it's even got Henry VIII on it! But I gave it to my mum because I knew she'd love it - all together now, AWWW. But aside from my ramblings about how ace this British Heart is, the shop itself is exceptionally well oerganised, packed full of cheeky bargains and usually very busy indeed. They normally have some gorgeous clothes and occasionally you can pick up some designer knock off's in here for under a fiver. The volunteer was so friendly and good at his job. And it shows because this outlet of the British Heart Foundation does its charity proud!

Really really overcharges. The dvds in here are cheaper in…read morethe shops and they have for several pounds the same celeb biographies and similar books that you can get in poundland. Charity shops are best sourced based on the area they are based within and this one proves that.

Situated in the sleepy yet smog ridden end of Great Western Road, this Barnardos seems to pick up…read moreon all the expensive suburban swag. How can a charity shop's selection be classified suburban? Good question: it's my definition of stocking a lot of knock off designer labels received from middle class trendy Wendy's in their 40s, and lots of childrens clothing donations. I didn't find this Barnardos paricularly exciting but there was a decent seletion of everything, and a couple of really nice dresses from Topshop. It is nestled in a family minded area so a lot of the clothing for younger generations would most likely suit teenagers - I can imagine that mums have been questioning their daughters about whether they really have to own more than 10 dresses, and that's why some of these items have ended up in here. But a lesson in giving to charity can't be half bad for anyone. As for consumers, they will benefit from these hidden gems. Just off the congested Great Western Road, this Barnardos has a laid back approach that is fitting with the surrounding airy and elegant flats.

Like the Barnardos across the road from this Cancer Research outlet, this charity shop is evidently…read morein an austere catchment area for collecting second hand clothing. Most of the clothing in here would suit older generations, with high quality V neck knits and a copious amount of lilac skirts and shirts! All were well priced and kept in really good condition - an easy outfit option for fancy parties! There was also an amiable selection of clothes for gents, including a large supply of jackets. The volunteers were hard at work keeping this place clean and orderly when I entered, and were notably in high spirits which is always nice on a rainy day! They were hard at work on an Easter display - gotta love a charity shop with seasonal themes. They had broken out the Easter bunnies from the back for this special occasion, and I must admit I did giggle when I heard one of the ladies comment on how one of the toys was "nice, but glaikit lookin'". What a greatly underappreciated Scots word, and to great comic effect - for those of you not from these parts it means you look a bit morose and downtrodden. Seeing people happy in their job is a rarity these days and it was pleasant to see these ladies getting into the Spring spirit of things.