What a neat spot! This historical spot is rich with stories, but also has some of the most…read moredelicious ice cream I have ever had. Get your Scottish trinkets and grab a scoop of ice cream before you leave!

I don't get this place isn't listed as an ice cream establishment, because the ice cream here is…read morenext level great! Wow! Get the award winning double cream vanilla and the raspberry sorbet! So. Damn. Good!

This is a well stocked charity shop with a good range of bric-a-brac and all for a good cause, of…read morecourse. I particularly like browsing through the book sections in charity shops and they had a whole section called "Old and Interesting" with some pretty old school books including old film reviews which I thought was pretty cool. The staff here are friendly and on my visit they were busy working away organising new stock onto the shelves. They also have a section with brand new items including gardening accessories such as cool watering cans and gloves. They also had a box of rubber ducks for £1.99 a pop.

This is possibly the cheapest of the central charity shops especially if you are looking for books…read more Even the best books which you won't find anywhere else for less than about £3 will be found here at £1.50 if you are lucky enough to stumble upon them. However, due to the cheapness of these items the stock moves fairly quickly so a one off visit is not always very successful. The bric-a-brac section is also very good with a selection of kitchen appliances usually available. These are very tempting at the prices and I did have to stop myself from buying a second kettle. All in this shop is cheap, but this does mean that the best items don't spend long in the shop.

WOW!!! I drove past…read morethis shop on my way to Inverness, and I had to park to go and have a closer look. It was so f***ing cool!! It is a charity shop for save the children, but completely unlike all the others I've been in before. I felt like I was in the gift shop of an art gallery, everything is kitsch and retro, and the colours are amazing. The whole shop is decorated brilliantly and it looks like something out of the movies. Upon further investigation, I found out that the shop is owned by TV retail advisor and Save the Children Ambassador, Mary Portas, and it is infact a designer charity shop. I didn't know you could get them! I plan to spend an awful lot more time in here.

In agreement with Emily, I did a swift double take when I saw this place!…read more Towering above its neighbours in a gorgeous old building, Mary's Living and Giving looks more like a pretty boutique than it does a charity shop. Essentially, it is - boasting secondhand designer clothing and accessories, it's got some chic and often retro offerings. So you can get a snazzy outfit for a dinner party at an absolute steal of a price! With its creaky, varnished floorboards and warm lighting, it feels as though you're in Monsoon rather than in a charity establishment. The pictures toward the back of the shop remind you of who you are helping, however, making finding a bargain in Mary's an ethical choice! Gok Wan would be all about it!

The British Heart Foundation charity store, located on a street full of charity shops, manages to…read morestand out because of its impressive window display of the latest items available in the store. This shop is literally packed with everything you can expect from DVDs to clothes to books and bric-a-brac. As with all charity shops it's ideal to browse, and best if you aren't looking for something particular or else have a vague idea of what you want (i.e a white t shirt for a dress up). The prices are not the lowest on the street but it's still worth a browse around and in both cases that I have been in here the staff have been super friendly!

I nipped in here for a wee browse last week and it really is crammed to bursting. Most charity…read moreshops only have a couple of second hands videos/DVD's but they literally have hundreds here all very well organised and easy to browse. To be fair, if you go to somewhere like Fopp or HMV you will probably get brand new ones for cheaper but I guess you're getting a reasonably cheap item plus you're giving to a good cause so if you're feeling in a giving mood maybe head here. They had a great selection of clothes and if you take the time to browse I'm sure there's lots of pretty items just waiting to be uncovered. They also have an extensive range of knick knacks and I had my eye on a candle holder shaped like an old flip flop, one of the funniest designs I've ever seen, I'm surprised the original owner could bear to part with it.

I have been to a few events here and the Grassmarket Community Centre has a modern new building and…read morenice event spaces. I've been in the main hall for a wine reception event and the space worked equally well for that for 100 people and also for a seminar for 15 people. There is a cafe in the front of the building and I believe they do film screenings either in the main hall or another screening room. The location is easy to get to and the staff seemed friendly enough and accommodating to host various events. The lunch they served us was really nice with flavourful carrot soup, an assortment of sandwiches, and a tray of cut up fresh fruit that was nicely presented. The wifi also worked well and I had no complaints about the event space. #underdog #newonyelp

Grassmarket Community Project was the building we stopped in when we were on our guided tour of…read moreEdinburgh. Has a nice café and indoor/outdoor seating area with reasonable prices. Stop in for a cake, coffee, or just to relax and remember that your patronage goes back into helping the community.

Capability Scotland is Scotland's leading disability charity so you know that whatever you buy in…read morethis charity shop branch on Nicolson Street, the money will end up going to a good cause. This branch is well stocked with a good selection of books, clothing, shoes and bric-a-brac. The prices are also very reasonable, and by that I mean they are actual charity shop prices. I've been into charity shops where they sell old tat for £100+ which I just find ridiculous. Yeah, it's for a good cause but some people don't have enough money themselves to be that generous. The staff in this branch are also very friendly and when I popped in I was greeted by a smiley staff member and it made the shop all the more welcoming.

I love this charity shop. The staff and volunteers are super friendly and helpful…read more They have a huge stock room upstairs so it's worth asking if you're after something particular and can't find it. The prices are reasonable. The book selection isn't that big but again there is a good range of stuff. I went in looking for a few cocktail glasses and ended up coming out with 25 and a box to carry them in. They have a huge range and even more upstairs that they'll let you have the pick of if you ask nicely.

This is a decent charity shop and one of the most convenient for the city centre. It's best part…read moreis probably the books and the place to start with these will be with the ones in the shop window. These aren't as cheap as you might get at more low key areas, but you get quality rather than cheap items from here. All the items throughout are of a decent standard and although the shop is quite small, it does manage to fit a fair amount in. Generally anything really good is quite easy to find so a thorough search is often a waste of time, but a quick browse usually finds at least one item of interest.

Here, the advantages of having a charity shop located in the city centres are evident in abundance…read more Recent book releases, the odd tempting album even old football kits are there thanks to the more affluent donators. As with most charity shops, bargains are there to be found and this one is no different. What makes this one stand out is its healthy selection of retro games. I managed to find a couple of decent Gamecube gems amongst others. Worth a look.

From a buyers perspective I cant fault this. Good furniture…read more- great prices. Easy to browse. Very helpful and friendly staff and 7 days to pick up bought items or you can choose delivery Its a charity project so good on them Four stars - easily.

I love the Edinburgh Furniture Initiative - basically a big warehouse in Canonmills, run by the…read morebrilliant homelessness charity Foursquare, where donated furniture is cleaned up, restored and then resold to raise money. The sad truth though is that it isn't what it was. The layout has changed dramatically since the last time I was in. Instead of narrow rows of stacked tables, sideboards, chests, wardrobes, picture frames and oddments to explore, it's now much more like a regular furniture store, with much of the floor space given over to mock room layouts. The result is that there's much less stock on the floor, browsing is less fun and, frankly, it all looks a bit tired. The limited selection on show definitely hadn't been spruced up with EFI's usual care and seemed overpriced. It might just be that the EFI receives fewer donations these days - maybe people are choosing to sell through eBay or Gumtree rather than donate, which would be sad - but whatever the reason, I hope this isn't a permanent situation. Was a four-star, now a two-star, so I'm optimistically rating it half way.

I agree with the other reviewers - this small sized charity shop is definitely worth a browse…read more Despite it's small size it's full to bursting with all manner of wares and you can sift through all of the clothing on offer and who knows, you might come across a great find. In addition to this, the prices are all very reasonable, unlike some charity shops where you end up paying more for an item than it cost to buy brand new. I also like popping in here as I feel guilty when I dodge the Shelter people in the street and continuously ignore the e-mails that they send about sponsored charity work. Sorry Shelter.

When I returned from travelling I had to attend a job interview, but the only clothes I had in…read moreEdinburgh were khaki trousers, black vests and Birkenstock sandals. Skint and at my wits end, I decided to have a look in here. I have to admit that I am not really the type of person who enjoys rooting through rails of musty clothing that someone may have died in, but if you ignore the handwritten price tags and mish mash of items, this could almost be a commercial shop. After a mini-browse, I ended up finding a brilliant smart gray dress (formally of Miss Selfridge) and a silk scarf; my bounty only set me back £5 and I got the job, result. Although this shop is not located in a particularly wealthy area, whoever is donating stock is very generous. It's definitely worth having a look around.