This is very much a traditional charity shop, much as you would expect with it being the oldest…read morecharity shop in Edinburgh as its shop front boldly proclaims. By this I mean that you have the majority of the shop dedicated to clothes, a small book section and some old tapes, Cd's and DVDs. It's main asset is its staff who are all very friendly. It's fairly typical, everything is reasonably cheap, but what I feel lets it down is the fact that it doesn't specialise. In this area you have specific charity shops and I can tell you where to get most of the items this shop sells cheaper if you are willing to visit a load of shops. All round this is pretty good for value, but in no area does it excel which means that if you want something specific you can get it cheaper elsewhere.

I bought one of my most hilarious items of clothing here. A pastel pink and purple and blue jump…read moresuit. Which I assume must be for pregnant women, 'cause my midriff just swims around in it. I mean, I didn't buy it because I planned on wearing it loads. I bought it for a pink-themed party. And then it became my study suit. I figured that if I wore it, then I'd be too embarrassed to walk out of the house and procrastinate. It lasted for a while, but then I remembered that dignity and I had not kept in touch for a while and that plan went WAY out the window. This place is pretty cool, and pretty standard as far as thrift shops go. What's great is that there's a Thrift Shop 2 somewhere around the corner (I spotted it when I was taking a cab home from the airport and I went through Polwarth and was wondering if this was number 2, where was number 1, which evidently, is this one). Long-winded tangent. Apologies. Prices are standard, wellies are plentiful. The staff has never openly laughed at how ridiculous I looked in the clothes I'm wearing. Which brings me wild comfort. Perhaps they're just trained in laughing quietly on the inside.

This is the most a gorgeous wee charity shop I have ever been in. In fact, calling it a shop almost…read moreseems an insult; it is most definitely a boutique! Beautiful and stylish decor with a vintage feel, the shop is well presented and easy to navigate. The clothing stock is carefully selected, with a particularly large selection of dresses to browse through and a small but good quality men's section. The front of the shop is heaven for the ladies to browse through, with lots of gorgeous good quality jewellery, bags and accessories displayed alongside the clothes, whilst at the back of the shop there is a decent range of china, books and DVDs. Very pleasant shop to be in, small but perfectly formed. Have loved all my purchases here, so overall 5*s :)

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.

This oxfam is one of the best charity shops in the areas for books although this comes at a cost as…read moreit is also one of the more expensive charity shops for books in the area. Personally I think the extra money is worth it in the quality of books you get here. Of the book sections you obviously have fiction books and this is a good selection of good fiction books (you often get a lot of rubbish in some charity shops), but the standout sections are the Biographies, Education and Travel section. If you are into books and want specific types of books rather than just wanting a book to pass the time this will be more your shop. If you are the latter then there are cheaper places to go. I would recommend coming here, being more of the former, as the books here are great books - just the other day I got an autobiography and a cook book I'd wanted for ages, both the sort of books that don't come around very often and I was greatful for them even though they did cost a fair bit more than books elsewhere.

This is one of the two Oxfam shops on Clerk Street, which sells books, whilst the other specialises…read morein clothing. I'm always impressed at how organized both shops are, and it's so pleasant to be in there an hour can pass without one really noticing. On a recent visit, the books of the display shelf made me giggle; they were copies of the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer! With the new movie Ecilpse in cinemas, any other book store would have done the same, and you get the feeling Oxfam's attempting to narrow the gap so that shoppers can feel as though they're in a first hand bookshop! I did wish I'd come here when I started my Twilight collection, as I'd have saved a lot of money; most of the books in here are in fantastic condition, and at an average of £2 a copy, any frayed pages will certainly be overlooked by me!

Lovely shop, well organized, and lots of merch to include new with tags. Zara clothing galore and…read morewonderful accessories. Great prices too and most important shopping for a phenomenal cause. The clerk was lovely and extremely helpful.

I'll never forget the day I walked past this Shelter shop and spotted a huge gold batik print…read moreopened out as a backdrop for the window display. It. was. beautiful. And it was only £30, which is more than a bargain in anyone's book. Unfortunately, my then boyfriend who I was walking with didn't pick up on any of the ten or so hints I dropped on the way home, even though it was 3 weeks to christmas (!) and so sadly it doesn't belong to me. Whoever does own it, you are very lucky. And you have amazing taste. The moral of my ramble is this: whilst some charity shops' stock is not the sort of thing you'd drool over in the window, this place definitely does not fall into that category. It's like a cross between a vintage clothes shop and a one-off homeware boutique, but at amazing prices. What's not to love?!

Shelter is a charity shop, so I feel a little politically incorrect bashing it, but my complaints…read moreare totally aesthetic. The other ones on the street, namely Oxfam, Cancer Research and Barnado's are so much nicer to look at! One the one hand, the other stores may just be better at concealing the fact that all these products have been owned by someone else (a fact I'm sadly not too comfortable with) but it'd also help if Shelter was a little bit better organised. What it does have going for it is that it's not as strict on what it sells, so you could leave with anything from a tunic made in India (I did!), some cooking utensils, a book, or a colourfully sequined hat!

Friendly, helpful staff... A good assortment of stuff…read more.. 'Any Donations?'

This charity shop has appealing displays with bookshelves in the back, glass shelves with shoes and…read moreaccessories and clothes arranged according to style. I also picked up some gorgeous tops and eyed up some lovely unworn shoes. Great place to look for a bargain.

If you are looking to buy furniture in Edinburgh, it can a bit of a challenge to get hold of it on…read morea budget. Many will just head to Ikea, but although you get many good places with furniture in Edinburg, none can beat this place for the range of good value furniture on offer. In addition to this, if you are looking for some suitcases then this place cannot be beaten as far as I'm concerned and for very little money you should be able to buy something that will be more than able to satisfy your needs. Don't mistake me into thinking that the range is what makes this place special, because there are places that do offer bigger ranges, but this always comes at a premium and you rarely get places that offer a range of cheap furniture, so that is where it stands out as a place where you get a choice of cheap furniture. If you have a house that needs furnishing or are in need of suitcase for your summer travels then this is most certainly the place to come. You do also get a cafe and other ranges here, but to be honest they don't stand out in the same way and it would be foolish to focus on anything other than the areas where this place excels.

A charity store, in Newington with a very good variety of objects- I found here the wicker basket I…read moreneeded for a theatre play. Their stock keeps changing, but you will usually find some old golf clubs, furniture of sorts all in very good condition with very reasonable price to match. There is also a cafe inside as well.It's one of many in this City, but I particularly like this one because it's a bit quieter than the others, and easier to browse through. It's all for charity dedicated to helping homeless and vulnerable people, so it's a win win for all!

A truly lovely wee charity shop with style and vintage clothes and things. Even though it's moved 3…read moredoors down in the Himalaya cafe/shop it looks great and still has lass of choice. Great prices too.

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.