Another quick train ride to Spotswood then St John’s Op Shop (612-614 Melbourne Rd, Spotswood). ‘Great variety of household goods’ is an accurate description, with ‘variety’ being the operative word. This is an OCD sufferer’s nightmare.
The rabbit warren of a shop was full of surprises – an extensive collection of white shoes (apparently a local shoe store closed down and donated all of their stock), a veritable forest of clothing (another vintage scarf to add to my collection $5), a jumble of furniture out the back and boxes of haberdashery hidden away under shelves groaning with discarded VHS tapes – including this gem ‘A New Tax System – “How To Series””. Any buyers? Anyone?
1pm and a well-earned lunch stop at Cafe Miers (85 Hudsons Rd, Spotswood). This light and airy cafe serves Fairtrade coffee and simple cafe fare – toasted sandwiches/foccacias, pastries and muffins. I’m not sure it’s worth a special trip but it served our purposes well as we replenished our dimishing energy reserves and compared purchases.
Heave ho to Yarraville for Bargain Browser (9 Anderson St, Yarraville +61 3 9687 6307). This was a queer beast, stocking a mix between dollar shop junk and genuine op shop items. I wasn’t much inspired by the racks of Bridget Jones style grandma underpants and boxes of scented candles, but I did spot an unworn pair of Aldo canary yellow stilettos in my size. How could I resist, they were only $15!
Last stop, Footscray Salvos (199 Barkly St, Footscray +61 3 9689 7811) and then the Savers (The Recycle Superstore!) for those with more energy (33 Albert St, Footscray +61 3 9689 6811). Footsore and laden with purchases, I decided to forego the Savers and only go went to the Salvos, where I picked up a copy of Alan Hollinghurst’s 2004 Booker prize winner ‘The Line of Beauty’ for $4.
I can definitely see the appeal of Melbourne Op Shop Tours for those of us who are not dedicated op shoppers. The tour combined a large variety of op shops, from well known superstores to undiscovered nooks, and with Jenny as our organised tour guide the whole trip ran very smoothly. I think everyone went home with a bargain and ended the day on a happy note. Best of all, we helped a lot of charities on the way!
PS Here’s a pic of my $15 yellow shoes, matched with a Cylk dress from Eco Fashionista. Unexpected colour combination, but I think it works!
- Melbourne Op Shop Tours +61 421 431 278
- St John’s Op Shop, 612-614 Melbourne Rd, Spotswood. Mon-Fri 10am-530pm; Sat 9am-4pm
- Bargain Browser, 9 Anderson St, Yarraville +61 3 9687 6307. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; Sat 9am-4pm
- Footscray Salvos, 199 Barkly St, Footscray +61 3 9689 7811. Mon-Sat 9am-5pm
- Footscray Savers, 33 Albert St, Footscray +61 3 9689 6811. Mon – Wed 9:30am – 6pm; Thur – Fri 9:30am – 9pm; Sat 9:30am – 6pm; Sun 10am – 5pm
Great article! Could you please post the opening hours of the various op shops you mentioned, as I know they vary widely?
Thanks Kerry, opening hours have now been included in Part 1 and Part 2 of the post. Happy shopping!
Jetsetting Joyce
Oh God, my heart stopped when I read canary yellow Aldo stilettos – I think I’ve always had an aversion to op shops save when I need a costume for a party because I’ve never found anything that fits! But these look like they’ve got a much bigger selection, and I adore those white ballet flats. Thanks! =o)
.-= Vee @ Munching (in) Melbourne´s last blog ..Hey-Ho, To The Farm We Go! =-.
Hi Vee
I’ve definitely found that having a good tailor helps with op shop purchases – it no longer makes the clothes dirt cheap but at least you’re recycling and it’s fitted to your body. As for shoes, I’ve never really gone looking for shoes in op shops because I think it’s kinda gross to wear other people’s sweaty shoes (at least with clothes you can wash them) and they are never comfortable because they’ve been moulded to someone else’s feet. However, I have found some great shoe bargains recently with unworn shoes.
Jetsetting Joyce
Hi, I used to think the same about second hand shoes, but I’ve since discovered that some shoes can be thrown in the washing machine!! Then you can re-mold them to your feet. Would not work with leather shoes though.
I am the worst op shopper ever!! but the bargains.. WOW. I am a westie and had no idea any of these except the 2 biggies in Footscray existed. My next free day will be dedicated to hitting some of these shops! Great review!
Twitter: jodes_i_am
| February 10, 2010, 11:32 am
Thanks Jodes
Enjoy your op shopping! My personal favourite was the Newport Neighbourhood House. I’m thinking of returning to raid them of their vintage scarves.
Jetsetting Joyce
Hi,
I’m Sherly Langley, manager of the Salvos
Store in Footscray, thank you so much for
shopping in our friendly and relaxing shop.
Looking forward to see you and your friends
again. I’m sure we can offer u a good and
affordable price. In behalf of the Salvos I say
thank you.
Sherly
199 Barkly St
Footscray 3011
96897811
Wow, thanks for the interesting post – I love the pictures. Looks like some fun shops!