One thing that I want to do on this trip, is to check out the Oxfam stores. (Oxfam stores are also online.) Very glad that I'm doing that daily.Browsing in the Oxfam stores greatly excites me compared to shopping at Selfridge & Co, Harrods, John Lewis, Debenhams, Harvey Nichols or the designer boutiques along Sloane Street. Those are in a way, pedestrian. I live in Singapore where it's one gargantuan shopping mall. When the sales executives at Hermès (main and all its counters at the mall) don't even know what a 'Gao' is (I asked 3 different people at 3 different locations) and have to flip through their catalogue to check, and the entire London only has one (blue) in stock as of today, I'm not at all impressed. And no, I'm not going to Paris. No no no.
I'm having great fun searching out all the Oxfam stores (clothes and music), the Oxfam Originals and bookshops (and specialist ones) in the city. How do I describe that feeling? It's like, discovering things, you know? I've been really jaded with the usual glitzy retail scene. The labels, while enticing, are no longer a must-buy or must-go. I will buy, but the act doesn't quite incite a feeling of excitement. Oxfam shops and indie boutiques at Covent Garden bring it all back.
GoogleMaps told me that there're 10 Oxfam shops in London. I've ummm....gone to 7. I should be able to cover all the other 3 by Saturday! I wouldn't buy clothes. I haven't learnt to appreciate vintage just yet. So the only things I bought are really cool knick knacks, books and music stuff. Have I mentioned that I love second hand books? :)
5 comments:
Charing Cross!
I used to buy secondhand clothings (especially leather jackets and coats), but somehow I can't seem to do it anymore. Instead I give clothes and accessories to secondhand shops. How's the window displays at the Oxfams you went to? Here the salvation army's secondhand store (called "the ants" in swedish) have rather cool set ups. And so are some smaller charity shops. they list the prices of all the items at the window, and states when these items will be on sale (usually a week after). quite a smart way to draw your interest, I must say.
OH TOTALLY. that's the really cool thing about london. u get both sides of the coin.
I spent one summer working in oxfam. It's voluntary work of course, and I ended up buying home knicks knacks almost everyday - knitted stuff, kitchen ware, books - so much so that my colleague, a very old lady, commented that I was turning out to be the biggest customer there! LOL..
dawn: went there already! always on my to-do list.
kikare: see. there's something about getting old that makes us not want to wear old clothes anymore. HEH.
jomel: aiyoh. ur summer was machamm spent shopping!
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