All Aboard!

Recently, I was contacted by All Aboard Charity Shops after admiring some of the photos on their Instagram page. Having previously thought all their charity shops were in London, I was delighted to discover I didn't have to continue just to look from afar as the charity have a shop in Prestwich in North Manchester! 

So last Monday, I took the short tram ride from the city centre and this is what I discovered...

The charity was founded over twenty years ago by a lady called Stella Lucas and was set up to help and support, through retail sales, Jewish charitable organisations. Nowadays, All Aboard run nineteen shops in total, eighteen of which are in Greater London. Proceeds from these nineteen shops and a successful eBay account support over fifty organisations based in the UK.

Shop front - All Aboard, Prestwich

The Prestwich shop makes up part of The Longfield Centre, a shopping precinct just opposite the tram station. The shop was easy to find with really clear branding and an open and attractive front window. The inside of the shop is bright, airy and open with clear sections for menswear, jewellery, things for the home etc and also has a section for children, much to the delight of parents wanting to shop!

I was given a really warm welcome and made to feel really at home by Shop Manager Wendy, Deputy Shop Manager Angela and all the shop's wonderful volunteers! In addition, I met Corri who oversees all of All Aboard's nineteen shops (I can't even imagine how much money I'd spend if that were my job!).

My first impression was just how organised an operation Wendy runs! A look in the upstairs storage room of the shop revealed stock sectioned off into not just summer and winter but sparkles and gifts for Christmas, raffle prizes, fancy dress, toys and decorations along with separate storage for different accessories - many incredible hats, bags and pairs of shoes! Wendy told me she knows exactly where everything is so if a customer asks for something in particular, she can tell them if they have it within a couple of minutes. Having worked in shops myself, I'm in awe of anyone who can form such order from donations where no bag is the same!

Lovely things for the home

Huge collection of donated jewellery

Gift ideas and raffle prizes ready for Christmas

Fancy dress

A walk around the shop floor served to highlight how well-renowned the shop is within the local community. Customers were chatting to each other and to volunteers and I overheard more than one customer saying, completely unprompted, that All Aboard was their favourite shop in the area to visit. This was also evident in the amount of donations the shop receive. The volunteers were kept busy with multiple drop-offs in the two hours I spent at the shop. Considering the shop is surrounded by some charities with UK-wide branding, this is a real testament to the reputation Wendy and her team have built up in the years the shop has been trading.

Wendy told me she has about twenty volunteers with three people on a waiting list to join. Everyone who reads the blog will know how much I support the 'traditional' charity shop as not just a retail outlet but as somewhere with the interests of the community and the local people at the heart of it. That's what All Aboard do so well - yes, the stock processing is quick and the till was always ringing but there was a really nice feel to the place which hits you as soon as you walk through the door.
I'm pretty certain this attitude is representative of the charity as a whole. Corri told me that founder Stella still visits the London shops frequently despite being 99 years of age!

So much choice in ladies clothes

Shop Manager Wendy modelling two gorgeous Zara bags 

I'd really like to thank everyone at All Aboard for facilitating such a great day! I'm really excited to return as the shop complete the change over into winter stock - some of the pieces I got a sneak preview of are really gorgeous! If you're in the Manchester area, don't just take my word for it - the shop is open six days a week for you to see for yourself!

Winter stock waiting to make an appearance!

As for my purchases, they'll be making an appearance in a recent finds post towards the end of the week!

For a full list of All Aboard shops and to find out how you can support the charity, please see the website.

Char x

Recent finds.

I haven't posted any second hand finds for quite a while now but that doesn't mean I haven't been shopping! I was actually quite enraged when I discovered the first Monday after pay day was Bank Holiday - for one, I always have Mondays off so while everyone else was enjoying their three day break, I just had a normal weekend with too many people hanging about on the Monday when I normally have a nice quiet day! What was more annoying was that Monday after payday is normally my super charity shop day where I visit a multitude of different areas in one mad bus travelling day which I couldn't do because 90% of charity shops are closed on a Bank Holiday! Fuming.

So, to make up for it, I got up super early (5.30am) on Sunday and went to the car boot. I've got a horrible feeling that it was the last one of the year (unless anyone has been to Burnage Rugby Club this morning?) which makes me feel pretty sad as they're a relatively new discovery for me. On a more positive note, I did find some great items.

First up was this white dress which has the original tags and cost £2. The girl I bought this from had some amazing bits but most were just a size too big for me :(. I tried this on when I got home and, although you can't see them on the pictures, the dress has two pockets. The fabric isn't completely opaque either so you can see the pockets inside - I'm sure I could pay somebody to do something about that (as my sewing skills don't go beyond reattaching a button) - has anybody had this problem before?

I also picked up these Miss KG slip on shoes for £2. They're only a tiny size three but I took a chance and they fit really well. 

They're in ridiculously good condition for a second hand pair of shoes so I did a bit of a search and here they are, currently listed on the Kurt Geiger website  - http://www.kurtgeiger.com/leo-black-synthetic-36-miss-kg-shoe.html for £42!

From the same lady, I also purchased these Topshop black boots, again in incredible condition. 

In fact, all the shoes on this one stall were £2 and the lady was saying the money was going to St Ann's Hospice. This obviously combined charity shopping and car boots into one which made me super happy! 

I also got this black leopard print pattern dress for £2. I've discussed my love of leopard print before and I'm so glad that all the winter clothing is appearing - I'll be delighted to be back in all black outfits!

My final car boot purchase was these blue velvet pointy flatform creeper type shoes (not entirely sure what they are!).

These cost 50p and yes, that label does say £55.

My other two purchases this week were from The Salvation Army shop in Sale which currently has my favourite charity shop thing...the £1 rail! From that, I picked up this comfy grey jumper with gold beads on the front...

...and this book for 50p. I'm having a real problem with books at the moment. I have three on my bedside table which I've started but just can't get into. If I'm not gripped by the first few pages, I don't read any further, which is probably a really bad attitude! Hopefully this one will turn things around!

Char x