The bliss of second-hand shopping

I know of few greater pleasures than a Saturday morning spent moseying around one of my local second-hand shops in Pimlico. These charity and vintage stores attract a varied crowd. Old-timers, but youngsters too, for whom vintage shopping is hip: not just for its ethical and sustainable credentials but thanks to the current clothing fashion trend for oversized and baggy. Preloved clothing is most definitely having a moment; this year's Love Islanders are even dressing in second hand outfits.

Indeed, second-hand shops are perhaps one of the few places that attract both geriatrics and Gen Z. What’s more, vintage shopping is not just for the hard-pressed and hipsters, but for traditionalists too. They are often a refuge of quality British-made products and heritage brands. Where else can you now get an Aquascutum coat or an Austin Reed suit? Soon Gieves & Hawkes is likely to go the same way – that is, to the wall. And even when heritage British brands haven’t folded completely, some have in recent years sadly gone downmarket or compromised on quality.

Second-hand shops here provide a lifeline: I have a bigger selection of impeccably-made Aquascutum pieces from the 90s and 2000s now in my wardrobe than I did when they still graced Regent Street. And new Barbours bought today have nothing on my second-hand version (which hasn’t even yet needed a re-wax). Previously unattainable sartorial options enter the realm of thepossible: I managed to pick up one of Burberry’s iconic trench coats – which now retail for almost two thousand pounds – for£40. My local vintage shop has priced all its real fur coats at £10 each, given the declining market.

And, more than anything else, I come back from the Saturday morning ritualistic rummage with silverware, glassware, cutlery and crockery – find a good charity shop and almost every plate will be emblazoned with a reassuring mark indicating its Staffordshire production, and almost every bit of silverware herald from Sheffield and bear a trusty EPNS marking. All this usually for less than a few quid. I doubt you could find anything of comparable quality on Oxford Street.

I imagine serious antique hunters might spurn the local Sue Ryder, Cancer Research UK or Salvation Army for more highbrow auctions and fairs. I myself do the occasional browse at the salvaged antiques dealer, LASSCO (from where I was very happy to have bagged some Verde Antico marble bookends recovered from a damaged door frame at the Tate Britain right opposite my flat). But shopping in second-hand shops is entry-level sport, and doesn’t carry the risk of you re-mortgaging the house on the mistaken conviction that you’ve unearthed an Old Master. There is a unique excitement to knowing you might find an antique in the local Barnardo’s hidden in plain sight next to the incomplete jigsaw and unloved Scrabble set. It is the thrilling potential of finding a diamond in the rough; of getting something for nothing, or almost nothing.

Clothes and tableware provide the chance to bag a great deal and source British-made quality. But it is books that often keep me in the windowless Pimlico shop basements until my coffee has long gone cold. There are limitless treasures. When I unearthed Cabinet Puddings – a Conservative Party fundraising publication from 1996 – it ended up in The Times diary column where readers were delighted to learn that John Major favoured a good whip (preferably laced with chocolate and brandy). The weekend just gone, I came back with prized haul: a book on the US Ambassador’s Residence, Winfield House (destined for a friend who works at the US embassy); a pocket-sized Queen Elizabeth II prayer book; and a Dictionary of Symptoms from the Royal Society of Medicine so, you know, if the internet goes down during a nuclear Armageddon I can still check whether I have scurvy.

Yes, these things are probably all technically available on the internet but that rather misses the point, for would you really stumble across them online? Best of all, physical stores provide glimpses into the books’ previous lives: my recently-purchased The Blunders of our Governments bore a personal message at the start to 'Dom' dated June 2014: 'With many congratulations on being officially "poached". You have a glittering career ahead of you… Love, Mum and Dad'. Who knows where 'Dom' ended up.

On a recent trip I chanced upon a set of eleven Thomas Goode crystal port glasses (never mind that my dining table only allows me to entertain six). When a fellow shopper complimented my find I sensed danger and sharpened my elbows, readying myself for a tussle. I needn’t have worried; the gentleman had donated them himself. On another glorious excursion I returned with a Wedgwood teapot, a couple of 19th century Staffordshire plates and a handsomely-bound complete works of Shakespeare.

And where to keep it all I hear you ask? On current trajectory, I will soon need to turf out my flatmate from the second bedroom to accommodate the growing treasure. But when the tipping point is reached I’ll just bag it all up and take the donation down to the local Oxfam and the whole process will start again. It’s the circle of life.

Seven second-hand shops for great finds

Retromania (6 Upper Tachbrook Street, Pimlico)

The perfect place to kit yourself out for your next murder mystery night (I recently bought a wonderful Inverness cape) or just to find quality, often designer clothes. There is everything from retro hoodies to dinner jackets and often a very good selection of ties (including the occasional Hermes).

Cave (81 Tachbrook Street, Pimlico)

Stumbling across this wonderful Aladdin’s cave of upcycled bric a brac, it’s hard to believe you’re in Zone 1 London. The favourite haunt of many a Pimlico eccentric (your columnist included), it is particularly good for furniture and items made by local artists. It also hosts weekly life drawing classes, and has a pop-up art gallery at the back.

Boutique (19 Churton Street, Pimlico)

This little shop has chic window displays and is located on one of Pimlico’s prettiest streets. There is a small but well-chosen selection including both clothes and household items.

Oxfam Bookshop (45 Heath Street, Hampstead)

One of the best places in London for second-hand books, including academic books and well-priced first editions. With all the money you save you can treat yourself afterwards at Hampstead’s famous La Creperie.

Barnardo’s (7 George Street, Marylebone)

While a little pricey, Barnardo’s has no shortage of customers given its prime position around the corner from The Wallace Collection. Moseying around Marylebone’s charity shops followed by a local lunch makes for a rather pleasant Saturday afternoon.

British Red Cross shop (164 Portobello Road, Notting Hill)

One of the many good second-hand shops on Portobello Road, the Red Cross shop focuses mainly on clothes though there are good furniture finds to be had too. Particularly busy on weekends.

Fara (674 Fulham Road, Fulham)

Fara has a number of excellent shops across London and the Fulham outpost (its first shop) is no exception. It is especially good for women’s fashion, handbags and trinkets.