Op-Shop Recon ... Part 1

For the last few months now, I've been pining to get back into op-shopping (or thrifting, as it's known in many circles). I guess it's partly envy of the exciting vintage hauls that I've been seeing other people sharing online, and partly a reaction to my drive to get rid of stuff recently. But I am trying to be mindful not to re-stock too much and keep a balance!


It's been many years since I've been op-shopping, and I don't know where the good ones are anymore, so I thought it would be fun to go to several places, do a bit of a Reconnaissance Mission and report back my findings. The first shop I went to was the Salvation Army Store in the CBD, at the top end of Bourke Street. It was very small and, I thought, a bit overpriced. It was mostly clothes, with a book section, and no homewares. I was particularly looking for some clear glass mugs or a teapot, so I was a bit disappointed. I didn't end up buying anything. (I know, my friends will be shocked!)

The second shop I went to was the Brotherhood Shop in the basement of the Royal Arcade. It was larger and had the full range of what you would expect from an op shop -- clothes, books, linens, homewares, toys, etc. They didn't have the exact items I was looking for, but I came away with a few things.

Here we see some cute vintage mugs, a shelf-stand, a vintage sewing pattern, a hand-knitted baby blanket, and a travel guide to New Zealand in Chinese:

I positively swooned when I saw this hand-knitted baby blanket in pastels. It's now draped over the back of my couch. I'll add the sewing pattern to my collection. And the travel guide ... well, I've been really interested in Asian writing systems lately and I'm sure it will have many good pictures that I can use in my art journalling.

And I'd been wanting to get some more shelf-stands from Ikea to help re-organise my tea cupboard. But Ikea is so far away from where we live now. So when I saw this shelf-stand, I figure my visit was meant to be!