Revival is a great little vintage stall in Birmingham's alternative fashion store, The Oasis. They…read morehave a wide range of clothing for men and women spanning 50s - 80s eras with the odd exception. They stock Modj favourites such as Harringtons, button down shirts and desert boots but also have a great range of women's dresses for very reasonable prices; I picked up a lovely 50s print shift dress for a mere £10 the other day, which would have cost me double that anywhere else in Birmingham. I also found a Burberry trench for just £25 which might still be there if you're interested. There is a small changing area which is handy and the owner was pretty helpful when I enquired about a style of dress that I was after. I've visited the stall a few times now and he always tells me when his next delivery of dresses is due. All in all a great little stall where you might find a real gem if you look hard enough. If you have any enquiries you can contact Revival via wintcane@aol.com

I was quite surprised to see items that are familiar to me, a great place to dig for treasures…read more Burmi has a lot of selections when it comes to thrift shops and that's appreciate. Looking forward to visiting again someday.

Second Chance is a Charity shop or Thrift Store on the Ladypool Rd,…read moretied into the Church there. Formerly a butchers the shop still has the railes going around the ceiling where the meat was hung which now make convenient hangers for clothings. If you're into digging through Charity shops to find those rare collectors items or iems of vintage clothing, Second Chance might be one that you're not so familair with. I tend to go into Charity shops with three things in mind; clothes, books and the chance that I find something out of the ordinary that catches my eye. In Second Chance I have found some great books and a few decent items of clothing, but as is ever the way, you never know what you're going to find! If you're passing the Ladypool Rd or are a commited Charity shopper intent on routing out that bargain item, Second Chance offers a new opportunity to find that lucky find!

There's not many charity shops in this part of Birmingham, but Second Chance has more to mark it…read moreout as unusual than that. In an era when many charity shops have become, for want of a better word, modernised, Second Chance seems to be stuck in a much earlier decade, possibly sometime in the early eighties. This applies to the look of the place, the products on sale, and the pricing. You get the feeling that Second Chance don't really price their products by referencing internet sites like Ebay as some seem to. Rather what seems to happen is items are priced via a price it cheap and sell it quick ethos. Unlike some of the charity shops in other areas such as Moseley where you might see designer products from time to time, the products could best be described as "curios". If your passing and the above appeals then it's probably worth a look for no other reason than novelty value, and charity shop addicts might want to make a special trip for a dose of genuine character.

I am always a big fan of places where the items on sale feel like a random collection of things…read morethat someone has collected over the years......If you are a fan of one offs and items with charm this little place in the Custard Factory is well worth a visit. You can pick up furniture and household items right through to clothes and accessories if you are not afraid to have a bit of a rummage. The things on sale here change all the time so it's not the kind of place I go looking for something specific. This is more a curiosity shop type vibe to browse through and discover what it is you went in there for along the way.

If I am after something new to wear for the weekend this is usually one of the shops I think about…read morefirst. Situated on Digbeth high street just a few minutes walk from the bullring, it's a great shout if vintage is your thing. The rails are full of both men's and women's clothes, some of which have been adapted in house to give them a different look or effect. You can find anything from a tie dye t shirt right through to a pair of old school Nike hi tops dotted around this large warehouse space. I do think Cow is slightly high on some of the prices, but the clothing is always in great condition and has been well selected. It cuts a lot of time out of a vintage shopping trip when you don't have to go through thousands of below average items to find what you are looking for....or didn't even know you were looking for!

Four years ago hailed the onset of my vintage pilgrimages, and Digbeth Cow became my Mecca…read more Previously only acquainted with the rare fruits of charity shops, the abundance of second-hand goodies took me to vintage Heaven. Never before had I seen so much paisley and so many shoulder pads! The best aspect, in my modest and honest opinion, is the building itself. It's like a warehouse, stripped down bare. It's raw. The clothing rails descend from a rather lofty ceiling on chains. If you are anything like me, you will forget this, and get quite a fright when the rail in front of you starts to swing...all part of the fun though, naturally. The overall effect is jolly impressive, to my simple mind. Once you've finished gazing at these suspended rails, you'll pick your jaw back up off the floor only to drop it again when you take in what it actually on the rails. Clothes. Reams and reams of beautiful, eccentric, retro, old-fashioned, elegant and quirky clothes. Once you've picked your jaw off the floor a second time, you will start to grin. And then, then you will rush excitedly to the nearest rail to begin your feverish rummaging through this magical offering of treats. Exaggerating? Hardly. I will offer some advice here. In order to appreciate Digbeth Cow to the extent it deserves, requires at least an hour of your precious time. Otherwise you will leave worrying that you've left behind some lovely shirt hanging undiscovered in the corner you never made it around to. Trust me. I now even have a method to prevent this from happening. I start in one corner and snake my way up and down the rails from one side of the shop to the other, stopping every so often to escort the growing pile of clothes on my arm to the fitting room. I don't leave anything to chance! Think beyond the dresses and jumpers you have come to expect in these establishments (though you will of course find them aplenty also), but think also of high-waisted trousers, cast-off denims, pointy shoes, leather handbags, collections of old-school prom dresses and treasure chests of belts and scarves and hats. Oh it makes me swoon. There is one problem I have with this store. I have never been able to leave empty handed. Never. Thus I have resolved to avoid it like the plague when the stability of bank account is threatened. Desperate times, desperate measures. They even accept cards now, so I can't even protect myself by not carrying cash... To this day Digbeth Cow remains my favourite of the 'chain' (there are also stores in Manchester, Sheffield and Nottingham, and Cow 2 in Birmingham city centre) and my preferred place to shop for frills and frocks and all things made of cloth (and leather!)

Harborne is one of those areas that is blessed with both a large number of charity shops and a…read morereasonably well-to-do and educated local community. This makes for occasional rich pickings along the main high street, which has 7 or 8 charity outlets of various denominations. Depending on which end of the High Street you start at, Oxfam will either be the first or last you visit as it is situated at the south end, just opposite the Waitrose supermarket (Harborne has a Waitrose as it's main supermarket - that ought to tell you everything you need to know about the demographics at work here) The outlet is a fairly standard Oxfam layout and it a mixture of clothes, books and bric-a-brac that the public have donated and a selection of the stock which appears in all Oxfam shops; fair trade coffee, Guatemalan Worry People - you know the type of thing. As there is an Oxfam bookshop at the other end of the High Street, the records and books available here tend to be those that didn't make the cut, but that's not to say you won't find a gem if you're lucky. The same, of course, goes for the clothes and other stock. For the clothes there is a changing cubicle, so you don't have to perform guesswork regarding sizes.

Not to be confused with Oxfam bookshop a little further down the High Street, this is a long…read moreestablished charity shop that is worthy of note for its rather fab window displays which has featured vintage clad mannequins in shopping trolleys (a nod to the students who sometimes come in here to buy fancy dress perhaps?!) amongst other things. Inside you'll find a variety of nice things - including high-end labels (in sadly, often teensy sizes), a decent vinyl selection and a good range of nonfiction and fiction books. Their cards are good and I've bought some unusual pieces of jewellery from here over the years - although compared to other charity shops in the village they are a bit pricier than you'd expect. Ethical detergents, washing powders etc and fair trade chocolate and notebooks are also available and whilst staff seem to change on a regular basis - I guess they get a lot of requests from volunteers - the people who work here always seem very jolly.

Unfortunately, must disagree with the other review about this place…read more On first appearances, vintage lovers may think they've hit the jackpot. Cowboy, slouch and pixie boots line the walls of the place. Retro jackets, shorts, skirts, dresses and blouses hang on huge swinging structures throughout and in the middle of the shop is a plethora of bags shoes scarfs and belts. On closer inspection, the clothes have quite blatently been brought..not back to lifebut they've come to die! Most of the stuf is from C&A, and you wouldn't have bought it the first time round, let alone now. Some of the clothes are dirty with pen marks and stains all over (believe me I've trawled the racks in the hope of a vintage haul) They are mostly what you would find in a normal charity shop. At least they are not insulting buyers intelligence by charging high prices ( a lot of the tops are under a tennerthe rest less than £20) The shoes are sometimes broken and well well worn out. Like I said, just the stuff you could find yourself in a charity shop. The only true 'finds' are the re-worked vintae boob-tube dresses, which have been made into up to date stylish pieces. Though these were priced at £18 in February- now up to £30- obviously they are some of the best sellers. The sales staff are pleasant but the owner is completely rude. Last time went in there he was having an argument with someone about the rent and a customer was treated to paying while recieving no acknowlegment, greeting, thanks or eye contact!!

An amazing treasure trove of retro delights to spend some cash on and marvel over how young you…read morewere when you used to have a jacket like that!! With a penchant for branded oldies, this place carries some serious retro style, at an affordable price. Sports jackets, jeans, coats, trainers and shoes, and an unbelievable wall of cowboy boots in all colours shapes and sizes, mens and womens fashion, you won't know what to do with yourself! The clothes hang from every available space and this huge room/hangar will take you a while to get around. There is much to be looked over, tried on and bought. Friendly staff, and a real feel good store.

What a fantastic little shop in the Great Western Arcade! I am afraid to say I've walked past this…read moreplace more than once and not popped in. In all fairness, I normally head through Great Western to get somewhere or of an evening (when things are closed), so I do have a whole bunch of valid excuses. This place is a vintage charity shops which supports two homeless charities (SIFA Fireside and Trident Reach the People). So not only are you recycling by buying here and reducing waste, you're also stylin' for a good cause. It's a win win for everyone! I popped in here to look for a dress for a weekend away. I was greeted by the lovely staff and soon we were all in a conversation about Vintage shopping and the bargains to be had at kilo sales. I asked them if I was ok to snap some pictures (because I couldn't resist) only to be assured I could snap away to my hearts content. There was a fantastic mix of crockery, hats, clothing and lots of odds and ends (vintage woollen tea cosies anyone?) about the shop at really great prices. As you can see from my pictures, I spotted a gorgeous typewriter, vintage bears and silver spoons. Why don't you take 5 minutes and pop in? I'm sure you could find a great item at a fantastic price and all in aid of a great cause!

Another greater Oxfam in the area! Two reasons to visit this one: bags and bags. Seriously, someone…read morewas really generous to donate some fine bags to this shop and I bought some for less than 10 quid. I mean some! The average price of each one of them is £ 3 and I don't think you can make better deal even in the usual ( and popular) department stores. It's just a tiny shop located in the Scott Arms Shopping Centre but only two minutes inside it and I already enough to have a good laugh with the customers and the lady who works there. As I like keeping my puzzle colletion, I was pretty glad to find plenty of options there and the prices vary from £99p to £2. Really cheap even for a charity shop! The usual also is find there: DVDs, Cd's and books and if you have a kid (and a VCR player) there are some VCR tapes for children that can be a good option to make them happier when the English summer weather doesn't help!

Great little vintage shop hidden away in the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham. This one's a little…read morebit out of the way and there are no other shops like this in the area so I don't find myself here too often, however there is a great selection of vintage on offer and I always end up leaving with something when I do make a visit. Everything is pretty reasonably priced and always in excellent condition. The staff seem to know what they have in stock are happy to find pieces that they think you will like. If vintage is your thing this is well worth a visit, it is not very well by vintage lovers in Brum and it really should be!

Cute little shop next to The Eight Foot Grocer on Caroline Street, just off St Pauls square. Mostly…read morethey sell shirts and tshirts, I would say mostly more for men than women, but they do have a large table at the back where they seem to do alterations, so I guess you can have it made to fit:) they also have some cool jewellery made from old buttons and beads and old vintage brick a brac-reminds me of home;)

Challenging Save The Children's long dominance of the top-end-of-Sutton charity shop circuit comes…read morethe Salvation Army charity shop. The cheeky buggers even moved in next door! This shop has been open for a couple of years now and makes it gentle presence felt with an inviting little shop packed with clothes, vintage accessories, a good stack of books and a very good selection of CDs; I've picked up albums by Portishead, Nirvana, The Prodigy and The Specials from here. Opening a charity shop in Sutton isn't a guarantee of success, although that said I've never known any that have shut down. However, the town is awash with the places, both in the centre and out in parts such as Boldmere and Mere Green. Great for bargain hunters and maniacal vinyl obsessives like myself; bad news for the snobs who write in to the local papers bemoaning the cheapening of the royal town.