Twice is Nice is my favourite newest discovery. I happened to stumble upon here on a lazy afternoon…read moreshopping with a friend. Now, to be fair, if I even so much sniff a second hand book I have sensors that flare and light up the room. I'm lassoed by an invisible rope that drags me toward it. I can't help but nosey around for a bargain. I was pleasantly surprised that there were actually some good books in here (note: some, most of them were rubbish) but this was juxtaposed alongside a funky range of second hand clothes, that were dirt cheap, probably the best prices I've seen in a shop. There's an array of teddies, ornaments, toys, shoes, a bike helmet (hopefully for a collector or decoration, but if anyone ever buys this I really hope they get a severe safety warning!) but just nosying round the memoirs of the past gives me a real sense of history and the charm of all these products being recycled makes me happy (I'm a tree hugging hippy, what else can I say?)

I'm a real book worm. I love a good book and can get through them like nobody's business. The only…read moreproblem now is that my house is coming down with them! Unless a book was particularly fantastic, I will only read it once, so for that reason, I don't like to spend an awful lot of money on them. I popped into Twice is Nice on the off chance, just to see if they had any books, as a lot of charity shops don't have a great range, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had lots! I found two books I hadn't got from a series of books I had been reading, and also picked up three good well known cookery books. Best of all, when I took them to the till, the whole lot only came to £6.75. I could easily have paid that for one of the books if I had bought it brand new!

One good thing about recession - it makes second hand cool again. In a time when everyone is…read morewatching the pennies, charity and vintage shops are making a killing. This store opened up in 2009 and seems to be doing very well. I love going in for a wee hoke about and while, like at most second hands, the results are varied, I've managed to find a few little pieces amongst the rails. It is predominately clothing, but there is the odd bit of furniture which tends to be beautifully crafted dressers or wardrobes - just what you need to hold all your beautiful vintage items, right? The staff are always very welcoming, the prices are right and there's always something new to find, rather than the same old stuff you see on the high street normally. Plus, it's run by the East Belfast Mission who do a lot of good work in the poorer parts of East Belfast, engaging with young people and homeless outreach, so everyone's a winner!

'Vintage, re:use, re:style, re:store'…read more I love the idea of this shop. I hate waste and I'm always one for restyling my own clothes. This isn't just another vintage shop, it's slightly better quality than the others. They do a great job with mannequins, I'm always impressed with their window dressing skills. The clothes in the shop front was the first thing I ever noticed about the place. It's always a really good job. So kudos to whoever sets this up. Inside the store it's always laid out brilliantly, some vintage shops are a bit like TK Maxx at the best of times, you need a good few hours to sort through the jumble until you find the gem you're after, but in Vintage they've got everything in order around the shop and you can immediately find some real gems. They sell (amongst a myriad of others) trousers, skirts, dresses, shoes, jackets, formal and casual wear. Anything and everything. Paradise! Even their furniture is for sale (so pretty too!) Like most vintage shops they don't offer refunds but do offer a credit note exchange. I find this particularly handy if you don't have the time to try items on. You're always going to find something you're after anyway.

I was cutting through Wellington Street on my way to Upper Queens Street yesterday when I stumbled…read moreacross Octopus's Garden. Belfast used to be a wash with Vintage stores but over the years these have slowly become extinct so it's always good to see a new one rise from the bottom of the ocean - much like an Octopus. Octopus's Garden has many strands or arms/tentacles (may as well continue down pun street). It sells vintage clothing for both males and females, old school vinyl and various other retro artifacts. The main thing I liked about Octopus Garden was that their was a varied choice - the rails were jam packed with everything from flannel shirts, band T's to leather jackets and potentially bum cheek exposing denim hot pants. The prices were reasonable too - you often find that vintage stores inflate the prices of their stock but it seems that Octopus Garden have made a concerted effort not to extort their clientele. I was only going in for a browse but I ended up walking out with a loud shirt that has already proved a controversial choice - but that's the beauty of buying vintage items - they always divide opinion and create a talking point. I recommend popping in here for a wee duke round - you never know you might come out with your (not everyone's) new favourite shirt.

If I was trapped in the Garden of The Octo I would never have a time of misery or boredom. This is…read morethe slickest place so far and I would tell anyone who visits this city that loves music and old clothes to begin their journey here. I love this place!

This is a charity shop with a difference and frankly, was a bit of a god send to me whenever I…read morerecently moved to a new apartment that was dangerously empty when I got there. Unlike most other charity shops this one accepts and sells a lot of furniture and house hold appliances for shocking cheap prices, compared to what they would actually cost brand new. I got a full sized book case and coffee table from this place for around £45 all together which is great value, and they are in perfect condition. If your moving into a new place and need a lot of furniture for less or are just looking for a bargain, this is the place to go!

I love this charity shop, and have converted many a reluctant friend by dragging them along and…read moreleaving them to their own devices while I dive straight in among the clothes racks. They sell the standard clothes, hats, shoes, belts etc that all others do, but there's also a very wide selection of books and plenty of furniture and electrical stuff in great nick at great prices. My best bargains picked up there, apart from the many books, were a tie belt for 50p, and a full length grey Kookai coat for just eight quid. I got loads of compliments on both from other laydees who wanted to know where I'd bought them, and who were invariably disappointed when I told them. Even my mum's friends made a point of complimenting the coat, a true rarity for any item of my wardrobe. (It very nearly put me off it.) While most charity shops are of the 'call in as I go past' variety, the SVDP one is one I'd recommend getting on a bus for if you're not from the area. In fact, I think I'll take a run up there on Monday.

This place was the best!! Definitely one of my favourite vintage/secondhand clothing shops to date…read more We noticed clothes plastered along the upper windows of a building and knew we had to check it out, so we eagerly followed the sign. The place is simply covered in everything you could ever want! I love finding quirky, original pieces, and it couldn't get much better than this. The man (who seemed to be the owner) was perfectly lovely, let us browse in peace and was very cheerful. He informed us that everything was half price- this was amazing considering how low the prices already were. It was overwhelming to look over everything but so much fun. We found great pieces and took our time trying them on in the spacious changing rooms. Dresses, blouses, skirts, jackets, pants, from all the various time periods. All the while, he was playing 60s hits and dancing and singing along! Adorable! He was incredibly helpful and not at all pushy- when a tunic didn't fit, he went into the storeroom to find more options. I ended up getting one of those and a gorgeous jumpsuit for a total of £7.50! He doesn't accept card but there's an ATM right across the street. I'm definitely planning my next trip to Belfast just to come back here!

Ah how I'm a sucker for a charity shop. This one didn't fail to please (though they rarely do) OK,…read moreit's only on the odd occasion that you actually find something worth looking for but I love the feel of this particular shop and the mish mash of this, that and everything that's always sold within its walls. Some of the furniture on sale here you'd pay a heck of a lot more for if you took a trip to a 'vintage' shop. But unlike simply having the vintage tag stuck upon them, in these charity shops the items actually have been passed through individuals, families, generations, and who knows what or where in history. I love the whole olden day aspect behind it. Plus all the proceeds go to charity and I like the vintage feel (and price tag) of items sold in here.

I have nothing but positive things to say about Re:Store. It is ran by East Belfast Mission who I…read morehave had experience with volunteering in the past, so I know firsthand the hard work and the results that the profits of these stores have on people. The store sells a wide range of home furnishing goods. As to be expected from a charity ran organisation, there are a lot of donated goods which may not be new, but they are always in good condition and are immaculately cleaned before sale. They also sell a lot of new stuff that is sold by manufacturers and other retailers for heavily discounted prices. The store also sells clothes, shoes, jewellery, music and white goods and other small electrical items. There are some really good bargains to be had in here, and I would recommend it without hesitation to the swathes of students out there who need to furnish their student homes for reasonable prices. All profits are reinvested into the church and sustaining the cost of the Mission's community projects, so for that reason alone I recommend the store, ignoring the surprisingly good quality of the products on sale in here.

You can get good furniture to upcycle , I got a wood and glass coffee table for £15 that I'm using…read moreas a display case for a model boat, also they have tins of paint for a couple of quid ideal for small jobs . Sometimes worth nipping in to see what they have.

Small charity shop but all funds stay within NI, friendly helpful staff and bargain prices. Wee…read morechanging area with mirror to try on clothes before purchase