Sunday, December 20, 2009

Salvation Army Op-Shop, Bourke St, Melbourne

The Salvos in Bourke St, Melbourne is relocating and closing down. It’s closing down so soon (Christmas Eve, 2009) you may read this post and all the second hand items may have already been shipped off and recycled to other stores across Melbourne.

It's one of those rare op-shops on a main rd in central Melbourne, and the facade is now obscured by scaffolding and plaster board.

It’s impeccably organised across two levels in a narrow space towards the Spring St end of Bourke St. Everything is 50% off until closing, and it does have that empty half-lived in feel of a house that is being moved out of.

There are some ok pieces amongst the clothes and plenty of basic shirts, slacks and pants. I liked a narrow, sleeveless dress that was crocheted in multi-coloured fibres, there were also a couple of sparkly shift dresses and a cream, transparent baby doll top with crepe rosettes around the scooped collar.

There were some interesting shoes in an alcove, towards the back wall of the lower floor. Leather pumps with little gold studs across the top of the foot, camel mary-janes with cork heels and white-peep toe heels with brass sequins stood out in a well put together collection of vintage shoes and lace-up boots.

Heavy suit jackets, boot-leg jeans, shorts, bright button up shirts and a lycra marcel morceau one-piece rounded out what was left of the half-priced clothes.

Upstairs had been almost emptied. The shelves of homewares were half-bare but there was a gorgeous floral serving tray with little porcelain cups and a milk jug from the same pattern. There was a big, but diminishing collection of cookbooks, novels, sports books and children’s books in wide bookshelves along the back wall.


FINAL WORD:
Not an outstanding collection, but a few good items and books amongst the thinning collection. The half-priced items make an already reasonably priced collection, even more reasonable. The shop does close at the end of the day on the 24th of December (Thursday.)

2 comments:

  1. I had no idea there was an opshop in Bourke Street! But I don't go into the CBD very often, and if I do, it is usually for a specific reason, so I probably miss a lot of other interesting places.
    I finding Salvos stores opening up in a few new places lately - there is one in Bell Street (near the end, before it turns into Burgundy Street). I hope to check it out in the New Year. It might have been there for a while, as I don't travel along that road often, but I'm sure it wasn't there last time I looked!
    Hope you had a happy Christmas, and best wishes for a successful oppy New Year!

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  2. hey!

    thanks Gina and merry christmas to you! yes, its a bit weird to have a big salvos store in the middle of town. I didnt actually find out where they were moving!

    haha, i feel like I've abandoned the blog a little recently - just because its been so busy pre-christmas ... hopefully I'll be back up and running v.soon!

    have a great new year!

    steph

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