We can all appreciate a good deal, but op shops offer much more than just discounted used clothing. They are common places to locate unique knickknacks, clothes, and furniture that have been donated, as well as items that have been previously owned and are now considered antiques. Going to one of these places is like cracking up a chest of surprises; you never knows what you could uncover.
Stylish and unique vintage and antique clothing and accessories at bargain prices. People are attracted to the idea because they may shop guilt-free for a good cause or promote a more eco-friendly fashion philosophy. We've located some of the finest examples of these establishments in Melbourne.
FAQs About Op Shops In Melbourne
Melbourne's best areas for op-shopping include the CBD, Fitzroy, and the inner east suburbs like South Yarra, Richmond, and Prahran.
Shopping for vintage clothing in Melbourne allows you to express your personality, and when it comes to finding the best op shops, Melbourne has plenty of options. It is also more ethical shopping as many op shops in Melbourne raise money for charities. Plus, re-using preloved items is beneficial to the environment.
Buying clothes at the op shops cuts out the worry of whether or not it was made in a sweatshop. Buying second-hand clothes and goods are recycling, keeping stuff out of the landfills. We interrupt the cycle of buy, use, throw away. It also saves you money.
Other great finds to keep an eye out for include vintage cameras, designer clothes, record players, high quality picture frames, fine china and vintage typewriters. Take good quality photos of the items before listing them on sites such as eBay, Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace.
Many people shop there to save money or because they love the idea of supporting a charity shop that helps vulnerable members of our community. Some love treasure hunting for hidden gems at bargain prices, while some people want to buy recycled clothing to help the environment.
Melbourne's Op Shops For Unique Finds
A man's garbage is another man's treasure, as Macklemore puts it. As we enter the layer-heavy fall and winter months, Macklemore's 2012 reflection retains some unappreciated appeal.
Those who are willing to put money out and those who are not will form two separate groups. Unfortunately, not everyone can attend the Coachella music festival. However, savvy shoppers will learn to use the unique, eclectic charm of a thrift store to their advantage.
Vintage Sole
At Vintage Sole, we know that good style doesn't have to cost a fortune, and we're here to prove it. Since its inception in 2005, the company has opened three locations in Melbourne, one each in Fitzroy and the Melbourne Central Business District, and Windsor. The introduction of the web store has drastically improved the ease of shopping.
The store carries a large selection of clothing from many different labels, and customers have a good chance of discovering a rare vintage item among the selection. Additionally, they are up-to-date on the latest fashion trends and carry high-end, previously owned labels like Tommy Hilfiger & Calvin Klein.
The thrifty group of shoppers who run Vintage Sole has already been securing antique apparel, footwear, and items for over a decade. Then consider the vintage sunglasses that have been all over Instagram recently, and how they've been released alongside other goodies guaranteed to make your heart skip a beat when you see them in a store.
Retro Star Vintage Clothing
RetroStar Vintage Clothing, which first opened its doors in 2002, is widely recognised as the city's premier vintage clothing retailer. What do they excel at? Everything from the 1940s until the '90s (hello JT-and-Brit-worthy denim ensembles). There are all kinds of clothes, shoes, bags, and accessories here.
RetroStar Vintage Clothing is a terrific place to purchase band tees, boots, and awesome coats like the Champion 1996 USA Olympics Spray Jacket. RetroStar, housed at Melbourne's historic Nicholas Building on Swanston Street, is a go-to for vintage threads and accoutrements.
Having been open for nearly two decades, it has grown to become Australia's largest vintage retailer. The store features a wonderful, diversified assortment of antiques from the 1940s through the 1990s.
Brotherhood Of St Laurence
The North Side location epitomises the op-shop porn stereotype. This shop has everything you could ever want, from records and books to oddities to an entire floor of vintage clothing, accessories, and footwear. In this thrift store, you may come in knowing exactly what you're looking for and walk out with it, all while holding your first record on vinyl.
Camberwell Market
There is a great selection of vintage and unique items for sale to purchase at the Camberwell Sunday Market. Held weekly on Sunday mornings, the market is frequented by those in pursuit of both unique items and the adrenaline rush that comes with the hunt.
All this, while being amused by the street performers who have claimed the area as their own personal stage. The main draw of Camberwell Sunday Market is the possibility of discovering a treasure among the records, antique clothing, and buttons that are available there. An intriguing case in point is a recounting of events from the year 2002. A tourist who bought several dolls while visiting the Pacific Islands had no idea they were a rare collectable worth a fortune.
Salvos Store
Need to outfit your new Melbourne bedroom or home? All of your unorganised furnishings can be found at the Salvation Army. You can get a dresser for $30, a coffee table from the 1970s for $40, and a sofa for $50. The clothes aren't anything exceptional, but the bookstore has an incredible selection of books.
At a thrift store like this, it's impossible to resist the temptation to buy a random, rare item, despite your certainty that you'll never put it to any practical use. Anybody up for a game of roller hockey?
If you're looking for books at a thrift store, this Salvation Army is the place to go. There is a large selection of gently used books at Salvos Bentleigh, as well as a particular display case for rare or antique volumes. The shop also stocks a decent selection of clothing (with the occasional vintage treasure) and curios.
Shag
You'll blend in nicely with the locals over at Shag if you treat your wardrobe like a treasure chest. The owners of the shop see themselves as treasure hunters and purveyors of exquisite accessories. Shag first opened its doors in 1996, and it is still operating today. Located in both Windsor and Collingwood, this op shop gets its goods from all around the world. Bright and colorful pieces, such as sequinned jackets and bright beaded accessories, are brought to customers.
The eccentric, technicolour fashion of professional treasure hunters like Shag is reflected in his relics. If you're planning on time-traveling to a period in which everyone wore sequins, you should come here because it has limitless decorations and out-there ear candy.
Savers Recycle Superstore
Once you step inside the behemoth that is Greensborough Savers, the arduous journey will seem worthwhile. Big breakfast is recommended before venturing into this mammoth warehouse loaded with seemingly endless racks of clothing. However, you'll leave the mall with both a bunch of new clothes and RSI. In addition, Savers provides a discount when customers donate used items and a benefits ) will be distributed that may be used to purchase sale items at half off.
Chapel Street Bazaar
On Chapel Street, you'll find the one-and-only Chapel Street Bazaar, a mecca for collectors of antiques and collectors' items. Over eighty vendors are there, all of them are enthusiastic about selling their wares.
Products range from the more commonplace, such as used clothing and furniture, to the more unusual, such as records, movie posters, signatures, and advertising memorabilia. The bazaar sells more than just trinkets; they also have taxidermy, photography gear, and toys for sale.
Remember when Emma Roberts & her crew converted a shopping trip into a music video at a thrift store in Britain? The Chapel Street Bazaar is a perfect place to re-create the setting. It's like an antique mini-mall, but with a cacophony of wares, including ceramics, crystals, dolls, shoes, clothing, and jewellery, all neatly arranged in individual booths by enthusiastic vendors.
Hunter Gatherer
Hunter Gatherer, run by the Brotherhood of St. Laurence and bringing together traditional antique apparel under a sky of neon lettering, is a crown jewel of the 2nd fashion arena. In other words, if you're always jealous of the way people in Fitzroy dress, you should pay a visit to HG to discover your inner Grandma-chic. And yet, we all know you have a lunch date just a block away.
The Hunter-Gatherer shops have made a name for themselves within the second-hand industry, and their customers know and trust them. HG, as it's commonly known, is a firm run by the Brotherhood of St. Laurence, a group dedicated to reducing poverty in Australia.
The stores include a wealth of unique finds, from clothing and accessories to music and literature. HG is the best spot to spend a day looking for vintage items because everything there has been carefully selected, and there is a great selection of options to choose from.
Storehouse Thrift
The narrative has a lot of warm fuzzies. Storehouse Thrift is a group of good-hearted people fighting the adolescent drug epidemic, and we strive to be as smart and giving as they are. Shopping through these items will not only aid a lot of people, but it will also help you polish your Cher à la Clueless Wardrobe Master Plan (still so very great).
Vinnies Moorabbin
The largest Vinnies shop in Victoria may be found in Melbourne's southeastern suburbs. The large Vinnies Moorabbin op shop is a treasure trove of unusual and one-of-a-kind furnishings; it is well worth a trip. The shop is the kind where you may pick up some unique Art Deco decorations or a good book to add to your collection (the store has an entire room dedicated to books).
Storehouse Thrift
Storehouse Thrift collaborates with Teen Challenge Worldwide Victoria, a nonprofit that provides help for those battling substance abuse. Since opening in 2006, the business has expanded to other city sites.
One of the best things about with this op shop is that 100% of the money made goes to a good cause; specifically, Teen Challenge Worldwide Victoria. In addition to supporting a worthy cause, customers may shop for the latest seasonal styles and one-of-a-kind items.
Secondo
Secondo's pre-owned goods are selling like hotcakes. Caution: if you're wanting to save money, go scavenge somewhere else. However, if you're interested in used apparel, they provide a wide variety of high style for you to peruse.
Secondo, situated in South Yarra, is widely regarded as the best secondhand shop in Melbourne. Fans of high fashion will appreciate the opportunity to score gently used pieces from labels like Balmain, Chanel, Versace, even Zimmerman at steep discounts. Looking for more evidence that Secondo is awesome? They help fund the Prahran Mission and the Diwali Community School, both of which serve low-income students in West Jakarta. In addition to being open 24 hours a day, stocked with of unique, high-quality goods, the boutique is sure to gratify any shopper.
Sacred Heart Mission
In St. Kilda, the Sacred Heart mIssion plays a crucial role. In addition to their well-known daily food distribution of over 400 meals to Melbourne's needy, they also provide other, less well-known but no less important services, such as a veterinarian who volunteers his time to treat the pets of Melbourne's homeless. Others, though, offer free medical and beauty services.
A small thrift store can be found there, selling the kind of tacky trinkets that would look out of place anywhere else but on your walls. Given its Christian heritage, you should expect to see several beautiful examples of religious iconography in gold leaf. Invaluable for storing vintage cookbooks and curios.
There are 12 thrift stores at the Sacred Heart Mission, all of which focus on serving the community. The idea behind their company is straightforward: they want to encourage a more environmentally friendly way of buying while simultaneously raising money and exposure for their cause.
Their Melbourne stores donate 30 percent of their profits and play a crucial role in providing care and assistance for Melbourne's homeless population. Among the many things available are garments, oddball accessories, and knickknacks. Donating resaleable items or giving your time are two other ways to help out.
Red Cross Op Shops
You never know what you'll find when you start going through your closet, even some high-quality clothing you've outgrown. Rather than throwing them out, you might give them to the American Red Cross. These donations will go to one of many local Red Cross thrift stores, which are staffed entirely by hardworking community members.
One of these shops is a great place to find unique furnishings, clothing, and accessories. All proceeds go towards the op shops' ultimate goal of ensuring the respect, security, and well-being of all human beings, which is bolstered by the fact that patronising them promotes sustainability practises.
To help you distinguish between "donate" and "bin it's pile," these gentlemen have come up with a catchy slogan: If it's nice enough to share with a buddy, it's nice enough for us. Here, the proceeds support a wide range of worthwhile causes, including those dealing with international catastrophe assistance. Explore the fantastic world of Red Cross thrift stores and you can do good while updating your Splendor wardrobe.
Cheltenham Opportunity Shop
The unassuming Cheltenham Opportunity Shop actually contains a treasure trove of random items. Although there is a little selection of clothing and accessories available, the knickknacks and decorative items are the real stars of the show. Give your room a touch of nostalgia with these things, which you won't find in the Smols area of IKEA (homeware-y heaven of small items).
Vinnies Centres
The Vinnies Centres are proud to be known as a place to find quality used items at affordable pricing. There are 650 locations throughout Australia and 100 in Victoria that are part of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, making it easy to identify one in your area.
You may support local communities and the causes they stand for by shopping or donating to your neighbourhood Vinnies, where you'll find everything from knickknacks to gently used clothing and furniture. Customers can help support Vinnies by making purchases and donating to the organisation.
The Vinnies Op Shops, which can be found all over our major cities, are like nuggets of undiscovered treasure thanks to their constantly changing window displays and incredible sales. They take pride in their cleanliness and their ability to sort through mountains of contributions to find the greatest items for their customers. The Hamptons fixture has a vast selection of pottery and adorable children's apparel. Excellent for common-use kitchens in large homes. Experience it firsthand and you'll remember it forever.
Toorak Opportunity Shop
A massive oxymoron, that's for sure. You wouldn't necessarily expect to find a plethora of thrift stores in Toorak. But you won't believe your eyes when you visit the Toorak Opportunity Shop; they exclusively sell high-quality items that look as though they were never touched.
Family Life Opportunity Shops
If you're looking for anything specific, chances are good that you'll find this in a thrift store. Family Life is a wonderful place to find books, clothes, furniture, and other useful items for the house. Some of the items that tourists can find are excellent clothing and designer names at incredibly low prices, as well as bargains on things like sportswear.
Five "social enterprise opportunity shops" can be found in and around the Bayside region of Melbourne. Stores in the area have strong relationships to the people they serve. If you buy something from Family Life, you can feel good about it because a portion of the proceeds go to support low-income families. A training programme is in place to help people acquire the knowledge and experience you need to get employment through this organisation.
The Highett store provides a PeopleWorx programme in addition to the many other ways that Life And family Op Shops around the city help low-income families. They aid those seeking full-time employment by providing training in customer service and retail work. That merits a round of applause. Furniture, books, clothes, electronics, you know the drill, it has it everything. If you're looking for low-cost entertainment options, you'll be happy to learn that Melbourne offers a wide variety of monthly events that are completely free of charge.
Shappere
Anyone interested in clothing should make a trip to Shappere. The shop, which is open on weekdays, sells antique clothing. Those who appreciate fashion or who are looking to spice up their wardrobe with some novel pieces will find everything they need here.
The highlights of the collection, which are items acquired from all around the world, are the numerous pairs of boots available. There is also a great range of bags, leathers, and dazzling shirts for both sexes!
Vintage Garage
On Smith Street in Collingwood, you'll find the hidden gem that is Vintage Garage. This one-of-a-kind shop is more like a bazaar than anything else because it is staffed by more than forty dealers who are experts in their fields. You'll find something at Vintage Garage that suits your taste.
They stock trendy festival attire and streetwear with an edge. Still, if it's albums and memorabilia, or unusual home goods and signs for your abode, that tickle your fancy, you're in the right place.
Conclusion
The op stores in Melbourne have more to offer than just cheap secondhand clothing. Donated antiques, clothing, and furniture with a distinct flavour. Vintage Sole sells pre-owned, high-end brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein. Clothing from a wide variety of names may be found at Retro Star Vintage Clothing. RetroStar Vintage Clothing is Australia's largest vintage clothing store, located in Melbourne's historic Nicholas Building on Swanston Street. The vintage and one-of-a-kind wares on sale at the Camberwell Sunday Market are second to none.
Content Summary
- We can all appreciate a good deal, but op shops offer much more than just discounted used clothing.
- They are common places to locate unique knickknacks, clothes, and furniture that have been donated, as well as items that have been previously owned and are now considered antiques.
- Going to one of these places is like cracking up a chest of surprises; you never knows what you could uncover.
- Stylish and unique vintage and antique clothing and accessories at bargain prices.
- People are attracted to the idea because they may shop guilt-free for a good cause or promote a more eco-friendly fashion philosophy.
- Melbourne's Op Shops For Unique FindsA man's garbage is another man's treasure, as Macklemore puts it.
- As we enter the layer-heavy fall and winter months, Macklemore's 2012 reflection retains some unappreciated appeal.
- Those who are willing to put money out and those who are not will form two separate groups.
- Unfortunately, not everyone can attend the Coachella music festival.
- However, savvy shoppers will learn to use the unique, eclectic charm of a thrift store to their advantage.
- Vintage Sole At Vintage Sole, we know that good style doesn't have to cost a fortune, and we're here to prove it.
- Since its inception in 2005, the company has opened three locations in Melbourne, one each in Fitzroy and the Melbourne Central Business District, and Windsor.
- The introduction of the web store has drastically improved the ease of shopping.
- The store carries a large selection of clothing from many different labels, and customers have a good chance of discovering a rare vintage item among the selection.
- Additionally, they are up-to-date on the latest fashion trends and carry high-end, previously owned labels like Tommy Hilfiger & Calvin Klein.
- The thrifty group of shoppers who run Vintage Sole has already been securing antique apparel, footwear, and items for over a decade.
- Then consider the vintage sunglasses that have been all over Instagram recently, and how they've been released alongside other goodies guaranteed to make your heart skip a beat when you see them in a store.
- Star Vintage Clothing, which first opened its doors in 2002, is widely recognised as the city's premier vintage clothing retailer.
- Everything from the 1940s until the '90s (hello JT-and-Brit-worthy denim ensembles).
- There are all kinds of clothes, shoes, bags, and accessories here.
- Star Vintage Clothing is a terrific place to purchase band tees, boots, and awesome coats like the Champion 1996 USA Olympics Spray Jacket.
- Star, housed at Melbourne's historic Nicholas Building on Swanston Street, is a go-to for vintage threads and accoutrements.
- Having been open for nearly two decades, it has grown to become Australia's largest vintage retailer.
- The store features a wonderful, diversified assortment of antiques from the 1940s through the 1990s.
- Brotherhood Of St Laurence The North Side location epitomises the op-shop porn stereotype.
- This shop has everything you could ever want, from records and books to oddities to an entire floor of vintage clothing, accessories, and footwear.
- In this thrift store, you may come in knowing exactly what you're looking for and walk out with it, all while holding your first record on vinyl.
- Camberwell Market There is a great selection of vintage and unique items for sale to purchase at the Camberwell Sunday Market.
- Held weekly on Sunday mornings, the market is frequented by those in pursuit of both unique items and the adrenaline rush that comes with the hunt.
- All this, while being amused by the street performers who have claimed the area as their own personal stage.
- The main draw of Camberwell Sunday Market is the possibility of discovering a treasure among the records, antique clothing, and buttons that are available there.
- An intriguing case in point is a recounting of events from the year 2002.
- A tourist who bought several dolls while visiting the Pacific Islands had no idea they were a rare collectable worth a fortune.
- All of your unorganised furnishings can be found at the Salvation Army.
- You can get a dresser for $30, a coffee table from the 1970s for $40, and a sofa for $50.
