Justice is served

It’s been a stressful week but constructive. Last weekend we had some video games stolen, on Monday a police offer entered the shop with a brown paper bag full of video games with our stickers and gift aid references on them. So we were able to immediately identify them!
We matched them up to our records and we had no record of this sale which became evidence the police could use to charge the offender.

People still find it so hard to believe people shoplift from a charity shop!

On a more light-hearted topic we have experienced a couple of really busy weeks in the shop, some nice donations brought in and people seem happy to spend!
Lots of new customers and younger people are coming in who I’m finding are buying more than they used to – probably because we are offering affordable fashion which can be mixed and matched with high streets purchases.

The shop attracts a diverse range of customers, students with a limited budget buying in bulk, small clothes businesses such as vintage shops stocking up with our selections and the more established customer with probably more disposable income who finds charity shop retailing quite a novel and addictive pursuit.

We welcome all into the shop and hope they continue to support the charity, not only with their donations but also their custom.

Mona Lisa edit

We had an idea the other day. Well I had seen it in a high street retailer in York where they used an old painting in an easel and in bright pink paint painted over it with “spring stock NEW ARRIVALS” I thought it was brilliant. It was an old landscape scene with trees and sheep you know the normal.

Can I just add I in no way endorse graffiti but once on a trip to Rome whilst taking an evening stroll with a guide one of the other visitors pointed out the graffiti on the city walls and asked why they didn’t remove it, the guide simply replied in a swish Italian accent “We look at it as art”. Enough said.

But I wonder if Leonardo would object to someone sprawling “Free buns with every cuppa” across the Mona Lisa leant against a makeshift cafe outside the Louvre. Then again she has survived being shot at.

We had an old print in the shop in a tatty frame. We checked it for value etc plus it was damaged so we used some orange paint and painted in bright colours VINTAGE.

We have placed it on a shelf above our vintage clothes section - it does look very effective but has been met with mixed response and an occasional gasp but overall it’s positive.  I look at it as creativity and modern thinking and actually this sort of thing has been done for years I remember seeing an artist painting a scene in a very large flagship Topman store.

Vintage clothing as I have said before do generate a lot of interest and if you create a section dedicated to it you attract a whole new shopper without compromising the integrity of the rest of the shop.

I have been to vintage fares in the past and let me tell you there is a lot of money spent! The last time I went to one they had two 1950s pin up girls with a basket of candy floss and a DJ spinning vintage war time tracks mixed with contemporary dub step. Great atmosphere – not saying I am going to start blasting out dirty bass beats featuring the velvet tones of Vera Lynn belting “We’ll meet again” ....

I don’t think so Autism Plus shoppers you have been saved!