Shelter Shops Edinburgh

Lots of interesting and well-​taken care of items to be had at this shop. Plus it benefits people in need, so there’s no reason not to give it a go and check it out sometime.
I stopped in to drop off some winter clothing that I was donating –due to the fact that I live in a part of the U.S. where the winter is still warmer than Scotland’s summer –it is safe to say that I won’t be needing winter gloves or jackets anymore. It makes sense to let some of it go to a place that can resell the items and put the money to good use.
I stopped in at the Nicolson Street location and had a look around after dropping off my items. They really had a little bit of everything and all of it looked to be in pretty good condition. There are lots of good looking items there and the prices are more than reasonable. I would definitely recommend stopping in here before spending hard-​earned money at a retail shop instead.

It seems mad to say that shops that are run entirely on customer donations often have individual styles, but it’s true. The charity shop family is well-​defined in my mind. There’s the older lady in lemon crimplene with porcelain horses on her mantelpiece. There’s her nephew in denim and his wife in a floral shift dress. There are the cool students in jackets, jeans and boots, listening to vinyls.
Then there’s Shelter on Nicolson Street, their renegade 90s grunge-​mix rebel cousin. She wears a man’s leather jacket five sizes too large over a flamenco dress. In her lace-​cuffed socks, Doc Martens, and fluorescent beads, she mooches along the street listening to Garbage.
Though charity shops in general are experiencing something of a rebirth with the vintage revolution, Shelter seems to be treading its own path. Rather than the space and carefully-​arranged rails of many of its relatives, when I walked in it was cramped, chaotic, and colourful. I found a mad garment in there, which I could only assume was, once upon a time, worn by a pantomime dame, and which refused utterly to stay still in my hands but turned itself over, ruffle over ruffle, until I had no idea what I was holding. If I’d even known to begin with.
The whole experience was a bewildering joy. One of my most fun moments in the day is staring at the wardrobe in the morning and figuring out what to do with myself today. I’ve found a new go-​to place to spark up those moments. I didn’t find what I was looking for, but I found a dressing-​up box I didn’t want to leave.

Shelter is a charity shop, so I feel a little politically incorrect bashing it, but my complaints are totally aesthetic. The other ones on the street, namely Oxfam, Cancer Research and Barnado’s are so much nicer to look at! One the one hand, the other stores may just be better at concealing the fact that all these products have been owned by someone else (a fact I’m sadly not too comfortable with) but it’d also help if Shelter was a little bit better organised.
What it does have going for it is that it’s not as strict on what it sells, so you could leave with anything from a tunic made in India (I did!), some cooking utensils, a book, or a colourfully sequined hat!

I’ll never forget the day I walked past this Shelter shop and spotted a huge gold batik print opened out as a backdrop for the window display. It. was. beautiful. And it was only £30, which is more than a bargain in anyone’s book. Unfortunately, my then boyfriend who I was walking with didn’t pick up on any of the ten or so hints I dropped on the way home, even though it was 3 weeks to christmas (!) and so sadly it doesn’t belong to me. Whoever does own it, you are very lucky. And you have amazing taste.
The moral of my ramble is this: whilst some charity shops’ stock is not the sort of thing you’d drool over in the window, this place definitely does not fall into that category. It’s like a cross between a vintage clothes shop and a one-​off homeware boutique, but at amazing prices. What’s not to love?!

I completely agree with the previous reviewers — the branch of Shelter is excellent!
It’s of a good size so all the better for the amount of goodies they can display at any given time — which is a lot. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I walked in as they have so many items and there’s literally no wall space untouched.
On a recent visit I noticed a stack of board games including; Monopoly, Operation, Hungry Hippos and Buckaroo (which I’ve always wanted). In addition to board games they have a stack of clothing, a whole section for ornaments and other bric-​à-​brac and a little alcove dedicated to books, CDs, videos and DVDs.
It’s good to see that this Shelter draws all the punters in with it’s overload of goodies as it’s raising money for an excellent cause.

Shelter work damned hard at what they do, and as such I tip my hat towards them.
This particular branch of the charities chain of shops always seems to have people in, browsing the stuff that is for sale. This of course ranges from the obligatory books and junk to a large selection of clothing and shoes — not bad at all.
Staff are friendly, which is nice as my experience of charity shop staff is that they are a bit moody and pushy — but that certainly isnt the case for Shelter.

I love Shelter. They are a brilliant organization and work hard. I always pop into this branch when I can, partly because it’s Shelter and partly because their window displays always look great! It’s quite lucky in that its located in a central area of the city, with a sphere of influence on wealthy parts and student parts. Supply and Demand right there
The staff in particular are lovely. They are not pushy at all and are the smiliest people I’ve ever come across! They genuinely enjoy their job, no wonder. job satisfaction must be high!
It’s definitely worth a visit, and it’s a worthy cause… buy something!

This branch of Shelter is amazing!
Once you wade through a number of cheaper stores just after South Bridge, you are rewarded with a number of high quality charity shops.
This one is definitely top of the bill! Stuffed full of shirts and good quality clothing, not to mention a kick ass vintage section towards the rear of the store, the volunteers in here know how to make their displays look magical. I’ve never been disappointed on a visit, and have submerged myself for ages under fur coats and quaint crockery. They seem to have a great fabric section, and amongst buying old Spanish souvenir ladies I have also emerged from Shelter with some gorgeous 70s fabric that I’m going to turn into a dress one day.
Some stores strike it lucky in terms of donations, but the clever, quirky staff in this branch are really expert in complementing stock by showcasing it well. They’re a friendly bunch and when I’m in here I feel like I’m in a retro styled shop rather than a charity outlet. Lovely stuff, one of the best charity shops in Edinburgh!

This Shelter shop is quite small and can feel quite cramped, but has a great selection of secondhand clothes, books, CDs and brik a brak as well as new kitchen items at discounted prices. The clothes, while they appear to be quite dishevelled, are in fact quite well organised into types of clothes including a vintage section in the middle of the store. The shop generally has the feel of something of a treasure trove where some gems might be found amidst the goods but you’ll have to really look for them! The atmosphere generally is quite relaxed and the staff are friendly and appear to enjoy their jobs.