Last Updated on March 7, 2023 by Sophie Nadeau
It’s no secret that Charity Shops can be a great place to grab a bargain, particularly if you’re prepared to hunt for treasures and spend a little while looking. Hampstead is located in northwest London and is the perfect place to spend a sunny afternoon. Here are the best charity shops in Hampstead:
Thanks to its status as one of the wealthiest areas of London, Hampstead can be quite a good spot to peruse the second-hand shops in search of that extra special piece to add to your wardrobe or homeware item to spruce up your home.
Introducing Hampstead
Leafy Hampstead is a veritable delight with its beautiful houses and village feel. Some of the top attractions in the district including taking a long and lazy stroll on the mammoth Hampstead Heath (a park complete with views of Parliament Hill) and visiting the free to visit Burgh House, a former home turned small museum.
If you’re visiting London, be sure to check out our best London travel tips. You can also check out our suggestions for the best hidden gems of London and how to spend the perfect one day in London.
Tips for charity shopping in England
Charity shops have been around for decades and are essentially where people can donate their used goods (thus avoiding throwing them away or leaving them to sit unused in a cupboard) to charity.
These charities then sell the donated goods in their shops for profit, with the proceeds then going to fund the charities. Honestly, shopping in charity shops is a massive win-win for everyone.
The charity gets money and the consumer often gets a reduced price item (though, unfortunately, many charity shops are charging close to retail price as of 2023 in a bid to deter resellers).
With this being said, I managed to find my designer Wedding dress in a charity shop in Brighton in 2022 at just 10% of the RRP so good deals are still to be found, if only you spend the time to look for them.
The consumer also gets to buy something second-hand, which as we all know, is so much better for the environment than buying brand new!
There are a number of charity shops brands which operate across the UK. This includes the British Red Cross, The British Heart Foundation, Oxfam (including Oxfam bookshops), Mind, Age UK, and the RSPCA.
Best charity shops in Hampstead
Cancer Research UK
This charity shop is located on Hampstead High Street, just a stone’s throw away from a number of high end fashion high street stores such as Claude Pierlot and Reiss.
And while the money is obviously going to a good cause, we couldn’t help but think that the prices were extremely expensive for a charity shop. I’ve actually found that Cancer Research Charity Shops tend to be some of the more expensive charity shops out there and so it can be harder to find a bargain but is worth a browse through nonetheless.
If you have time afterwards, be sure to head directly across the street to visit the Red Phone Booth coffee shop. And, yes, this café is exactly what it says on the tin: in a rather unique repurposing of a former telephone booth, this red box now serves up coffees to go!
Mary’s Living & Giving Shop for Save the Children
Undoubtedly one of my favourite charity shops in Hampstead, this store is set over two levels and is set out more like an independent boutique rather than a thrift store.
There’s a huge selection of women’s clothing and I spotted brands like Maje and French Connection for sale. There’s also a smaller, albeit fairly good selection of men’s clothing on the second floor.
Octavia
This Charity is committed to connecting people affected by unemployment, ill health, social isolation or low incomes in central and west London and they have several charity shop branches across the UK capital.
As well as a selection of second-hand books and DVDs, shoppers can expect to find a wide array of second-hand clothing for men, women, and children. There’s a huge mixed bag of wares to trawl through, meaning you never know what you’ll find next.
Oxfam
There are two Oxfam charity shops in Hampstead; one specifically for books, and the other for everything else. The Oxfam charity shop is located a stone’s throw away from the high street and inside you’ll find everything from homeware to antiques. There is also a designer clothing section at the right at the back of the shop.
Oxfam Bookshop
One of the best charity shops in Hampstead can be found in the form of Oxfam bookshop. Though it’s fairly small, you’ll always find a number of customers within the store looking for all kinds of books from biographies to fiction police novels.
There’s also a small travel section with books about the local Hampstead and west London area. I found that the prices of the store were really fair and I picked up a new book that was RRP £8.99 for £3.
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