Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info
Alderley Edge, a village renowned as the “Knightsbridge of the north”, is home to millionaires, billionaires, footballers and celebrities.
Unsurprisingly, the items donated to charity shops in Alderley Edge are far from ordinary.
Where else in the north west would you stumble upon Givenchy sliders, Chanel courts, Marchesa ballgowns and designer snow boots casually displayed in charity shop windows?
These treasures and more can be discovered in the charity shops of this unique little village nestled in Cheshire’s famed Golden Triangle.
Many regular charity shop visitors praise Alderley Edge and neighbouring Wilmslow for their excellent in-store ranges. If you’re hunting for designer goodies and high-end high street brands, these are fantastic places to shop, reports the Manchester Evening News.
However, if you’re hoping to snag some Chanel shoes for a few pennies, this isn’t the place for you.
The shops here are accustomed to receiving premium and luxury donations, and the prices reflect the value of the items. Nevertheless, they still offer significant reductions compared to the original price of this seriously stylish designer gear.
And let’s not forget, these are CHARITY shops. Shopping at such establishments means you’re supporting their cause – and they’re doing their utmost to raise as much money as possible for the worthy causes they represent.
With this in mind, I decided to have a gander at what was up for grabs this week at the village’s five charity shops on its main street to see what treasures were waiting.
Of course, the charm of charity shop shopping is that you never know what you’re going to stumble upon on any given day.
However, I did run into one significant issue with the Alderley charity shops – and it wasn’t just the price. It was the sizing for women’s fashion.
It seems that affluent Alderley Edge residents must be a tad slimmer than the general population, as there were a plethora of petite size 6 and 8 items for women, and not much in larger sizes.
The same went for shoes – there seemed to be an abundance of size 4s and 5s and nothing larger for women.
That being said, there were still plenty of bargains to be found, so here’s what I discovered on a mid-week trip to the charity shops scattered along the main London Road through Alderley Edge.
And if any of the items I’ve spotlighted here have caught your eye, you’d best get a move on, because things don’t stick around long before they’re snapped up by someone else at these charity shops.
Oxfam
This is the largest of the charity shops in Alderley Edge, and the first one you come across if you’re hopping off the train.
On previous visits, I’ve unearthed some fantastic fashions and major bargains here but on this occasion, it seemed a bit sparse on women’s fashion.
I did find a lovely beige Zara winter coat though for £14.99, and some brilliant Zara wellies for just £1.50 – an absolute steal – but sadly not in my size.
There appeared to be a great selection of classic men’s brogues by the well-crafted brand Roland Cartier for just £15.
However, what I truly adore about this shop is the extensive book section at the back. The children’s book library is quite impressive and always boasts an excellent range.
It’s incredibly well stocked with books that look as if they’ve never even been opened. There was the complete David Walliams collection priced at £1.99 each and you could also snag a full boxed Horrid Henry collection for a mere £5.99.
Next along the high street is Age UK, a small boutique, but always brimming with intriguing curios. I managed to find some fantastic Christmas decorations here last year.
This time around, it was the designer fashion that immediately grabbed my attention in the packed window display, featuring branded trainers and an abundance of handbags.
In fact, I could hardly believe my eyes when I spotted some black Givenchy sliders that would set you back £295 if bought new.
Here, they were a steal at just £45 and in excellent condition. The only issue was, unfortunately, the size.
They were a size 5 and I don’t think my size 7 feet would quite squeeze into them.
On the first rail on the way into the shop, there were more stunning fashion pieces. A whole array of designer label ballgowns, including some showstoppers by Rachel Zoe, Alice and Olivia, Marchesa and Victoria Beckham.
As any fashion enthusiast will know, these types of dresses would cost you anything from £700 to £1,000 if bought new, but here they were priced from £100 to £150 each.
They were all stunning – I was particularly taken with a silver sparkling ITMFL party dress and a green Self Portrait dress (both £75 but would cost over £300 new) – so it was a bit of a letdown that all the good stuff was in a size 8.
I queried the shop assistant about the abundance of small sizes, and she explained that a recent generous donation from one woman could account for the prevalence of smaller sizes.
However, there were more bargains to be found elsewhere in the shop – I spotted a box labelled “Playstation 2 console, controllers, mikes, and games” for £50, which seemed like a steal to me.
There were also these eccentric lamps at the entrance, which piqued my interest when I saw the sign “Vintage Boho Coconut Sea Urchin Lamp – £150 each – PLEASE GOOGLE” boldly displayed at the bottom.
Naturally, I did just that, and astonishingly these sorts of items seem to fetch £1,000 or more. However, I wasn’t in the market for new lamps, so I moved on to the next shop.
Barnardos
Next stop, Barnardos, where I was pleased to find a wider range of sizes – I spotted some lovely dresses in sizes 18 and 20 from high-end high street brands like Coast and Monsoon.
My attention was drawn to a row of trainers on a shelf, where I discovered a pair of Nikes in excellent condition for just £8.50, although sadly they were too large.
There was also an adorable raffia handbag by The White Company for £15, and a classy wool winter coat by Coast for £20 that caught my eye.
At the back of the shop, I stumbled upon a very fashionable beige wool dress in a size 16 by River Island, brand new with tags still on, for just £17.50.
There was also a wardrobe filled with more high-end items and evening dresses, including complete mother-of-the-bride suits for a mere £40.
Cancer Research UK
Next up was the Cancer Research shop, which was hands down my favourite shop of the day. It was bursting at the seams with fabulous fashions, brands and styles that I would typically purchase on the high street.
In fact, one of the first things I spotted was a dress I actually own – a stunning blue Whistles dress adorned with embroidered colourful birds for only £18.25.
It’s the perfect party dress and I’d highly recommend it if you’re a size 12, go and snap it up!
I was also impressed by how fashionably curated the window display was, and inside, items were well organised into trends and colours.
I fell head over heels for a spotty dress by Baukjen with a bit of frill on it, which I decided to buy for £18.50, and a shirt by designer brand Rails that was also priced at £18 – they might sound pricey but Rails shirts retail for £178 new and the material is simply divine so I know it will be a piece that lasts.
There were some great finds for kids in here too, including new-looking Nike football boots for kids for just £8.50, and a Manchester United training top aged 11-12 for £6.50.
As I was settling my bill I also spotted a cabinet packed with genuine Chanel pieces. There was a pair of espadrille-style sandals as well as heeled court shoes but both were well beyond my budget at £170 each.
There was also a pristine Barbour cream ladies jacket with furry trim for £95 – brand new this would have set you back around £250 though – but yes, it was a Size 8.
Whilst I browsed some of the more reasonably-priced fashion items, I noticed a large sign deterring shoplifters.
I enquired with the shop assistant whether they’d experienced problems with theft and I was stunned to learn it has been a genuine concern – especially at weekends.
That left me feeling really upset and quite furious actually – what kind of person believes it’s acceptable to steal from a charity shop?
Particularly one attempting to fund a cure for cancer.
Even more troubling given this week’s news that Cancer Research shops nationwide are facing closure, as charity leaders try to address the massive shifts in the retail landscape.
In their statement regarding the changes, the charity announced this week: “Like many high street retailers, we’re faced with rising costs, inflationary pressures, and changing consumer habits – including reduced footfall, higher national insurance contributions, and growing competition from online resale platforms.”
Ah yes, “online resale platforms”. One can’t help but ponder if the reason items are priced so high in the charity shops here is to deter people from buying things cheap and then reselling them for a profit.
Regardless, it’s never been more crucial to try and support your local charity shops right now if you can. It’s not only a more sustainable way to live, but the donations are providing vital funds to these worthy causes.
Marie Curie
My final stop of the day was at the Marie Curie charity shop in Alderley Edge.
This was another shop with a really great mix of fashion items, including a very impressive rack of shoes.
I spotted a fantastic Michael Kors winter hooded and padded jacket in navy blue for £15, but it was in a size 10.
Similarly, I was drawn to a lovely Whistles green dress but that was also in a size 10.
In fact, if you’re a size 8 or 10 with size 5 feet I couldn’t recommend more strongly heading over to Alderley Edge right now to see the stuff in the stores here. There’s some spectacular designer fashions up for grabs in those more petite sizes.
