One man's trash is another man's treasure is the old saying.
Dove House has recently opened its 33rd local store in the area - and it stands out. The Market was planned to be a revolutionary concept to change up the charity shop scene. Its aim is to lead the re-use, re-purpose, and re-love movement - more of a thrift shop than a charity shop.
Curious to have a look and see if I could grab a bargain, I had a look inside and set myself a budget of £5 to see if I could bring home any treasures.
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Found on Malmo Road, Sutton Fields, The Market is a huge store. Although it didn't come up directly on Google Maps, it was impossible to miss.
When Dove House said they planned to do something completely different with The Market they were not joking. The interior was decorated with neon lights and other modern aesthetics to give it more of a trendy thrift shop vibe. My mission was to pick up either a funky football shirt or a new member for my record collection.
The layout is easily plotted out - men's to the right, women's to the right, children and houseware behind. A look through the multiple racks and rails - there were plenty of different brands across all different sizes, as well as plenty of jeans. A white Slaters shirt aged 16 suggests that someone donated their prom suit recently, and a rather marvellous leather jacket from Ironside would have come home with me if it was not 25 degrees outside.
Although there were not any snazzy football shirts around, there was a club crested polo - Leeds United (Safe to say that was left on the rail). I picked up a copy of A 2001: A Space Odyssey for £1.35 to add to my book collection and the hunt for more bargains continued.
A look through the homeware was surprising. Plenty of impressive art and canvas' for £3-4 quid seemed a steal. A canvas for Boston Brewing Co. looked ideal for my bar, and that was promptly picked up. A lampshade from B&M was in remarkable condition - rather obvious given that it was still in the wrapping.
By this time, more people were entering the shop, but not to browse. At least five people came in with bags of things to put on the donation table, ready to be given to a new home. When The Market opened, Dove House aimed to make the place a community-driven place - and people are already taking to it so it seems - despite only being open less than two weeks.
I might have gone over budget ever so slightly - £4.50 for the canvas, and £1.35 for the book. But there were still plenty of things that could have come home with me, namely that dreamy leather jacket.
Organisers have also said that with the huge space that The Market has, they hope to utilise this with a diverse schedule of events, pop-ups, workshops and more, all aimed at fostering a vibrant community spirit. It's definitely like no other charity shop in the area, and well worth checking out - with everything going to a good cause.
The Market by Dove House is open:
- Monday: 9 am-7 pm
- Tuesday: 9 am-5 pm
- Wednesday: 9 am-5 pm
- Thursday: 9 am-5 pm
- Friday: 9 am-5 pm
- Sunday: 10 am-4 pm
