Mind

This is a great charity shop with a very cool owner. I happen to know for a fact she is a child of the 60s and a huge fan of The Beatles, The Stones, The Faces… and this is reflected in the stock she sells. They are great for toys, but even better for books. They have some real gems on the bookshelves here. I got my John Peel autobiography from here with his festive 50 from every year listed in the back. Mmm I got some great playlists out of that book.
The staff at this branch are also lovely people, great for a chat and they will help you find anything. They are perfect for fancy dress costumes, intentionally. The manager knows who her market is; students. But if you can’t find what you are looking for on the shop floor just ask as they have mountains of donated stock in the back.

Mind is one of those charity shops that hasn’t absolutely rinsed its stock right across the country; it’s still a surprise to find their stores dotted about.
This is a wonderful little shop with a light and airy feel and, I am happy to report, a fine selection of books. Not your usual charity shop literature choice here with a light sprinkling of Julie Andrews and Tom Clancy, oh no — this is high street-​standard proper choice. Fiction to nonfiction, they stream right across the range with a huge array of styles and tastes. Also of interest is the gent behind the counter; a one hundred mile stare is one thing, but this chap — he barely moves!
Fascinating.

This is a great shop to donate to as there is tonnes of space. There’s little worse than lugging several bags of swagger to give to a charity shop only to find yourself in a tiny space with little room to walk yet alone leave a mound of unwanted goods for the charity. When I lived near Whiteladies Road I would always donate to this store. They even track the goods for you and let you know how much your donation raised. I know that’s not why you do it, but it really is a nice little touch and certainly keeps you going back. Now for the buying side of things. There is a good mix of clothes, bric a brac and books, CDs and even records as well as kids stuff. They’ve often got a lot of clobber which would work perfectly as dressing up material and, more often than not, a fabulous display of costume jewellery.

When you walk through the doors of Mind charity shop, it’s almost like walking into an antiques shop. There’s low-​level lighting, a slightly dusty smell and lots of bric-​à-​brac filling it’s shelves. There’s also several racks of clothes, music and dvds.
But, for me, its the crockery and furniture that makes Mind a great charity shop and sets it aside from the others in Clifton Village. When I was moving flats I picked up A LOT of useful kitchen ware from Mind. The volunteers are friendly and helpful, and if there’s something specific you’re after they’ll instantly be able to tell you if they’ve got it in stock.