Pdsa’s Attic

After initially thinking it was a quirky little vintage shop, I wandered in hoping to find something hidden anyway amongst the racks. Not only is it packed full of awesome, kooky wears — but it proudly supports «Pets in Need of Vets»!
I was absolutely delighted, as I already give to animal charities — why not add another? They have a great range of wooly jumpers, tops and hats in loads of different colours, all at moderate prices and in great condition. The workers are always really friendly and welcoming, especially when I bought in a big bag of clothes for them to rummage through!
It’s always the first place I go when I wander into Headingley, and I recommend it to any local charity-​shop frequenters.

Well I never. Living locally, I wandered past PDSA some weeks ago and felt somewhat saddened to see a ‘final sales’ sign in their window. I’ve always been a fan of this little charity shop and I was disheartened to see that it too was, or so I thought, was closing due to the current financial hardship. But it was not so! Happy days, they were simply closing down to refurbish … as a VINTAGE charity store! I feel that an ‘OMG’ is necessary at this stage. How exciting.
I went in within days of the re-​opening and I was not disappointed. With some excellent management and fantastic arrangement the shop has been transformed into a beautifully laid out vintage style shop. The window display, including some ancient televisions, alone is enough to incite interest. They have several rails of vintage and vintage style dresses, jewellery, skirts, shirts, tops, shoes and more. Plenty for the boys too with leather jackets, boots and more on display. They even have a decicated ‘dress-​up’ wardrobe at the very back of the shop with some divine nightwear, gorgeous 80s prom dresses and other quirky one-​off items. Highstreet labels and vintage designers are both to be found throughout!
The staff are lovely, very helpful, and more than happy to have a chat or offer advice. I went in with the strictest of intentions but simply could not resist the two Victorian style Laura Ashley maxi dresses — both were under £15 each, which is an absolute steal! If you love vintage and want to find something unique, for more than a reasonable price, this is the shop for you!

Pdsa is charity shop supporting animals. I have started to notice (perhaps a sign I frequent the charity shops too much?) that each charity shop has a particular item in excess. Sometimes this is do with items stocked that relate to their charity, sometimes just because of the stock people donated. Pdsa’s speciality is animal key rings, which are very cute. They also had an excess of new umbrellas, last time I looked.
They stock most things a small charity shop would — clothes, books, videos, shoes, bags and ornaments. The pleasing thing about their clothes stock is that they are arranged by colour so if you’re looking for a black top you just have to look in the black top section. Unfortunately I noticed quite a few things from George, Asda’s clothes range, which is pretty cheap. I felt like I could have probably picked up these items last year for a similar price brand new. But that is the one of the few negative things about charity shops and its not like anyone is forcing me to buy second hand George clothes!
At the back there is a book section consisting mostly of paper-​back fiction that are all on offer as buy three get one free. If you’ve still got a video player and are a fan of the TV series ‘Friends’ then this is the place for you. They have all 10 seasons will all the hundreds of episodes for a very cheap price! All in all, I’m a fan of this charity shop — especially after having a nice chat with one of the volunteers who said they could pick up items I wanted to donate if I lived far away.

This is a well-​stocked charity shop with high quality items. They have special offers on every week which are handy if, like me, your purse strings can barely even stretch to charity shop prices in these broke times! When I last visited all their coats were half price — perfect if you find yourself turning blue in the current temperatures at the tail end of a determinedly chilly winter!
Like most of the Headingley charity shops, pdsa seem to get a lot of decent donations, so browsing is a pleasure. I wouldn’t say it seems to stock the most unusual finds but it has a lot of very wearable clothing and you’re bound to find a bargain.

I am one of the biggest fans of charity shops in the world. Fact. My housemate Carrie calls them ‘dead people’s shops’ and can’t abide them, and is very adamant that I wash everything before I wear it in case I catch something nasty, which is nice.
I heart charity shops in such a way that I’m beginning to wonder whether it’s a bit unhealthy. I can’t go near one without going in, because you just never know — that might be the day that you find some one-​off, fantastic, beautifully bargainous designer piece that fits you better than anything you’ve ever bought before. Sigh.
Anyway, PDSA. It’s right by Jackdaws and the Caliente Café, and it’s a bizarre mix of a charity shop, with new clothes and second-​hand ones, and furniture and books and toys and just lots of ‘stuff’. It hasn’t got the range you’ll find in the British Heart Foundation or Mind, or even the Arthritis shop, but it’s always full of students trying to bag a fancy dress bargain (I’ve seen more and more golfers on the Otley Run — I’d imagine that’s a much cheaper costume than the Batman ones and that). The staff are friendly, and it’s generally a busy shop. It’s not my favourite though — I tend to prefer a place that ‘specialises’ (inasmuch as a charity shop can do) in one main kind of product, like clothes. If I want second hand furniture I’ll go to Oxfam or the Sally Army on Cardigan Road, not here.