July 2020 by Ti Ger
Love visiting the charity shops
July 2019 by Marzena Wroblewska
You can find something for yourself, clothes, jewellery and something to your house. Good prices.
April 2016 by Hayley A.
I have racked my brain for the best way to encapsulate the utter goodness of this little charity shop, and I don't think I can put it better than this: I. Now. Volunteer. Here. If you too live for vintage or vintage-inspired bargains - get Barnardo's, Merchant City on your People To Pester On A Weekly Basis list. The store proper is really well-presented and regularly refreshed - I've bought a few pairs of shoes and always admire the little curated accessory displays adorning each of the clothing racks. BUT alas, the real gold awaits. Mosey on through to the back and you'll encounter a room that looks suspiciously like a staff-only area; marked with little picture frames spelling V I N T A G E. It's okay, you needn't loiter about outside this room, radiating a sort of unspoken question to staff "can I, err... go in there?" Yes! You can! Go! Get in! While some visits to this little Room of Wonders have been fruitless, others have served up bag loads of yesteryear goodies! Dresses tend to be priced £8.99/£9.99, though you might find something at £6.99 too. Vintage shoes and hats are also really well priced, though bags are a little hit and miss. I picked up a stunning, hand-embroidered number which, while well-worth £24.99 in the Grand Scheme of the Universe, probably broke my charity-store-bargain-hunting limit. I'd happier grab one of the £3.99-£6.99 alternatives. Not too much in the way of scarves and there is a little collection of vintage brooches and jewellery by the cash register. Now, don't go thinking you've finished there! (phew, that was close!) Leave your gathered goodies with staff at the counter, head outside and take a good gander through the outside windows. There's a vintage display in the rear side window with a swag of brooches, hats, bags and shoes to feast your eyes on too. You're welcome.
March 2016 by Donald M.
Sadly I've only been here twice over the years but this is an awesome Barbados charity shop. Most people that know me I'm often found in charity shops looking out for vintage items. I was in the area so made a point of calling in to see what stock they had in. It's not often that l see a modern well stocked & organised charity well this shop this one of those What did they have? There was rails of modern & vintage clothing with window displays that where thought out most items where vintage - retro & collectable small selection of jewellery in two display cabinets. There are shelves around the shop some had women's bags others had modern items but everything seemed like quality, there was no tacky ornaments or what l see as junk. Expensive? Well not really I've been to some charity shops and found others that I've been to very expensive and can source items that they sell cheaper brand new. The prices here where pretty good. I managed to pick up some collectable pint glasses at £1 each l also found a game controller for £4.99. This Bernardo's charity shop is a pretty good one and if you are looking for some good vintage items you would love this shop. Definitely be back.
May 2015 by Hugh M.
This is a lovely wee charity shop. I love these shops as you never know what you will find. Very clean in the place, and I'm not sure if the girl serving is Japanese. But she and the other staff are always very helpful and friendly. It's in a posh part of the city centre too:)
December 2014 by Rob K.
I pass by here most days and pop in now and again for a swatch at their new stock. The staff are helpful and are quite happy to have a blether if they're not too busy. For the past few months I've been hunting for a wooden box - and as luck would have it, Mr A spotted just what I was after in here, for a fiver. One quick visit later and it's on my fireplace. Most of the stock in here is kinda on the moderately priced side for a second hand shop, but it's worth a peruse.
November 2014 by Angela B.
I always forget this cool wee charity shop is right here, in the Merchant City part of town. It's so out of place yet not if you understand me? It's a charity shop with a twist ~ the pre-loved (fancy word for second hand) gear in here seems to be of a, shall we say, 'higher' caliber than your average chareedy shop ('I do a lot of work for chareedy...don't like to talk about it, mate...') and my favourite thang about this wee chazzer shop is they have a really nice Vintage section in a wee back room. It's really cool & nicely decorated with various vintage bits & pieces so it's like a lovely wee vintage grotto, the kind that makes my eyes (and mouth) go 'WOW!' There's a good sized fitting room in here also which a lot of chazzer shops are lacking in. The prices are pretty good; maybe a bit higher than your average but I put that down to location and the quality of the items in here. All clothes are nicely arranged & makes browsing a breeze, not a chore. One thing they seem to sell quite a lot of in here is shoes & boots. Good ones too. A friend said she once bought a pair of designer (Marc Jacobs?) shoes from here, so if you keep your designer label-loving eyes peeled you might just be able to snatch yourself a real bargain. The staff are always very pleasant & the last time I was in the lady was struggling with the card machine (another bonus: they accept cards) and rather than give up straight away & say 'Do you have any cash?' she persevered, bless her until finally I said 'It's fine...I think I might have enough cash!' (thanks to the boyfriend) Haha! She was very apologetic about it & we had a good giggle whilst she was trying with all her will to get the darn machine to work. A great wee gem of a charity shop in an area you wouldn't expect it to be. I'm a fan.
December 2013 by Nicola C.
Who said charity shops had to be full of corny old romance novels and an extensive collection of small bric-a-brac animals?! Merchant City's Barardos is hip, with it's stylish selection of clothes and little hidey hole of Vintage goods. Ohh, er! One of my favourite charity shops in Glasgow, this is definitely worth a browse!
August 2011 by Caleb D.
Oh this place just rocks.... simple as that. Yeah it's stuck on a street where peeps need not the charity offerings that it offers, but 'hell to the yeah' if it don't fling out some cracking wee finds every now and again. I popped in here the other day specifically on the hunt for a pair of blue dress trousers. I found them! Ok, i did return home with blue trousers to be told that they were in actual fact black... methinks I'm getting old and a little blind. Anyway. The best thing about the troos? The price and condition. £7 for a pair of Zara dress trousers that must have been worn never. This in comparison to some of the gear that's on offer in the west end charity shops, which tends to be a. More expensive, and b. Not always in the best condition. So yeah, a two big ol' thumbs up frm me for this one again. I'm not always in the area, but when I am, I'm always in here. Banana.
April 2010 by Lisa G.
It's a charity shop, but fancier! This Barnardos Boutique store is well set out and has a feel about it like you are raiding through a rich person's dressing room. You know, someone who is so rich they don't just have a wardrobe; they have a whole room for their clothes. Most of the clothes for sale here are great condition designer clothing at a fraction of the original price and of course the money goes to charity so you can shop away and feel smug because it's for charity maaaan. Whoever is responsible for selecting and displaying the donated items in this store has great taste as it is always full of lovely things that never look second hand. You would never guess this is a charity shop if it wasn't called Barnardos! They have a great retro and vintage section which has all kinds of items from a number of eras. They also have a "want it" list so that if you can't find what you're looking for in the shop they can try and track it down for you, magic!
December 2009 by Adele R.
A far cry from stereotypical musty old second hand shops, Barnardos Boutique is definitely the creme de la creme of charity shops. Situated in Glasgow's stylish Merchant City, this shop boasts the best selection of second hand goods of all Barnardos stores, making it more of a boutique vintage shop than a charity shop. The items here are more often than not designer, and are an absolute steal compared with their original retail price. What I also love about this shop is their quirky range of handmade accessories, including hand-sewn corsages which I've purchased a few of, whilst the girl behind the counter sews as she serves, using pretty buttons and scraps of material to make these unique and unusual little pieces. If you're a fan of charity shopping, I would definitely recommend that you pop in here to browse their sizable selection of clothing, books, bags and accessories.
