With responsible and sustainable fashion becoming ever more popular, we looked at whether this has had a positive impact on charity and second-hand shops on a typical, local high street.
We visited the Kings Heath high street and spoke to the town centre manager, Martin Mullaney, as well as an Oxfam book shop and the owner of Top Banana vintage clothing shop.
Martin Mullaney explained the importance of charity shops to a local high street, and their important role. He outlined the positives of charity shops, such as the recycling of items, “instead of sending stuff to landfill they are reusing them”, which reflects why charity shops can be so good for sustainable fashion. He further reinforced that “there is an eco-need as part of that recycling agenda”, which is a similar concept to popular vintage clothing stores such as the national organisation, COW, a shop where old clothes are recycled and made into something new.
He also emphasised that there is a “social need” for charity shops. They are very helpful towards vulnerable people, “a lot of the charity shops have volunteers who are long term unemployed, who are very vulnerable, perhaps some have mental health illnesses and they provide a welcoming environment to help”.
However, despite these positives, it is a very overcrowded market and therefore is forcing some charity shops to close down. On Kings Heath high street alone, there are currently 12 charity shops and more continuing to open. Martin Mullaney explained that the problem Kings Heath has at the moment is that there is “too many charity shops, so the market has been spread very thinly amongst 12 charity shops”, causing some shops, such as Extra Service Care, to close down.
The overcrowded market has also forced some charity shops to find their niche. For example, the Oxfam book shop.
Speaking to manager, Alison, she emphasised how it was important for them to have a market niche, for example books and records, as it made her shop different to the others on the high street and gave them a “slight edge” over the other charity shops. She expressed that there are more people using charity shops now because some chain shops on the high street have closed down, explaining that they are “more affordable and there are more options now”. She believed that charity shops do have a future on the high street, particularly because “everybody loves a bargain!”
Vintage shop, Top Banana has also found their niche, selling one off and unique pairs of Converse and Vans trainers.
We spoke to the owner of Top Banana, Amanda, whose shop has been on Kings Heath high street for 16 years. Amanda explained how it is majority young people who visit and spend money in her shop, but also emphasised the need for competitive prices against the chain shops on the high street in order to sell. Top Banana’s best sellers are the unique Converse and Vans that get shipped in from America, all priced competitively, Amanda said “we sell them for much cheaper, so you can buy two pairs for still cheaper than buying one pair from the shops here.” This second-hand shop has been open for 16 years, and Amanda explained that it’s because what she sells will never go out of fashion and appeals to “generation after generation”.
It is clear that in order to thrive as a business selling second-hand goods on the high street, a shop needs to find its niche or risk facing closure.
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