another charity shop hits porty high street

susie · Post by **susie** » 28 Apr 2006, 09:57

Charity shop opening in the old electricity board shop. Think its about time they stopped opening up down here, its getting beyond a joke.

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 28 Apr 2006, 10:37

susie wrote:Charity shop opening in the old electricity board shop. Think its about time they stopped opening up down here, its getting beyond a joke.

Better occupied as a charity shop than lying rotting away empty for years and years surely?

Be great if it was to open as a dedicated book/music shop like the Oxfam ones. That would be good.

Sandra · Post by **Sandra** » 28 Apr 2006, 11:06

I agree, better occupied than lying empty. Never know what bargains you might find

ceejam · Post by **ceejam** » 28 Apr 2006, 11:11

Does this not give some indication of the local economy?

The fact that the only people willing (and able to afford) to open a shop in Portobello are charities!

It's good that the council are refurbishing the shopfronts for them too, even though they won't get any money back in rent!

Certainly looks much nicer than rotting away so far!

Porty · Post by **Porty** » 28 Apr 2006, 11:17

I agree with both Suzie and you two. However, traders across the country are peeved due to having to compete on whatis not a level playing field.

Charity shops are big business, their shops have salaried managers and they are serious retailers. Unlike the ornery trader they pay only 20% rates. For example in the former Kirkwoods the rates ahould be about Â£16,000 per annum but the charity only pays Â£3200 the UK government pays the rest. For many businesses this could be the survival difference. Indeed some councils, not Edinburgh, pick up the other 20%. Thera are many more "unfair factors"

Not only is the rates subsidy a competitive advantage but CS have no salaries for the retail staff, dont pay for a lot of their stock and probably don't pay VAT. Yet, a lot of shops sell brand new goods. I believe one charity shop in porty sells the same bears as the bear shop.

Its hard enough to make a living as a trader in Porty without having a heavily subsidised competitor set up next door.

susie · Post by **susie** » 28 Apr 2006, 11:31

I agree better with a used shop as empty, but there are too many charity shops in portobello at the last count seven( not sure if that is correct).

ceejam · Post by **ceejam** » 28 Apr 2006, 11:38

susie wrote:there are too many charity shops in portobello.

If that is the case some of them will close down!

I agree with Porty on this, it isn't fair that they get subsidies, and it's a bit off if they are competing with the regular traders (who subsidise them).

But if regular traders don't want to open shops, you can't force them to! It's business, it's not nice, but afraid that's the way it is!

Porty · Post by **Porty** » 28 Apr 2006, 13:05

ceejam wrote:But if regular traders don't want to open shops, you can't force them to! It's business, it's not nice, but afraid that's the way it is!

Ceejam, its not quite as simple as that. Because Charities don't pay rates they tend to offer landlords higher rent or at least they are more likely to offer the rent that is asked for.

This has a knock-on effect for the other traders in the street. When it comes to their regular rent reviews landlords use charity and other rental as evidence against the traders. Traders rents go up, which creates more evidence and so on. Its like rental cancer. Very swiftly rents move away from true economic value. Smart traders steer clear. (Its not only charity shops, when someone like Pizza Hut comes to the high they tend to offer high and the surrounding shops go up in value overnight)

I bet there are very few examples of independent traders here in Portobello who make money, who don't own their premises.

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 28 Apr 2006, 13:06

It sounds like it's not fair that some of them get subsidies - especially the slick ones who sell new stock and, as Porty points out, have salaried managers.

There has to be a balance though - it would be a shame if small independent charity shops got priced out if the rules swung too far in the other direction.

ecm is spot on about Oxfam - they are excellent. I've only seen one of their bookshops on the southside/newington although I assume there must be one on charity shop row - also known as the high street in Stockbridge!

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 28 Apr 2006, 13:54

Dadaist wrote: ecm is spot on about Oxfam - they are excellent. I've only seen one of their bookshops on the southside/newington although I assume there must be one on charity shop row - also known as the high street in Stockbridge!

There's a bookshop and a separate music shop on Raeburn Place.

Either of these would do blinding trade down here, I'll bet.

bellybabe · Post by **bellybabe** » 28 Apr 2006, 13:58

Dadaist wrote: ecm is spot on about Oxfam - they are excellent. I've only seen one of their bookshops on the southside/newington although I assume there must be one on charity shop row - also known as the high street in Stockbridge!

Wasn't that one of the first dedicated ones, the one in Stockbridge? And across the road they had the music one, although i think it's changed now. Mind you, they were selling ragged, torn hardback chalet School books for more than the children's Bookshelf. Asking Â£80 or more for something you can buy elsewhere for Â£40, and when they got it free in the first place, seems like cheek to me.

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 28 Apr 2006, 14:08

Bellybabe wrote: they were selling ragged, torn hardback chalet School books for more than the children's Bookshelf. Asking Â£80 or more for something you can buy elsewhere for Â£40, and when they got it free in the first place, seems like cheek to me.

That does seem quite outrageous!

That's the trouble with the "big" charity shops, their staff are trained to know when they're onto a good thing.
Not so likely to pick up something with, say, a Karen Millen/Hobbs/Planet etc label on it, as good as new, and all for Â£1.50 or Â£2.00 as I've done in the past.

I love charity shopping. I particularly like the shops up Nicholson Street. The Shelter shop up there has the most amazing clothes from time to time.

Pity I'm not a size 10 though. There are always loads of 10s.

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 28 Apr 2006, 14:14

Best place in Edinburgh (imho) is the Family Care Thrift Warehouse down Arthur Street (off Pilrig Street).

Enormous, well cheap, excellent vibe, very cool (as in temperature - makes long-term browsing so much less stuffy) and very quiet.

Plus the staff are v. friendly.

Bethany are good too.

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 28 Apr 2006, 14:21

Dadaist wrote:Best place in Edinburgh (imho) is the Family Care Thrift Warehouse down Arthur Street (off Pilrig Street).

Enormous, well cheap, excellent vibe, very cool (as in temperature - makes long-term browsing so much less stuffy) and very quiet.

Plus the staff are v. friendly.

Bethany are good too.

Don't know the Arthur Street one at all, Dada. In fact, I can't think where Arthur Street is in relation to Pilrig Street.
Is it left or right hand side as you go away from Leith Walk and how far along?

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 28 Apr 2006, 14:27

As soon as you turn into Pilrig St from the Leith Walk end, Arthur St is the first street on your right.

Once you turn down Arthur St, the Thrift Warehouse is on your right - blue door, chairs sitting outside, next to a car workshop, big sign next to the door.

ecm · Post by **ecm** » 28 Apr 2006, 14:39

Ah, can picture it now. Will check it out next time D and I hit Waterworld.

Ta, Da!

Novastar · Post by **Novastar** » 28 Apr 2006, 15:02

Bethany's just round the corner from our office so pop in there often. Have got some really nice things from there. Best was an Ikea set of drawers - Â£60 new for Â£15. Seeing as I had the matching wardrobe already it's very nice.

Pal of Porty · Post by **Pal of Porty** » 28 Apr 2006, 15:45

I prefer Harvey Nicks myself

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 10 May 2006, 16:09

with reference to another thread

Bob wrote:....I personally believe that it belongs on the general forum as these issues are not specific to Portobello.

However, the problem with inter-related threads is that they almost always end up crossing over.

however today we get

Bob wrote:I know we have touched on this subject elsewhere, but it is becoming such a big issue that I felt it deserved its own thread.

No-one wants to see shops lying empty but surely we have an over-provision of charity shops in Portobello High Street? As has been noted, they have considerable advantages over other traders in that they only pay 20% rates. They typically employ an experienced manager but rely on volunteers as shop assistants. Many brands have become huge businesses with enormous buying power, as much a part of the identikit high street as Boots or Pizza Hut.

Increasingly, these businesses are moving away from re-cycling second-hand clothes to stocking new products and are able to under-cut established businesses.

If you had just opened a doll's house shop in Portobello High Street, you probably wouldn't be too chuffed to find that a Sue Ryder shop a few feet away had decided to stock dolls houses as well but that is exactly what has happened.

This is not just a problem in Portobello but a national problem. Until now, Portobello Online has offered charity shops free listings on our online directory because that seemed the right thing to do. We are now re-considering that policy. Maybe it is time the Government had another look at the situation as well?

These charity threads seem to be popping up everywhere!

susie · Post by **susie** » 10 May 2006, 20:03

The Sue Ryder shop sold dolls houses and furniture long before the new dolls shop was opened. They were selling it before xmas last year.

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 12 May 2006, 08:51

I suspect that the people sitting on the chairs may well be smokers from the pub next door. I'm sure someone told me a story recently about some kind of minor fracas regarding this.

It's certainly a unique hybrid for a shop - charity bric-a-brac hairdresser pavement cafe!

Dadaist · Post by **Dadaist** » 12 May 2006, 09:23

Poppy wrote:
Bob Jefferson wrote:I suspect that the people sitting on the chairs may well be smokers from the pub next door. I'm sure someone told me a story recently about some kind of minor fracas regarding this.
Is it still a hairdressers at all? And there's nothing to suggest it's a charity junk shop, is there?

Plug said that he'd seen police activity thereabouts recently - so that'll be what it was about, I suppose?

Ah - I had just assumed it was a charity shop judging by the - er - period feel of some of the decor being offered!

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