St Columba’s Hospice Shop

One of my favourite charity shops on Leith Walk, largely due to their great haberdashery section tucked away in the back of the shop. There’s always an abundance of sheets/​pillowcases, duvet covers and tea towels. There’s often fabric samples and doilies, thread and buttons. There’s also a box of knitting needles if you’re missing a certain size, it’s worth having a rummage.
The prices here are really reasonable as well, if you know what you’re looking for, there’s always a selection of vintage china and glassware to pick through.
They have a small children’s section at the front which quite often have toys in very good condition. I’ve never had much luck with their clothing section but I’ve picked up some fun jewellery over the years.
Bonus points as they always have free range eggs from a local farm on the counter. You get half a dozen for a pound fifty and they are very tasty from memory.

A well kept secret, I can assure you.
The ladies here run a tight ship and the clothes on offer are actually pretty awesome. You can pick up a Monsoon dress for less than a fiver — it might be from a few seasons ago but it would be more expensive on eBay.
There’s some really well priced jewellery and plenty of your usual charity shop odds and ends that are good quality and very reasonably priced. I get the impression the turnover isn’t as high as Bernardos or The Bethany Trust but I would honestly say the quality and pricing is better.

This place is a bit pricey. And whatever you do, don’t try to haggle!
My girlfriend and I stopped in as we were walking back from lunch to our flat. She inquired about an item, asking a clerk named Jess if she would accept a lower price for it.
«You’re joking. This is a charity shop dear.»
To which my girlfriend replied with a smile, «Oh well, you haggle everywhere these days.»
Jess then replied «Only if you’re Pakistani.»
Shocked into silence we said nothing for a moment. She then asked «Where are you from?»
I then said «What’s your charity, the Aryan Nation?» and we promptly left. We will not be going back there.

There are a fair few amazing charity shops in Edinburgh, and St Columbas Hospice Shop is definitely amongst them.
Immersing themselves in the current trend for vintage, retro and «granny» fashion, the ladies who work in here are kind, lovely and window dressing machines! They have bunting, wool collections, a huge selection of crockery and appropriate places to set out their clothing. There is a wicker chair (not for sale) in the corner and loads of old knitting and craft books usually.
Whatever donations they get, they sure know how to display them in a delicious manner. You can’t help but think this store is cute, quaint and full of hidden treasures in the form of great donations. This charity shop has got the task of displaying stock down to a fine art. When any lady sees the old vintage cushion decorated in ornate, pretty brooches, they’ll be sold, too.