British Red Cross Society

I came in here after having been into the Church Hill Antiques Centre, which I thought was absolutely brilliant, so anything was likely to be a bit of a step down from there. The British Red Cross shop is OK, it’s not as big as some of the other charity shops in Lewes, which puts it at a bit of a disadvantage, because it means there is less choice. Likewise, however, unlike the St Peter and St James Hospice shop, which also has a small amount of floorspace and less stock, the British Red Cross doesn’t put very much effort into presentation. The shop was quite busy, so it seems to be fairly popular, and the prices are reasonable (unlike others which I have mentioned in previous reviews), but I didn’t see anything particularly exciting. Plus the shop is a bit dark because it has a strange shaped frontage with a sort of porch area, rather than a door that opens directly onto the pavement.

Now I’ve been keen to visit this Red Cross for some time now, mainly because the shop front gives the place the appearance of being someone’s living room. Once inside I wasn’t disappointed, the music section may have been a bit on the limited side but in terms of clothing I was immediately impressed. This is the only charity shop that I have visited in the last year that had a waist coat. While it may have been bright yellow and only suitable for Brian Blessed it was a sight so rare in Brighton that it left me wondering what other sartorial finds there are to be had here.