Pre-loved stuff

I'm not sure exactly what it is, but there's something deeply satisfying about browsing around a

second hand shop. It doesn't really matter what kind of second hand shop either, from antiques, to junk shops to charity shops, I love them all.

On our way for our trip to Invercargill we discovered that Gore has a couple of quite large, good charity shops, or op shops as they call them over here. (I think that op is short for opportunity shop, which makes sense.) We had already stopped in Milton to have a quick look in the Mill factory shop (yay, cheap wool) and checked out the Salvation Army charity shop there.

As a general rule, I'm not looking for anything specific in these shops, although I have had a bit of a look at the jeans lately, being in need of some for both the kids and myself. Usually though, I tend to ignore the clothes and have a hunt through a few other key areas.

I generally head to the 'sewing section' first, check out what wool and fabrics they have on offer. Then it's time to look at the patterns. I already have quite a large collection of vintage knitting and sewing patterns, but I'm always on the look out for something new. The cheesier the picture or photo on the front, the better.

Next I'll move on to the kitchen stuff for a quick look around. I'm not that bothered by this kind of thing, but it's always worth a quick glance. 

I usually save the books until last. There's often just shelves of rubbish, but I can't resist a browse through second hand books. Second hand book shops are just my idea of heaven. I can spend hours browsing. The selection in a charity shop never quite matches up to it, but it's always worth a look.

Do you like having a browse through a selection of 'pre-loved' items?