After the charity shops of Pimlico, and the charity shops of Battersea, here’s one charity shop in Archway. Yes, just the one, but it’s a really good one.

Archway, in North London, is mostly known for 3 things: Dick Whittingdon and his cat; the Archway viaduct which give its name to the tube station, and in turn, to the area; and the Archway Tavern. If you want to know a little bit more about these…well, that’ll be another blog post. (Soon, I promise).

For now, let’s talk about thrifting in Archway.

There are actually 4 charity shops in Archway. Rather handily, they’re all within minutes from each another, on the same stretch of road, all by the tube station. Very handy for a mini circuit!

The best of the four is Shop from Crisis, the charity shop that raises money for Crisis charity, and here’s what makes it so great.

What’s Shop from Crisis like?

It’s a large space, by London charity shops standards, and it’s clean and well lit. The vibe is industrial-lite, warmed up by plenty of dark wood, and brightened by pops of cheerful colour. If there’s such a thing as industrial rustic, this is it. Think raw white walls, clothes rack custom-made from scaffolding pipes, and vintage wood crates repurposed as shelves.

There’s a lot of stuff to hunt through, and it’s very well-organised, with whole rails of shirts and jeans and outerwear. The clothes are hung on nice wooden hangers and (hallelluyah!) organised by size, too, which makes it a lot easier to search for what might fit you.

At the back, you’ll find a large space with several tall shelves full of books, and a wall of china, home décor and miscellaneous items.

By the book wall, you’ll also find a community notice board, with flyers and cards advertising neighbourhood interests.

Here and there on the walls, you’ll see some stylish displays that use stock from the shop.

I don’t know if that’s a regular thing (somebody let me know?), but when I was there, the shop soundtrack was a great selection of tunes from the 80s.

Add to that a pretty good selection of vintage items, and there you have it: a wonderful shopping experience in the best charity shop in Archway.

Shop from Crisis practical information

Address: 34 Junction Rd N19 5RE

Website: https://www.crisis.org.uk/get-involved/shop-from-crisis/archway/

How to get there: the nearest tube station is Archway (Northern Line, High Barnet Branch). It’s about a one-minute walk, but you want the exit on Junction Road. If you don’t, it’s around the corner – a two minutes walk instead…

On Google maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/mDMPDGDtynah9p157

What does the Crisis charity do?

Crisis helps people out of homelessness. They also conduct research to understand homelessness (its scale, causes and consequences). And they campaign for the changes that would need to happen to end homelessness once and for all.

So you get to grab a bargain, and they get to do important work… It’s good for everybody…

The other charity shops in Archway

So Shop from Crisis is the best charity shop in the area, but while you’re there, you might as well pop into the other three, right? They’re absolutely fine, and you might well unearth a treasure. It’s just that there’s only so many things you can say about charity shops stock…

But if you’re looking for a greater concentration of charity shops, I wholeheartedly recommend Pimlico (nearest stop: Victoria or Pimlico, on the Victoria line), or the area of Battersea that’s around Northcote Road (nearest stop: Clapham Junction, although you could take the northern line to Battersea Power Station and then take a bus). You’ll find all the information you need in this guide to the best charity shops in Pimlico, and this guide to the best charity shops in Battersea. Battersea has an especially good pizza spot. Just sayin’.