At the beginning of January I gave myself the challenge of reducing (stopping) buying clothes that I don’t need and avoiding fast fashion. I deleted all my shopping apps from my phone where I would idly buy stuff, usually to return it immediately. I also stopped following a number of brands on Instagram. So I was totally unaware of new things unless I went in store, which I also avoided. I was successful with this during January and will continue forward. I did however do a little bit of secondhand shopping and got my hands on an excellent quality Birger et Mikkelsen DAY bag from a Red Cross shop for only 60 DKK which retails for over 300 DKK. I’ve used it everyday since and it is roomy enough for all my junk.

I thought today I’d share my favourite secondhand/charity shops and vintage ones. There are plenty of higher end vintage places in the city centre and Vesterbro but I am going to concentrate on ones I go to and find great things.

I have a few rules I follow when spotting a gem of a charity shop.

Firstly, and most obviously, is the area it is located in. Although some clothes do get distributed from the donation bins, a lot will have been donated directly to the shop, so an affluent area with a large demographic of younger people ( under 45) will mean decent quality and gently used clothes.

The second is that looks do matter so shops that have taken care over the clothes they have displayed in the window are worth a second look. If the volunteers have an idea about what is trending in high street shops this will show and is generally reflected in the store.

Finally look at the size of the shop, there are few very large Red Cross shops around and they will also have a wider choice.

Here are my favourites by area. This list is not exhaustive at all and these are places I generally check out and buy from.

Vesterbro

I have two charity shops I like to go to on Istedgade, Reden Genbrug {link} and Røde Kors Genbrugbutik {link}. The second one is the best one but the other one can have hidden treasures. Note that they don’t usually open until 12 noon. Along the same stretch of the street is a junk shop called Dannebrog Antik and it is packed to the gunnels with all kinds of things from stuff that looks like rubbish to some really lovely finds.

On Vesterbrogade you can find one of the two locations of the vintage clothes shop, Prag {link}. This is a little more pricey than a charity shop but usually has fabulous things in there as well as clothes that are on trend for vintage. You can find their second place on Nørrebrogade.

Frederiksberg

Again the Røde Kors {link} shop on Gammel Kongevej is one to add to your list of ones to check out on a regular basis. The clothes in here tend to be for slightly more mature tastes but there is often great quality pieces in here.

The Salvation Army have a shop on this street called Redesign {link} (you can see me visit this store in this video {link}) where they take donated clothes and either mend them or repurpose the items in the little workshop at the back. They also sell more high-end second-hand donated clothes and the price tag reflects this (but the prices are still very fair and much lower than buying new). The staff in the shop understand labels and fashion so select the pieces in the shop wisely and price them fairly.

For toys there is a shop called Replay {link} where they sell second-hand toys and for general bric a brac and cool pieces for your home I love a shop called Loppehylder {link}, which is right on the square by the Rådhus in Frederiksberg.

Nørrebro

There are a number of great shop on and around Nørrebrogade. Again Røde Kors {link} have the best shops with one called a Megastore on the corner of Fælledvej and Nørrebrogade. This place has several floors of second-hand stuff including clothes, interior stuff, furniture and books (including plenty in English). The second Røde Kors shop on Nørrebrogade is great for clothes and the window display is very enticing. As I mentioned above you can also find Prag {link}, vintage clothes shop on this street as well.

Amager

There are plenty of charity shops (at the moment) on Amagerbrogade and guess what? The Røde Kors {link} one is the best again. I also like an interiors/bric a brac shop called Smukt Brugt {link} which has some lovely mid-century stuff in it.

Østerbro

I only really have one particular favourite in this area, Vintage 199 {link} on Jagtvej. I’ve picked up a number of lovely things from here. Again if you want to pop into a variety of charity shops (and this is an affluent area) there are a number on Nordre Frihavnsgade.

Other areas

In Sydhaven  Folkekirkens Nødhjælp {link} has a large shop and they often get some really wonderful ornaments and vases (often ones that are still pretty trendy such as HAY, Kåhler and others) but they go fast. They also have a decent clothing selection.

Finally there is a huge flea market shop called Kirrpu {link} in Herlev and it is my heaven, well worth a trip out there.

Mødrehjælpen shops {link}

I haven’t included these in the area guides but they are all over the city and great places to get gently used baby and children’s clothes (up to age 6 I think) as well as toys and books. I bought and donated load of stuff to my local one when my son was a baby and it was invaluable.

All these shops I have mentioned above are on this map so you can plan a great day of vintage and second-hand shopping. There are loads of other vintage and charity shops all across the city but I have shared ones I know myself. I’ve linked to the main websites of the charity shops so you can search for ones in your own areas and find your favourite.