Simon Community Northern Ireland Creating Positive Change In Hom

I am a big big fan of charity shopping. In fact, I’ve just taken a quick inventory of my outfit and realised that everything I’m wearing has been picked up in a Belfast charity shop at one time. Except my underwear and socks, of course. I’m cheap, but not that cheap. Yet.
The Simon Community shop on the Antrim Road is somewhere I’ve been loads of times, as I used to work right next door and call in most lunch breaks in search of another pair of jeans or boots. It’s got the problem that most very small charity shops do, unlike the bigger ones on eg Botanic Avenue, that there isn’t usually a massive lot of stuff to pick from and more often than not I’d leave empty-​handed. Boo. But on the upside, everything is very cheap and, while not getting anything particularly stupendous, I did pick up a few bargains in my time. Yay.
I used to work for the Simon Community as well, and can vouch for the fact that they’re jolly good chaps, with most of the staff working their bits off to help the high numbers of homeless people in this part of the city. Call in next time you’re passing, even if it’s just to buy a few (insanely cheap) old magazines.

Anyone who knows me that I hate charities. Contrary to their populist image of being, well, charitable, my experience has been that they’re mostly run by blood sucking leeches and hypocritical do-​gooders. But poverty is a big problem in North Belfast and the Simon Community really does alot to try and fix it by doing their bit for the homeless. No matter what is in the shop, I’ll buy it, because they helped house a childhood friend of mine who had no where to go when he was kicked out at 16. So get your purses out and buy, even if it is crap, because you never know when one of your loved ones or indeed yourself may end up needing their services.

The Simon Community thrift store in North Belfast has been there a long time. The majority of the community would give their unwanted things to this shop so its usually packed with clutter and black bags waiting to be sorted. It mainly deals in 2^nd hand clothes but there are a number of books and electronics on offer as well. Its run by volunteers, mostly old women from the community who scold you for messing up their nicely presents racks of clothes. Everything here is so insanely cheap its a mystery how they make enough money to stay open, nevermind contribute to charity. It’s always good to have a look around, but seeing as they’ll take anything, a lot of the stuff looks like it was destined for the bin years before it ever made it to the shop.