The shop funds a community building for those who have experienced homelessness
The superstore was easy to get to from Liverpool central (Image: Ray Bonsall/Liverpool ECHO )
I love a charity shop and I can easily spend hours on a weekend traipsing the high streets looking for cheap treasures. Sure, a regular clothing shop is easier to browse, but there’s nothing like the thrill of finding a designer bag for £6 or a new lampshade for 50p.
As well as saving money, it is an undeniably better choice for the environment and just the sheer amount of items that can be found shows just how much we are throwing away. It’s not just clothes either – electricals, sofas, ornaments and general bits and bobs we collect over time come to make up the masses that end up in second hand shops.
Housing a fair share of this is Emmaus charity shop in Seaforth that’s situated across two massive storeys and will leave you with no shortage of options for furniture, clothes, electricals, toys, vinyl, books and even food finds.
A short, four-minute walk away from Seaforth and Litherland railway station which is easily accessible from Liverpool city centre, I paid it a visit.
As well as being a great spot for thrifty shoppers and home furnishings, Emmaus Merseyside is an award-winning charity that offers a home, individual support, education, training and work opportunities to people who have experienced homelessness.
Money made at the shop goes towards funding a purpose-built community building in Seaforth that is home to the people the charity supports and refers to as Emmaus companions. The community home can house up to 30 companions at any one time.
According to the charity, each person who joins benefits from a package of tailored support and has their own room, as well as access to communal dining, catering, social, exercise, garden and training facilities.
Stepping into the charity shop I was blown away by the sheer amount on offer with the bottom floor of the warehouse is mostly made up of furniture tables, chairs, sofas, beds, wardrobes, sideboards and cabinets as well as vintage, retro and antique furniture.
Whereas some charity shops will have a handful of furniture items, everything here was displayed in vast quantities and was more akin to a DFS than any high street charity shop I’d been to before.
TVs downstairs at Emmaus charity shop(Image: Ray Bonsall/Liverpool ECHO )
I wandered through around a dozen vintage wardrobes and admired mid century sideboards while trying to see if I could find myself a new bedside lamp.
The shelves around the perimeter of the shop were home to an endless supply of mugs, ornaments, glassware, blenders and various knick-knacks some hinting at past lives and family heirlooms come to make a new life in new homes.
Some notable items included a grandmother clock and a church pew plus a set of four foldable wooden chairs outside which were £5 each.
There were also large household electrical items such as washing machines, fridge freezers, TVs and hi-fi systems and lamps plus CDs, DVD and vinyl.
Upstairs was mostly clothes and shoes with men’s women’s and children’s items available and racks tightly packed.
Clothes inside the charity shop (Image: Ray Bonsall/Liverpool ECHO )
There was also a trolley filled to the brim with loaves of bread which were free to take having been donated by CostCo.
The charity also runs the Hub & Coffee Shop, a social enterprise operating on a not-for-profit basis, where any surplus funds raised are reinvested to support the Emmaus Merseyside charity.
Freshly ground coffee is made with beans sourced Crosby Coffee with homemade cakes or daily specials, prepared within the Emmaus Merseyside community kitchen.
Emmaus Charity Superstore can be found at 42-44 Sandy Road, Seaforth, Sefton, L21 3TW. It is open Monday to Saturday, 9am – 4:30pm and Sunday, 10am – 4pm.
The Hub & Coffee Shop can be found at Emmaus Merseyside, 1 School Lane, Seaforth, Sefton, Liverpool L21 3TA. It is open Monday to Friday, 9am – 4pm.