The Shelter shop in Stockbridge has raised a record sum of nearly £32,000 in its annual seven day January sale of designer brands and rare collectibles. This beats its previous best by more than £1,000.
The charity shop featured top labels in its annual sale including Armani, Gucci and Ralph Lauren, all donated by the public and secreted away by staff during the year.
Savvy shoppers queued from 7am to on the opening day to snap up bargains, which also included rare books, toys, cult games and vinyl records.
The homelessness charity’s Stockbridge shop has become famous for its January sale, which has run since 2003.
Charity bosses said the 22nd annual sale had raised a total of £31,834 across the seven days – making a new record for the event. The previous record was £30,817 set in 2024.
Around 50 people queued outside the shop ahead of the launch at 10am on Friday January 3, and spent £1,950 in the first half hour alone.
Sales hit £13,900 by lunchtime and £17,300 by the end of a record-breaking opening day.
Early birds rummaged for rarities ranging from a little black dress by Vivienne Westwood for £80, an extravagantly dressed Barbie doll by designer Bob Mackie for £100 and a rare 1858 edition of Emily Bronte’s classic novel Wuthering Heights priced at £150.
The most expensive item sold was a rare fourth edition copy of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens priced at £500.
The same book collector spent over £1900 in total, including £400 on a late 16th century tome in Latin and hundreds of pounds on hard backs signed by David Attenborough and books in the Oz series by Frank Baum.
Meanwhile, one woman spent nearly £1,000 on collectables including vintage amber Bakelite beaded jewellery, priced at £40 to £100 a piece and another walked away with a cream-coloured Chanel suit for £150.
Pete Jew, the Stockbridge shop’s manager, said: “It’s all about raising money and it’s only possible because of the generosity of our customers and supporters.
“We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who contributed.”
Shelter Scotland Director, Alison Watson, said: “For more than two decades now the January Stockbridge launch event has been marked in the calendars of Edinburgh’s discerning shoppers.
“Scotland’s housing emergency now means there are more than 10,110 children in Scotland with nowhere to call home and more and more people are becoming homeless.
“Your support keeps us in the fight against homelessness, so I’d like to thank all our customers and donors for their generosity and for another record-breaking year.”
