Charity Shops

I've never been sure what to make of the charity shops one sees on every High Street in every village or town here. A sign of recession/depression? downtown decline? a vibrant civil society? the better angels of our nature? All I know is that you see them everywhere, typically on High Street, run by volunteers, alongside posh shops as well as the usual main street fare, and that Vicki and I rarely pass one by (unless it's too crowded). We've found a few minor treasures and contributed a few too. Mostly books, but an occasional clothing or household item too. Plus they're always interesting.

Of course the tradition of charity goes way back

And continues in many forms; these are among Wells' historic
alms houses, with a vacancy, too

Of course, in 1450, the Bishop was probably
richer than the King and could afford to build a
porch to keep the beggars out of his cathedral

I thought I'd give it a go, but got only polite
smiles, no alms

Anyhow, here is a selection of Wells' charity shops, and, yes,
we did drop a coin or two

Oxfam's our favorite; often they'll have both a clothing/
household goods store and a books/records/films shop

Plus they're a little more to the point