The Best Charity Shops in Bethnal Green

I’ve been meaning to write about the best charity shops in Bethnal Green for a while now. I lived in Bethnal Green for a few months after I first moved to London, and by now, you probably know that I love finding the best charity shops in London. That’s why you can see a full overview of the best Oxfam shops in London on The London Local, and why I’ve told you about the best charity shops in North London some time ago – that post includes Camden Town and Kentish Town Road. 

There are quite a few great charity shops in Central London too, and I’ll get to them sooner than later. But today, and since I’ve already told you all about the best things to do in Bethnal Green (that includes visiting Quarantacinque, one of the best Italian cafes in London!), I thought it would be cool for you to read all about the best charity shops in Bethnal Green.

Because, let’s be honest: there, you’ll find some of the cheapest charity shops in London, and there’s also not that much more to do in Bethnal Green than visiting the cool cafes and charity shops that are going on there. 

If you’d like to learn more about the best charity shops in London, or cheap shopping in the city, you might want to check out those guides I’ve written on The London Local:

• The best places for cheap shopping in London
• The best charity shops in London
• The best free libraries to study in London

Later on, I’ll be writing about other areas in London, with the best charity shops in Muswell Hill, Hampstead, Highgate, or Chelsea (which also has some of the most instagrammable cafes in London). But for now, let’s focus on the best charity shops in Bethnal Green.

The Best Charity Shops in London: Bethnal Green

Most of the charity shops in Bethnal Green I’ll mention here are located on and around Bethnal Green Road. Since I used to live so close to the main road, I was able to visit those East London charity shops more times than I can count. I’ve also eaten countless multicolor bagels in Brick Lane while on the quest for new vintage bits.

My favorites will always remain Oxfam, the Spitalfields Crypt Trust, and a bit further away, the Islamic Relief Shop on Whitechapel Road. Okay, this last one will require you to walk for a bit, but it’s also, in my opinion, one of the best charity shops in London.

My usual day would be that I stay at home in the morning or find a chain cafe to work in Central London, after which I just go about the city and find new fun things to do or new shopping spots. And that’s how I’ve come across most of these amazing East London charity shops. And to be fair, with that amount of shops scattered all around East London, Bethnal Green is one of the places with lots of charity shops that deserves a visit.

Best Charity Shops in Bethnal Green: Oxfam Bethnal Green Road

Let’s kickstart this guide to the best charity shops in Bethnal Green with the Oxfam shop on Bethnal Green Road. I’ve always thought that Oxfam was one of the best charity shops in Central London from the moment I first visited their Oxfam charity bookshop on Bloomsbury Street, at the end of Tottenham Court Road. 

That was back in 2014, the first time I ever set foot in London. Back then, I didn’t know that charity shops in London were such a vibe, to be honest. I believe I even got my first set of Harry Potter books in an Oxfam shop – I couldn’t believe my luck, either. 

Since I used to live on Canrobert Street, right off Bethnal Green Road, I had very easy access to all the charity shops near me in Bethnal Green. And that includes the Oxfam shop, right on the left of that street I used to live in. That’s one of the best charity shops in London, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. 

In this shop, you’ll find anything from secondhand clothes (ordered by color!) to books, jewelry, accessories, and a bit of secondhand furniture and homeware. Small furniture, that’s for sure, because that’s definitely not one of the biggest charity shops in London at all. 

But if you’re looking for the best charity shops in London, this Oxfam shop is the first destination you should mark down on your bucket list for sure. Also, since I know that I, for one, am always looking for the best charity shops in London online, you’ll be happy to know that you can also get amazing secondhand clothes, books, music, and homeware at Oxfam online.

Best Charity Shops Bethnal Green: Spitalfields Crypt Trust

The second one of the best charity shops in Bethnal Green would be the Spitalfields Crypt Trust, located just a few minutes away from the Oxfam shop. I’ve always really liked the Spitalfields Crypt Trust, as their message and their work really are super motivating. The goal is to “provide the UK’s most effective and compassionate recovery program”, and the SCT charity shops in London help all kinds of people. From people who are experiencing mental health issues to homelessness and poverty, the funds raised from the charity shops help a lot of people. 

The charity shop on Bethnal Green Road might not be the biggest shop in London, but it’s full of really cool and really clean second-hand clothes. The SCT really makes Bethnal Green one of the best places for charity shops in London when you see the great condition in which their used books, clothes, and homeware are. 

As I said, it’s not one of the biggest charity shops in London, but I’ve bought lots of amazing secondhand clothes there, and I’ve even found some really good-looking secondhand vintage there as well for just a handful of pounds.

Best Charity Shops East London: Lama’s Pyjamas Bethnal Green

Lama’s Pyjamas is one of the best charity shops in London, there are no two ways to go about it. This rather spacious charity shop isn’t one of the biggest, but the selection you’ll find there will make you happy you’ve traveled all the way to Bethnal Green. Located on Roman Road, Lama’s Pyjamas is going to become one of your favorite charity shops in Bethnal Green if what you’re after are very well-conserved secondhand clothes.

The London Buddhist Centre owns Lama’s Pyjamas as well as nearby Jambala, another Bethnal Green charity shop I’ll tell you about right below. You can also find cute accessories and other bits and bobs at Lama’s Pyjamas, and the selection is always eclectic and colorful. I, for one, love this place because it looks nothing like the other usual charity shops in London. I would definitely recommend adding this one to your list of must-visit charity shops in Bethnal Green if you’re around.

Plus, the Italian coffee shop Quarantacinque is located really close, so you could defo start with some artisan coffee and a pastry before you go about all the surrounding charity shops. That would make for a cool morning, and you also have Victoria Park, one of the most beautiful parks in London, right at the end of Roman Road when it meets the Mile End area.

Best Charity Shops in London: Jambala

With Jambala, we have one of the most underrated charity shops in Bethnal Green. As I said previously, one of the very first charity shops in Central London I came across a few years ago was the Oxfam bookshop on Bloomsbury Street, and before I moved to East London full-time,

I didn’t even know there could be other small, non-chain charity shops in London. Jambala is one of these, and since it’s also owned by the London Buddhist Centre, you can be sure that all the used books you’ll find there are in great condition.

Read: The Best Secondhand Bookshops in London

The book selection there is quite huge for such a small charity shop, so much so that it easily competes with bigger charity bookshops like Oxfam Highgate that I mentioned in another guide here on The London Local. Colorful, well-arranged, Jambala is clearly one of the charity shops in Bethnal Green that would deserve way more recognition.

Best Charity Shops in Bethnal Green: Ayoka

I feel like Ayoka, much like Jambala and Lama’s Pyjamas is an oh-too-underrated charity shop in Bethnal Green. Located on Old Ford Road between Bethnal Green, Globe Town, and Mile End, Ayoka is connected to St Margaret’s House, where lots of the community work and relationships are built in Bethnal Green. If you’re looking for the biggest charity shops in London, Ayoka surely won’t be it.

However, it is the perfect charity shop in East London around Bethnal Green where you’re sure to find very good quality vintage and designer secondhand clothes. And that, for a fact, makes it one of the very best charity shops in Bethnal Green, especially when you add to it the great selection of books, antique items, and homeware accessories you can find at Ayoka.

But again, being able to find secondhand designer clothes and vintage accessories for just a handful of pounds really makes Ayoka one of the best charity shops in Bethnal Green. That, and the fact that the staff is really nice whenever I come by.

Salvation Army Cambridge Heath Road

Located closer to Hackney, we have the Salvation Army one of the very best places in London for charity shops. I’ve always very much loved visiting Salvation Army shops, because I know that’s one of the cheapest charity shops in Central London and the suburbs. In this one, you can find amazing trendy and vintage clothes, shoes and accessories, and even secondhand toys.

If you’d looking for a charity shop to donate to in London, then that is a good one – unless you’re trying to donate CDs, DVDs, electrical devices, or furniture. There are plenty of other furniture charity shops in London that will deserve their own guide on The London Local, as I know lots of students and freelancers are always moving to London and oftentimes need secondhand furniture before invading, like me, the most aesthetic places to study in London.

Again, charity shops in Bethnal Green are not the biggest in London, but they have some really nice collections and they’re always in great condition. At least, in the charity shops that I have personally visited here. The Salvation Army has quite a lot of charity shops in Central London, and even more around the city so I’ll probably write a guide to that soon like the one I’ve done about the best Oxfam charity shops in London.

Best Charity Shops in Bethnal Green: Islamic Relief Shop

Now, this is the only charity shop in London I’ll be mentioning on this list that’s located further off Bethnal Green, on Whitechapel Road. If you’ve never been to this side of London, there are some of the best halal restaurants in East London located all around Whitechapel and Aldgate East, so it’s always a good idea to pass by there. Also, not too far down toward Aldgate East, you’ve got Brick Lane, one of the most colorful streets in London, with all its amazing street art and delicious little vintage shops.

The Islamic Relief Shop has lots of amazing things inside, from awesome secondhand clothes to a great selection of used books. I wrote a full guide to the biggest bookshops in London a while back, so if you’re down to find some great titles, that East London charity shop might definitely be your vibe. I’ve always felt very welcome every time I’ve been to the Islamic Relief Shop, and the clothes and accessories I’ve found there are always in great condition.

There are also great accessories and bags, and if you’re ready to look for just a little bit, you might even find some really cool secondhand designer clothes and vintage bits in there. Overall one of the best charity shops in Bethnal Green, and if you’re ever around Walthamstow further East, they also have a cool charity shop there.

The Best Charity Shops in Bethnal Green

So here you have them, the very best charity shops in Bethnal Green. Since I lived in the area and really enjoyed my time in East London, I thought it would be a cool idea to tell you about Bethnal Green, since it’s definitely one of the best places in London for charity shops. There are lots to do in East London, and even if I do live in North London now, I will forever remain an East London girl at heart.

You already have 7 different charity shops there, and if you just walk a little further down Aldgate East, Brick Lane, and Shoreditch, you’ll find some other of the best charity shops in London.

If you’d like to do more cool shopping in London, or just discover the best things to do in the city, I can recommend the following guides on The London Local: 

• The best Japanese shops in London
• Amazing dog cafes in London (and London cat cafes are equally amazing!)
• The best Oxfam bookshops in London

Until next time!

PS. Did you know you can find amazing free things to do in London? That’s right!