A local’s guide to the best Oxfam shops in London, from charity bookshops for used book-browsing to Oxfam spots for cheap clothes, accessories and homeware!
Visiting London’s charity shops feels like a dream when they’re well-stocked – which they pretty much always are, no matter what you’re after.
If you’re visiting, or living in London on a budget, chances are you’ll pop by charity shops more times than you’d initially have thought: it’s just so trendy over here.
And if I’ve already told you about some of my favorite charities in Chelsea, perfect for discounted designer clothes, handbags and shoes, or those in Bethnal Green and Camden Town, great for high-street brands, today’s all about Oxfam.
Oxfam shops are not only some of the first I visited ever, but they’re also one of the only charities that also has charity bookshops, filled with second hand books, CDs, vinyls, DVDs, and other literary goodness.
London’s Best Oxfam Shops for Clothes, Books and Bargains
This is why today, I’ve chosen to tell you about all the specific Oxfam shops that I’ve visited and loved in London.
I might write the same kind of guide about the Cancer Research, RSPCA or the British Heart Foundation at some point, as they’re other really good spots to go cheap shopping in London.
However, since Oxfam is one of the most famous – and one of my favorites, I’ll tell you here about the best.
The best-stocked.
The ones where you can get gorgeous and cheap homeware, brand new or almost brand new secondhand clothes, jewelry, shoes, handbags, scarves, books…
The 1942-established charity always offers something a bit different depending on the store and area you visit.
In Chelsea or Notting Hill, you can get the craziest deals on designer bits.
In Dalston or Camden Town is where you can find edgy clothes and trendy accessories while doing a good deed, since Oxfam’s mission is to put a term to poverty.
As such, not only is a visit to an Oxfam charity great for your wallet, but it also acts for women’s rights, refugee camps, and populations in need around the world.
Best Oxfam Shops in London: Oxfam Shop Bethnal Green Road, East London
Bethnal Green, in East London, offers quite a few amazing charity shops, from Jambala Bookshop and Lama’s Pyjamas on Roman Road to Oxfam and the Spitalfields Crypt Trust on Bethnal Green Road.
The Oxfam shop is one I used to live quite close to, and makes for quite a spacious charity shop filled with a great selection of used books, clothes ordered by color, jewelry, and small homeware bits.
Like more and more Oxfam shops, you’ll find in the Bethnal green shop several Sourced by Oxfam brands.
Among them, the Faith in Nature skincare and body care products, with shower gels, solid shampoos, soaps and other lotions that all smell otherworldly, and the oh-so-tasty Tony’s chocolate bars, a must-try at least once during your time in London.
Read: The Best Shopping Streets in London
Best Oxfam Shops in London: Oxfam Shop, Camden High Street
Like Kentish Town, Muswell Hill and Bethnal Green, Camden Town offers plenty of charity shops – you’ll have to make your way to Camden High Street to discover them all.
If my favorite in the area is Traid Camden for its selection of edgy and vintage clothes, the Oxfam shop offers some of the cheapest second hand clothes in the city and a great selection of books.
This one is slightly on the smaller side, but the clothes I’ve found there were always in great condition and some were definite gems.
Along the road, you’ll also find the British Heart and Foundation and the Cancer Research, alongside Scope, and Mind Camden on a nearby street.
If I may, while we’re at it, Mind Camden feels like a vintage shop, and you pretty much never know what you’ll find there: it looks and feels like an Ali Baba cave, with many jewelry bits and accessories, and some really cool – and really cheap! – books.
Then, if you’re looking for more things to do in Camden Town, make sure you visit the markets and other colorful streets the area boasts, including the gorgeous umbrella street inside Stables Market!
Read: The Best Shops in Camden Town
Best Oxfam Shops in London: Oxfam Bookshop, Muswell Hill, North London
If some of my go-to’s when walking around Muswell Hill are the really cool concept stores, like LondonWorks, you’ll find there’s more than posh shopping in the area.
Well, I mean – Muswell Hill’s charity shops, being located in one of the London’s richest neighborhoods, do offer plenty of high-end brands on the cheap: there are about a dozen charities located in the area.
The Oxfam Bookshop, though, is my favorite: from academics to literature and fiction, history and even old books, you’ll find it all in there.
Careful, you can easily spend hours in this very well-stocked Oxfam.
However, once you’re done, I’d still recommend popping by other shops in Muswell Hill, if only to discover new indie brands and unique stores you really wouldn’t come across in other parts of London.
Read: London’s Prettiest Department Store: Harrods Egyptian Hall
Best Oxfam Shops in London: Oxfam Shop Holloway Road, North London
Holloway Road in North London holds a special place in my heart.
I was at some point living in Seven Sisters, and many times walked down from my place all the way down to Manor Park, Finsbury Park and Holloway Road.
You’ll find plenty of charity shops on Holloway Road, along with some great breakfast spots like the Rabbit Hole Cafe (Alice in Wonderland-themed!) and the odd restaurant, all of this on a very large street that’s great to tread.
The Oxfam shop on Holloway Road is great for used books and clothes, and should you happen to be a student, freelancer or digital nomad, you’ll find the Islington Central Library close by – it’s gorgeous and great to work on your laptop.
Pop by Oxfam, then why not keep shopping at Shelter, St Vincent’s, the Cancer Research and the British Heart Foundation?
Then, if you’re down to take the bus or walk down till you reach Archway, you’ll find a huge Shop from Crisis there – outstanding for homeware and further clothes shopping.
Read: The Best Shopping Areas in London
Best Oxfam Shops in London: Oxfam Dalston, East London
Neighboring the village-like Stoke Newington in North London (partly in East London, too), Dalston is one of the hippest spots to go charity shopping, and a neighborhood that also hides secret gardens and lots of street food spots.
Dalston’s Oxfam shop on Kingsland Road is one of the biggest of the franchise, and it’s quite hard to not find anything when you browse the racks there (a bit like when you pop by TK Maxx, to be frank).
Inside, you’ll find prints and frames to decorate your home, clothes, accessories, and books, and while Dalston is tucked away from Central London, this shop, and the neighborhood’s vibe are unmatched.
Read: The Best Shops on Oxford Street
Best Oxfam Shops in London: Oxfam Highgate, North London
If you ever find yourself feeling like visiting Highgate (you should, especially if you like the English cemetery vibe, indie shops, nature and historical buildings!), you’ll find there are two Oxfam shops there.
One is a classic Oxfam with everything clothes, accessories and fashion-related, with the odd designer bit, and the other is an Oxfam bookshop.
The bookshop’s racks are filled with all and any kinds of books; children’s books, fiction, literature, cooking books, history…
And a great music section offering classic, jazz, and rock CDs and vinyls.
Should you be looking for charity shops accepting donations, the Highgate shop does so (like many branches, to be fair) – make sure to check the conditions online so you’re sure of what you can bring.
Read: The Best Shops in Covent Garden
Best Oxfam Shops in London: Oxfam Shop Portobello Road, West London
While Portobello Road is mostly known for its fashion, vintage and food market, you’ll find many more amazing shops along the road, from a big Poundland and Savers to an Oxfam bookshop.
If you’re going to visit Notting Hill, I’d recommend checking out the area’s colorful houses and other mews streets before going shopping, though.
Maybe start with some filling breakfast, brunch and a colorful latte at Farm Girl Cafe and make your way down to Portobello Road, where you’ll find, at Oxfam, collectible books, literature, fiction, and even travel books.
The store is so well-organized that you won’t have any trouble finding what you’re after, and even lose yourself between the shelves for an hour or two, in search of a new gem.
Read: The Best Markets in Shoreditch
Best Oxfam Shops in London: Oxfam Bookshop Bloomsbury Street, Central London
Bloomsbury in Central London might be a gorgeous historic neighborhood to visit absolutely, but another reason you should visit is because it houses a couple of beautiful bookshops, including an Oxfam Bookshop, right onto Bloomsbury Street.
We’re close to the bottom of Tottenham Court Road, and quite close to Holborn and Chancery Lane here (spots where medieval sites are to be discovered and admired ASAP!).
This Oxfam bookshop, like the one in Highgate and the one in Muswell Hill, is really well-stocked, and what makes it different is the huge selection of academic, rare, travel, photography and fashion books.
This is one of the first Oxfam shops I ever came across, and whether you’re into fashion and the arts or are looking for a good thriller, or maybe a new book for those visiting with kids, you’ll find many titles there.
Read: 7 Must-Visit Shopping and Dining Squares in London
Best Oxfam Shops in London: Oxfam Books & Music Islington, North London
Islington near Angel, in North London, isn’t only famous for its wide offer of really unique shops and cafes (including Redemption Roasters and their super instagrammable, Greek-inspired basement with statues!): it’s also filled with charity shops.
The Oxfam Books & Music shop is another great spot for literature, fiction, history, travel, and academic books, amongst other genres, and vinyl, CD, and DVD section.
Really well-stocked, perfect to visit after a good breakfast at Belle Epoque Patisserie for iconic French croissants, macarons and other pastries, and before popping by the nearby shopping center in Angel.
Read here my review of Redemption Roasters, Islington, to discover its secret basement, its atmosphere, and my thoughts about the coffee and cake.
London’s Best Oxfam Shops for Clothes, Books and Bargains
There you have them, the best Oxfam shops and charity bookshops in London – this is my own, personal selection, of stores visited again and again whenever I live in London.
Whatever the London neighborhood you’ll visit, though, whether it be Camden Town, North Finchley, or gorgeous Islington, you will find new charities to try, all with their own vibe and affordable bits.
If Oxfam is my favorite, it’s because I’ve always found the prices to be cheaper there than other charity shops in posh spots like Chelsea or Notting Hill.
Whether you’re a fashion lover at heart or would just like to try charity shopping for the first time, you just can’t go wrong with Oxfam.