WATCH: Thrift champion flips pre-loved finds at Chesterfield's Salvation Army shop to turn a tidy profit
"I've always loved the idea of giving items a second life rather than buying new," said entrepreneur Charlotte who has a passion for searching out treasures in charity shops.
One of her favourite destinations is the Salvation Army store on Foljambe Road, Chesterfield. She said: "I visit at least once a month and usually spend 40-60 minutes having a proper look through. There's a real mix of items, which makes every visit different. The staff are also really friendly, pricing is generally fair and they clearly work hard to process a high volume of donations.
"I paid £18 for a full dinner set of Royal Stafford Apple china that came from the Salvation Army a few weeks ago and the set sold on Etsy for £250.”
Charlotte posts her adventures hunting for vintage and pre-loved items on her Pink Peach Finds channel on You Tube. She shares how much she paid and how much the items have made through reselling on eBay, Vinted or Etsy.
Chesterfield is up there with the best towns for secondhand or vintage finds, due to its mix of charity shops and steady stock turnover. Charlotte said: "There are a few charity shops and smaller towns in the area that consistently surprise me. The Sue Ryder in Clay Cross is always a good spot for me, as is the Barnado's in Killamarsh.”
Bolsover Household Waste Recycling Centre’s Reuse Shop is the place where she located her most memorable find to date in Derbyshire. A set of four Ercol Cowhorn accent chairs from the Sixties were snapped up for £40 and each one made between £160 and £300 when she sold them. Charlotte said: "They were a once in a blue moon find - I don't expect to be stumbling across a set like that again for some time. Finds like that really reinforce trusting your instincts.”
While charity shops are her main focus, Charlotte regularly visits jumble sales, yard sales and car boot fairs and also buys at auctions and privately.
She said: "I love the hunt - you never know what you'll find. I almost always head to the bric-a-brac section first, looking for vintage, quirky or unusual items, or brands and styles I know are popular. I regularly pick up items from the Edwardian and Victorian periods. Some older pieces survive remarkably well, and I'm always on the lookout for items that are older than they first appear.
"Pottery, ceramics and glass tend to perform best for me, but trends change. It's important to stay flexible and pay attention to what customers are responding to...or aren't.
"It's rewarding knowing you're helping items avoid landfill and find new homes where they'll be appreciated.”
Charlotte, who is 34 and is based in Sheffield, runs Pink Peach Finds and scours Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire looking for pre-loved items to resell.
She said: "It started as a hobby - enjoying charity shops and vintage pieces and gradually became more intentional. I was inspired by my dad and his partner, who also resell and have always supported me by sourcing items, saving packaging materials and collecting auction purchases.
"I also have a very supportive partner who tolerates the house filling up with secondhand finds and it was his idea to start the YouTube channel. I rent a large storage unit where most of my stock is kept, but everything passes through the house at some point for photographing - so there are often items temporarily in the hallway or my office!"
Charlotte works part-time in Higher Education, specifically Widening Participation. She said: “It equates for half my working week.”