St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland

This is the op-​shop that I have frequented the most in Brisbane.
And that’s primarily due to the location, Smack bang on Boundary st
it is very very hard to walk by and not have a peak inside.
While some considered it being a more cluttered chaos before the makeover,
For me I much preferred hunting the treasure trove of goodies that were
hiding in amongst the jayjays and the targets.
Alas with the bold and specifically marked RETRO section
comes the inevitable price rise. And while it’s happily not on par
with some of the other op-​shops I’ve been too, the difference in pricing
is very very noticeable (E.g. a retro blouse I bought 3 years ago for $ 5 is now $ 25.)
The range of items at vinnies is what I love best about this store,
I have bought all manner of things here from $ 20 couches, giant wooden plates
and vintage picnic sets to reversible silk jackets, designer suede shoes
and photo albums.
There is seriously something for everyone here,
but be sure to come in on a weekday when it is a bit quieter
and less trawled through.

There’s a lady who works in this store who has wanted to give the shop a revamp for years. Earlier this year, she finally got her way. The Vinnies on Boundary Street went from being just another generic op-​shop with it’s worn out Kmart and Target items, with it’s few and far between sprinkles of rare and over priced ‘retro’ finds, to an op-​shop that you could argue almost specialises in, if not strictly vintage, then at least, interesting, quirky threads.
The prices for Vinnies’ retro items were always through the roof, but now that most of the op-​shop is of the ‘retro persuasion’ (loosely termed), there’s less of a discrepancy between the prices of different items and it’s now far easier to swallow a $ 30 price tag. My recent endeavour into this revamped Vinnies did bring back sweet memories of op-​shops of old, where reasonably priced retro/​vintage clothes were just items on a rack, and not specifically categorised or priced according to era.
They’ve done well in all aspects of the refurbishing; the place just brims with fun. From the mannequins dressed up in garish and gaudy gear, to the groups of friends frollicking in and out of the dressing rooms, donning the best of the worst of various eras past– all I can say is that I sure am glad that lady finally got her way.