We all love a good bargain. Whether it’s a pair of tight leather pants a la Ross Gellar or an original 1970’s lava lamp that you totally fluked. A second hand score always makes us feel a million bucks.
Pre-loved purchases have stories flowing through them, rich with mystery and wonder. Like, who drank too much punch from this large bowl and was that shirt ripped off in the back seat of a car? With the re-surge of retro lovin’, who could go past nostalgic wardrobe staples like a three-piece suit teamed with a super suave bow tie?
C’mon guys, thrift shops have waaay more to offer than just electric blue Hawaiian shirts and knee high sparkly boots. Vintage clothes, accessories, and furniture are hiding amongst the Gold Coast’s best op shops, just waiting for you to waltz them outta the store and into your shabby chic apartment.
Arkive Vintage
Surfers Paradise
Hidden away in Surfers Paradise, next to Black Coffee Lyrics, is Arkive Vintage—your go-to for authentic vintage apparel. Travel back to a place where everyone looked hip all day, every day. Arkive’s European vintage collection with a trend-conscious touch, ranges from 1950’s tailored suit pants to 1990’s Drew-Barrymore-eat-your-heart-out crop tops. Be sure to check out the accessory cabinets for unique cuff links, tasselled earrings and even a few original clip-ons too. Englishman Jake will answer all of your traditional vintage questions with ease, all while spinning rock and blues records on his original player. With extensive experience in the industry of vintage fashion and undoubtable charm, Jake will have you looking schmicko like old school Elvis before you can say “blue-blue-blue suede shoes, baby.”
Salvos
West Burleigh
If you’re like Mackelmore, wanna pop some tags and have $20 in your pocket, then look no further than the West Burleigh Salvos who have a HUGE range of pre-loved threads. Imagine if every second-hand shop you’d ever been in combined to create one giant store, with a collection so good that you involuntarily screamed “yas, please!” each time you entered its doors. Well. This is it. Fusing new, old, fancy and fierce, this little oppy has something for everyone, making it well worthy of its place in the list of best op shops on the Gold Coast. And you’ll be supporting our local volunteers while you’re there, so give yourself a pat on the back, you’re not too bad kid.
The Village Markets Rack Sale
Burleigh
Consider yourself busy every first and third Sunday of the month for the next 20 years. Burleigh Heads State School is The Village Markets’ playground and the place to go when on the hunt for trendy, locally made threads. If you’re a mad keen op shopper, head along to the rack sale, held the first Sunday of each month, where you can pick up pre-loved indie outfits collected by our local fashionistas and look damn fine in the process.
Antique Centre
Miami
Whether it is in the form of a retro painting, vintage armchair or pre-loved overalls, Miami’s Antique Centre has got you covered. Specialising in rare antiques, 1920’s to 1980’s fashion and interesting gallery pieces, you can even sell your own vintage threads here. Pick up an old school dial telephone, kitsch lamp or legit badge and spend hours checking out one of the best op shops on the Gold Coast.
RSPCA
Burleigh
Just had a messy break up or friendship melt down? The RSPCA op shop in Burleigh has got your back! Amidst the Burleigh industrial estate you’ll find a pre-loved furniture wonderland, filled with striped couches, paisley rocking chairs, and coffee tables galore. Deck your new pad out with all of the fan dangle necessities you’ll need to throw your house warming party—a recipe book for dinner and celebratory cake, plates and cutlery for the crew and cocktail glasses, or teacups, for the champas. Yes, Passion Pop counts as champagne. Get in touch with that mate who has a van, you know the one, and stock up on the goods from this fair dinkum op shop.
Hunt and Gather Vintage
Currumbin
Hold the phone. Hunt and Gather have taken thrifting to a whole new level. After searching far and wide for only the best vintage homewares, furniture, fashion pieces and collectable items, these geniuses bring pre-loved treasures straight to your Facebook feed. Scroll through their online Facebook shop where all pieces are posted and new collections uploaded each Tuesday and Thursday night at 7pm. Simply comment “sold” under your chosen old world piece, DM the page and pick up from Currumbin Waters. There’s something simply charming about combining old school vintage with new school online shopping. And the added bonus? You can do it with a glass of wine in hand, too.
Her Wardrobe Market
Robina
Have you been going to Robina Town Centre? You’ve got it all wrong. The hottest place to shop is Robina Auditorium Centre. Her Wardrobe sets up shop on the last Sunday of each month by inviting girls to rent out stalls and sell you their stuff. Admission will cost you a measly $2 to sink your teeth into some second-hand scores. Ladies, they’ve already done the hard work. Shopped around, dug through clothing racks, and now you get the fun of thrifting their refined collections—time management is at an all-time high.
Machinery Drive Area
Tweed
With That Hip Op Shop and ADRA thrift store neighbouring each other on Machinery Drive in South Tweed Heads, you might have thought you’d won the jackpot. Think again. You’ll also find a Salvos, Vinnies and Lifeline within close distance too (literally a two-minute drive or 10-minute walk). Now you’ve won the jackpot. Well worth the drive to its Tweed Heads location, kill five birds with one stone and enjoy convenient bargain hunting in all its glory! That Hip Op Shop has a great rep for sought after clothes, leaving you with only the best. Stick around to explore the other stores and make a day of it with your mates. And if you are like us and can never decide on anything at all, your cowboy-buckled belt wont be far from you when you wander to the next stop, so there’s no excuse not to go back and grab it.
Rare Groove
Miami
This long time Nobby Beach resident stocks vintage tunes and pre-loved memorabilia, giving you all kinds of Woodstock feels. Lose yourself in a sea of vinyl and finally get your mitts on that Motorhead album you’ve been trying to track down for, like, ever. Rare Groove is home to original posters, videos and even a few compact discs—or CDs for those of you who are new to the biz. You’ll spend hours flicking through killer tracks and soak up all of the retro vibes floating through the air, sprinkled with a homely old paper smell.
Found
Tugun
Guys, stop looking. We’ve discovered the coolest eclectic furniture store on the Coast. Fall in love with mid-century Australian and European pieces and squeal like all of your birthdays have come at once. Feast your eyes on original and restored one-of-a-kind arrivals in store, worthy of a close up in an Antique’s Road Show montage. The legends at Found in Tugun jet set around the globe each quarter to bring you incredible antiques from all over the world. So, pick yourself up a statement piece for your house to make your friends think you’re one really cultured guy. Found can also restore any goods you already own and have loved on, hard. Abundant with groovy pre-loved gems, you’re bound to find a real treasure at Found. Warning: if you're looking for a bargain this is NOT a thrift shop!
The Design Collective Markets
Various Locations
Renowned for their super cool pop-up markets spanning from Brissy to Mount Tamborine and Northern NSW, The Design Collective are the bee’s knees of market hosts. The recent vintage and designer markets at Cooly State School are jam-packed with genuine vintage sellers, vibrant crowds and top-notch local designers. Stop by on April 25th to see exactly what all the fuss is about. And because Goldy is where it’s at, these guys have decided to host regular night markets (starting April 15) where Bermuda meets Hooker Boulevard. Yes, in the paddock. Celebrating small businesses, creatives and all things retro, sleepy heads can now rejoice—finally a farmers market that’s open later than the crack of dawn. Retro fashion and craft stalls by moonlight, gourmet food trucks and live music played from a converted vintage caravan are some of the perks you can expect to see at the Gold Coast’s newest twilight markets—Eat Make Grow.
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