Thrift stores in Christchurch
Thrift stores reward the patient. In Christchurch, Canterbury that patience currently stretches across 41 mapped shops — 25 of them are charity shops and 16 are independent second-hand stores, so Christchurch gives you both flavours of thrifting in one trip.
This guide covers every thrift store we could verify in and around Christchurch (within about 40 km), built from OpenStreetMap's community-maintained data. Names you'll run into include St John Sydenham Store and Family Store, plus Habitat for Humanity ReStore — each with its own personality, which is half the fun. If a shop's missing from Christchurch's list, it probably just hasn't been mapped yet — the scene is bigger than any single dataset.
The Christchurch thrift lineup
41 mapped within about 40 km:
St John Sydenham Store
Charity shop
St John Sydenham Store — a charity shop.
Family Store
Charity shopRun by The Salvation Army
Run by The Salvation Army, Family Store is a charity shop. Also worth knowing about Family Store: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 09:30-16:00.
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:30-16:00
Habitat for Humanity ReStore
Charity shopRun by Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity ReStore is a charity shop run by Habitat for Humanity on 189 Waltham Road, Christchurch. Habitat for Humanity ReStore also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00; Sa 09:00-15:00; it has a website with more detail.
189 Waltham Road, Christchurch, 8023
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00; Sa 09:00-15:00
The Great Opportunity Shop
Charity shopRun by Christchurch City Mission
Run by Christchurch City Mission, The Great Opportunity Shop is a charity shop, found on 275 Hereford Street in Christchurch. Also worth knowing about The Great Opportunity Shop: it has a website with more detail.
275 Hereford Street, Christchurch, 8011
Society of St Vincent de Paul
Charity shopRun by St Vincent de Paul
Society of St Vincent de Paul is a charity shop run by St Vincent de Paul on 265 Stanmore Road, Christchurch. Society of St Vincent de Paul also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 09:00-16:00; Sa 10:00-15:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
265 Stanmore Road, Christchurch, 8013
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-16:00; Sa 10:00-15:00
Phone: +64 3 389 7484
Treasure Trove Clothing & Alterations
Second-hand store
Treasure Trove Clothing & Alterations — an independent second-hand store.
Salvation Army Family Store
Charity shop
Salvation Army Family Store — a charity shop.
Salvation Army Family Store
Second-hand store
Salvation Army Family Store — an independent second-hand store, found on 4 Restell Street in Christchurch. Also worth knowing about Salvation Army Family Store: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 09:00-16:30; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
4 Restell Street, Christchurch, 8053
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-16:30
Phone: +64 3 352 4581
BooTeek
Second-hand store
BooTeek is an independent second-hand store on 268 St Asaph Street, Christchurch. BooTeek also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Tu-Sa 10:30-16:00.
268 St Asaph Street, Christchurch, 8011
Hours: Tu-Sa 10:30-16:00
Nurse Maude Hospice Shop
Charity shop
Nurse Maude Hospice Shop is a charity shop on 19-21 Marshland Road, Christchurch. Nurse Maude Hospice Shop also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-We 09:00-18:00; Th-Fr 09:00-21:00; Sa 09:00-18:00; Su 10:00-18:00; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
19-21 Marshland Road, Christchurch, 8061
Hours: Mo-We 09:00-18:00; Th-Fr 09:00-21:00; Sa 09:00-18:00; Su 10:00-18:00
Phone: +64 3 386 2674
Family Store
Charity shop
Family Store — a charity shop. Also worth knowing about Family Store: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 09:30-17:00; Sa 09:30-16:30.
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:30-17:00; Sa 09:30-16:30
Salvation Army
Charity shop
Salvation Army is a charity shop on 1 Rōhutu Way.
1 Rōhutu Way
St John Shop
Charity shop
St John Shop is a charity shop. St John Shop also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 09:30-16:00.
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:30-16:00
Belfast Family Store
Charity shop
Belfast Family Store — a charity shop.
El Haven Op Shop
Charity shopRun by El Haven
El Haven Op Shop is a charity shop run by El Haven on 378 Ferry Road, Christchurch.
378 Ferry Road, Christchurch
The Salvation Army
Second-hand store
The Salvation Army — an independent second-hand store. Also worth knowing about The Salvation Army: the map lists its hours as Mo-Sa 09:00-16:30; Su off.
Hours: Mo-Sa 09:00-16:30; Su off
St John Shop
Charity shopRun by St John
Run by St John, St John Shop is a charity shop, found on 375 Aldwins Road in Christchurch. Also worth knowing about St John Shop: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 09:30-17:00; Sa 10:00-14:00; it has a website with more detail.
375 Aldwins Road, Christchurch, 8011
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:30-17:00; Sa 10:00-14:00
St John Edgeware
Charity shop
St John Edgeware — a charity shop, found on 74 Edgeware Road in Christchurch. Also worth knowing about St John Edgeware: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00; Sa 10:00-16:00; it has a website with more detail.
74 Edgeware Road, Christchurch, 8014
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00; Sa 10:00-16:00
St john Op shop
Charity shop
St john Op shop — a charity shop.
La Voûte
Second-hand store
La Voûte — an independent second-hand store. Also worth knowing about La Voûte: the map lists its hours as Sa,Su 10:00-16:00.
Hours: Sa,Su 10:00-16:00
Stuff Woolston
Second-hand store
Stuff Woolston is an independent second-hand store.
Flourish Op Shop
Charity shop
Flourish Op Shop — a charity shop.
SPCA Op Shop
Charity shop
SPCA Op Shop — a charity shop. Also worth knowing about SPCA Op Shop: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00.
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00
Salvation Army Family Store
Charity shop
Salvation Army Family Store — a charity shop. Also worth knowing about Salvation Army Family Store: the map lists its hours as Mo-Sa 09:00-17:00.
Hours: Mo-Sa 09:00-17:00
Window of Opportunity
Charity shop
Window of Opportunity — a charity shop, found on 148 Gayhurst Road in Christchurch.
148 Gayhurst Road, Christchurch, 8061
Vinnies
Charity shop
Vinnies is a charity shop. Vinnies also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 10:00-18:00; Sa 10:00-15:00; Su 11:00-15:00.
Hours: Mo-Fr 10:00-18:00; Sa 10:00-15:00; Su 11:00-15:00
The Chopping Block
Second-hand store
The Chopping Block — an independent second-hand store.
The Salvation Army Family Store
Second-hand store
The Salvation Army Family Store is an independent second-hand store. The Salvation Army Family Store also notes on the map: a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip.
Phone: +64 3 389 5704
The Salvation Army
Charity shop
The Salvation Army — a charity shop, found on 150 Carlyle Street in Christchurch.
150 Carlyle Street, Christchurch, 8023
SaveMart
Second-hand store
SaveMart — an independent second-hand store, found on 39 Battersea Street in Christchurch. Also worth knowing about SaveMart: the map lists its hours as Mo-Su 10:00-16:00; it has a website with more detail.
39 Battersea Street, Christchurch, 8023
Hours: Mo-Su 10:00-16:00
Ménage à Trois
Second-hand store
Ménage à Trois — an independent second-hand store, found on 175 Seaview Road in Christchurch.
175 Seaview Road, Christchurch, 8061
St John Opportunity Shop
Second-hand store
St John Opportunity Shop is an independent second-hand store on 43 Main North Road, Christchurch. St John Opportunity Shop also notes on the map: the map lists its hours as Mo-Su 11:00-20:00+ "open until 'late'"; it has a website with more detail.
43 Main North Road, Christchurch, 8053
Hours: Mo-Su 11:00-20:00+ "open until 'late'"
The Garage Sale
Second-hand storeRun by Project Lyttelton
Run by Project Lyttelton, The Garage Sale is an independent second-hand store.
Nurse Maude Hospice Shop
Charity shopRun by Nurse Maude
Nurse Maude Hospice Shop is a charity shop run by Nurse Maude.
Saint John Op Shop
Charity shop
Saint John Op Shop — a charity shop.
EcoShop
Second-hand storeRun by EcoCentral
Run by EcoCentral, EcoShop is an independent second-hand store, found on 191 Blenheim Road in Christchurch. Also worth knowing about EcoShop: the map lists its hours as Mo-Su 09:00-17:00; PH off; a phone number is listed — worth a call before a special trip; it has a website with more detail.
191 Blenheim Road, Christchurch, 8041
Hours: Mo-Su 09:00-17:00; PH off
Phone: +64 3 941 7513
Tasman Traders
Second-hand store
Tasman Traders — an independent second-hand store, found on 61 Montreal Street in Christchurch. Also worth knowing about Tasman Traders: the map lists its hours as Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00; Sa 10:00-15:00.
61 Montreal Street, Christchurch, 8023
Hours: Mo-Fr 09:00-17:00; Sa 10:00-15:00
The Salvation Army Family Store
Second-hand store
The Salvation Army Family Store — an independent second-hand store, found on 177 Linwood Avenue in Christchurch.
177 Linwood Avenue, Christchurch, 8011
Lost Property
Second-hand store
Lost Property — an independent second-hand store.
Halswell Toy Library
Charity shop
Halswell Toy Library — a charity shop. Also worth knowing about Halswell Toy Library: the map lists its hours as We 19:00-20:00, Sa 09:00-12:00; it has a website with more detail.
Hours: We 19:00-20:00, Sa 09:00-12:00
Vinnies
Charity shopRun by St Vincent de Paul
Run by St Vincent de Paul, Vinnies is a charity shop. Also worth knowing about Vinnies: it has a website with more detail.
What the map tells us about thrifting in Christchurch
20 of the 41 shops list their opening hours, which is unusually helpful for Christchurch — thrift stores are notorious for surprise closures. Still, call ahead if you're making a special trip to Christchurch; volunteer-run shops sometimes close early on quiet days.
12 shops have websites listed, worth a look before you go — some post new arrivals or sale days online.
The Christchurch thrift circuit
The efficient Christchurch thrifting route strings these together: St John Sydenham Store, Family Store, Habitat for Humanity ReStore on 189 Waltham Road, The Great Opportunity Shop on 275 Hereford Street, Society of St Vincent de Paul on 265 Stanmore Road, Treasure Trove Clothing & Alterations, Salvation Army Family Store, and Salvation Army Family Store on 4 Restell Street — 41 shops, one logical loop, no backtracking. 33 more are listed below.
Thrifting tips for Christchurch
A few things worth knowing before you work through Christchurch's thrift stores:
- Check for completeness at St John Sydenham Store. Board games missing pieces, cameras missing caps, tools missing bits — open the box before it goes in your bag.
- Visit at opening time at Family Store. Serious pickers arrive at opening. You don't have to be one of them, but the first hour has the best pick of the day's restock.
- Try everything on. Sizing across decades is chaos. The fitting room — or a brave moment by the mirror — saves you from the almost-right jacket.
- Look behind the front row. The good stuff migrates to the back of the rack. Push through; that's where the interesting things hide.
Good to know
We searched about 40 km around Christchurch — that covers the town itself plus the surrounding communities you'd reasonably drive to for a thrifting run. Listings come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by local volunteers, so a brand-new shop in Christchurch can take a while to appear. If you spot one of the 41 that's closed, or a great shop we missed, the fix is to update the map itself — that's where this guide reads from.
Prices at Christchurch's thrift stores are set by each shop and change constantly, so we don't list them. As a rough rule, charity shops are the cheapest, independents sit in the middle, and anything labelled vintage costs more everywhere — Christchurch included.
Thrift store listings for Christchurch: 41 mapped from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Photos from Wikimedia Commons contributors; individual photo credits appear in captions. Listing data was last refreshed automatically — verify hours before visiting.