Matt Hall is our fantastic Manager of our Cold Bath Road charity shop, having first started with Saint Michael’s in 2017 as an Assistant Manager. Here he shares what he enjoys about his role and sustainable fashion.

“I have done quite a lot of retail but also used to be a financial assistant. As an assistant retail manager, I learned a lot about visual merchandising to make the shop appealing and generating lots of sales.

“My favourite part of my job is that every day is different. You can have days with lots of donations, time for catching up on paperwork and having chats over coffee with volunteers. It’s really good to have the buzz and energy of being so busy- changing displays, putting the stock out- to have the variation in your job.

Manager Matt having a laugh with volunteer Mel

“We’re quite a fun little dynamic group so we try and do some outings together and have a book club and art club.

“It’s a really good culture here. A diverse team of volunteers and staff. The charity is really passionate about sustainability, personal development and wellbeing. It’s nice to see that come through the whole organisation.

“I feel inspired to be creative myself and am always there for our volunteers and staff in terms of their wellbeing.

Find out more about being a part of our team

“I really enjoy creating styles and fun things- changing things up and making quirky corners.

“We have regular customers- some even daily! People come from nearby businesses and shops, as well as the local school. We have a really strong link with the community- whether it’s just coming in for a chat or buying a book. It’s really nice.

Our Cold Bath Road charity shop is known for fabulous bric-a-brack!

Watch Matt share his tips for sustainable shopping

“Coming into charity shops as a buyer, you might see things that are a little bit more quirky than in conventional stores. You can be very creative and sew items together to create something new. Experiment when you’re shopping and change things about.

“We have different areas in our shop including a section with higher end brands. Ladies clothing, brick-a-brack are our biggest sellers.

“We’ve had quirky antique items that have been donated and they sell because they’re something different from the high street where everything can be quite similar.

Find out more about our Saint Michael’s shops

“It’s very important for people to come into charity shops. Buying fashion sustainably is great for reducing waste in landfill. We also upcycle things we can’t sell.

“At Cold Bath Road, we’re very lucky with our community bringing in great items- sometimes even brand new with tags! To name some, Mint Velvet, Snooty Frox, Phase Eight, White Company.

You can find high-end brands in our Saint Michael’s Cold Bath Road shop

“We’d like to receive ladies’, men’s and children’s clothing. Brica is a really big seller for us as well as children toys’. We’re happy to take books, jigsaws- many things!”

“We have a ramp outside that people can park to drop off donations Monday- Saturday downstairs.”

Find out more about donating to our charity shops