persianpower

I'm looking for a thrift clothing shop in Barcelona?

In North America, these types of stores sells clothes for under $10. They have names like Value Village, Salvation Army, Goodwill. Usually, poorer people shop there but in this case, I need new traveling clothes.

What's the Catalan/Spanish equivalent in Barcelona?

Thanks

LapLap

It's a comparatively recent concept in Spain. (The distribution of second hand clothes was handled mainly by the church)

I guess you are looking for "ropa amiga"

Here's a web page with addresses of just some of the stores in Barcelona

http://obrasocial.caixacatalunya.es/...x3y932,00.html
* Calle Francesc Tàrrega n 48. Barrio del Congrés. Cadena de tiendas Farcells. Tienda gestionada por la Fundació Formació i Treball.
* Calle Sant Salvador 39-41. Barrio de Gràcia. Tienda gestionada por Solidança.
* Calle Llenguadoc, 56-60
* Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 851
* Calle Sant Màrius, 53.

These stores are called "Moda Amiga" and should have much of the best clothing from the numerous "Ropa Amiga" collection points around the city.

Hope this helps.

persianpower

I need men's clothing. Mode Amiga sounds awfully feminane.

LapLap

Actually it isn't at all.

Moda means fashion - and due to the quirks of the language, fashion happens to be a feminine word. But so is "Mano" - hand and so is "Polla" - penis.

Friend in Spanish can be Amigo or Amiga depending on the context - outside of relating to a human or animal it being feminine or masculine has no meaning whatsoever.

There's a recycling scheme in Spain called 'Ropa Amiga" (Friendly clothing - 'clothes' is a feminine word).

Some of these clothes make it to these particular stores, which for the sake of avoiding confusion are called 'Moda Amiga' (Friendly fashion)

I doubt anyone can help you find stores with more 'manly' names (Y ahora LapLap se descojona)

persianpower

i went to amiga ropa, and it isn't a thrift shop - not even close. I found women's clothing, and shoes for 35euro, and up. Waste of time.

LapLap

I'm not American, so don't know what a 'thrift shop' is. I am surprised that they were asking so much for second hand clothes, but there you go.

Did you ask the people at the shop for suggestions as to where you could find cheaper second hand clothes?

In London there are numerous 'charity shops' around the city, the price of what's inside is very much dependent on which area the store is located in. I don't know which Ropa Amiga store you went to, nor which area it's in (perhaps yours was in a particularly upmarket neighborhood), all I do know is that the Ropa Amiga stores in Alicante weren't nearly so expensive a few years ago.

As I said, these stores don't have a long tradition in Spain.

Perhaps you should forget about second hand clothes and look in the Chinese Quarter in the Al Por Mayor stores - unfortunately there's no Primark in Barcelona (just in Madrid and Murcia) and no Uniqlo in Spain yet.

alanw

Kudos for trying to help, LapLap, though I think you'll find that trying to assist this particular poster is the real waste of time. I do know where some thrift stores are in the city, but after the rude responses to a few of his other - endless - questions, I'll just keep them to myself.

LapLap

I never know who will be reading or be influenced by these posts.

At least there's something to be learnt here, even if persionpower didn't feel it was worthwhile to the FT community to disclose which of these stores he went to (which would have been significant as the first two are managed differently to the rest).

I feel reassured that there's enough of a breadcrumb trail to lead someone who might be genuinely interested to PM you.

persianpower

Ignoring the last two posters, I went to Humana near Plaza Uriquonanaa (whatever the spelling), and it is a real thrift shop, albeit a very expensive one. They have 2 for 8euro sales, but most of the merchandise is again, for women. The Men's section is small, but decent and the prices are 10-15euro. Nothing close to a real THRIFT shop, like Value Village (which is the best), but for Europe I guess it's the best I'm going to find.

ANd LapLap, thank you "trying" to help me, but Ropa AMiga is not a thrift shop. Humana is the closest thing in Barcelona.

Now, I'm going to go to all their locations to clean them out, and then repeat the process in other Spanish cities.

LapLap

"you're welcome".

Rest assured, I will never "try" again.

By the way, what to do you actually acknowledge as a real bona fide attempt at assistance on this forum?

You know, the kind you don't actually end up sneering at?

You asked for places that sell second hand clothes, I showed you a list published by the Social Services division of the Catalan regional government. You then make a comment that shows no awareness of the local language (which I then explain to you seeing as it will come in useful if you really are going to attempt to teach English to a Spaniard) and then you state you will - ignore my comments (I being one of the previous two posters) and imply that my attempt at answering your question wasn't sincere by using inverted commas around the word trying.

Seriously, what are the parameters around which you will accept an answer to one of your numerous questions with a little pinch of grace? I don't want to even think about how many collective hours have been gracelessly unacknowledged and wasted conducting research on your behalf.

Anyway, it's great that you've found a Humana Branch that could serve you. It is also a real shame you still haven't seen fit to post which Moda Amiga branch you visited. It would have been wonderful to see a thread you open actually blossom out into a useful resource, just for once.

I still think there is hope.

persianpower

laplap, come down (it's just a forum). If i helped you, i don't really care if you acknowledge me or not. Since you have sensitivies about that, i visited the plaza girones branch, though i doubt that matters much. By the look of the place, it's obvious the Catalan social government (or whatever you called it) is unware what a thrift shop is.

You seem to have a better idea, and i think you've misunderstood the arguments presented in the thread. And by the way, i suspected a store calling itself ropa amiga to specialize in women's clothing, and i was right. If you visit a ropa amiga in the future and find men's clothing, do let me know, and i will apologize to you.

In the meantine, visit Humana to find out what a thrift shop is.

LapLap

Errr... there's one round the corner from my family's house in central Alicante. It isn't on the list, but it has exactly the same smiley face sign above the door and green painted 'fachada' as the one in the photo. Clothes there are cheap and are for men, ladies and children. It's why I knew what 'Moda Amiga' was. But don't worry, no apology required.

And where is Plaza Girones, anyway? I still have no idea which of the shops you went to. I'm afraid your response was a waste of time - I jut looked at the maps for each of those shops and could see no Plaza Girones near any of them.

Are you sure you didn't mean Plaza Glories? (in which case it would be the Corts Catalans one)

persianpower

yes, it's the one you mentioned. plaza girones, placa girona, i can't remember but there's definetly only expensive women's, and children's clothing there.

LapLap

Huh???

For the sake of finally getting an answer to what one would think was a simple question.

Which Moda Amiga did you actually go to?

I can see no Plaza Girones, or Plaza Girona near any of those addresses in my original post. There is what seems to be a Plaza Glories next to this one:
Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 851 - MAP

Or here are the maps for

Calle Francesc Tàrrega n 48

Calle Sant Salvador 39-41

Calle Llenguadoc, 56-60

&

Calle Sant Màrius, 53

I may seem like an idiot to you - but repeating that you went to plaza girona, plaza girones or plaza de los cojones doesn't make it any clearer.

soitgoes

That's what makes Flyertalk a little different. It isn't just a forum (or even a bunch of them). Flyertalk is a community of people. It may sound silly, but it's true.

For someone who loves to travel the world, you sometimes seem to expect the rest of the world to do things exactly the way you would get at home or otherwise desire.