From chic to shabby chic - at new habitat at Oxfam

SHOPPING:After 15 years at Habitat, John Adams is now the manager of Oxfamhome in Dublin

THE MOVE from contemporary design to second-hand charity may seem like a dramatic change to some, but “retail is retail”, says John Adams who is managing 13 charity stores for Oxfam after a 15-year career with furniture store Habitat.

A stroll around Oxfam’s furniture store, Oxfamhome, on Francis Street is a lesson in the ebb and flow of furniture trends.

About one-third of the shop floor is devoted to antiques – solid, handsome and very brown.

Then there is a sprinkling of now-in-vogue 20th century designs, the stuff we grew up with and are now furiously bidding for on eBay.

Tucked away in a corner there are even a couple of faded Habitat products, including a modular sofa with a price tag of €125.

There is no hint of nostalgia as John Adams explains that this piece would have cost €1,000 when it was for sale in Habitat.

Unlike many former customers of the chic furniture store, who find life without Habitat a bit of a challenge, Adams, who oversaw the opening of the chain in Ireland, has clearly moved on.

His career with Habitat came to an abrupt end last May, when the store closed following what it described as a severe deterioration in sales.

Adams made the unusual decision not to look for similarly high-ranking jobs and to go work for Oxfam. Running a shop is the same no matter what end of the market you are at, he says. The principles of stock rotation, price setting and visual display apply across the board.

Of course there are a few differences. Oxfam relies on donations to get its stock, so the shop “can only be as good as our donations”.

Second, 99 per cent of the staff manning Oxfam’s stores are volunteers. A totally different set of management skills is required to oversee people who are working for free, says Adams.

Aside from this, Adams says he was attracted to Oxfam’s mission to “promote a just world without poverty” and was keen to try a “more creative” job.

Oxfam deviates from the traditional notion of a charity shop where everything donated goes out on the shelf, according to Adams. The charity prides itself on being a bit more discerning.

For example, in Oxfamhome only upholstery with a fire label is accepted and badly soiled or damaged furniture is turned away – sometimes to the surprise of the donors.

“We can’t afford to take things off people and then have to pay to get rid of them.”

And has the recession hit sales in Oxfamhome? The shop is still achieving sales targets set 12 months ago, which, compared to most high street furniture stores, is very good.

The shop, which is conveniently located on the capital’s antiques strip, attracts a very varied clientele – first-time homeowners and landlords looking to make some savings, antique dealers looking for some hidden treasures and young hipsters looking to bag a retro chic sideboard. Donors are just as varied. Oxfamhome recently got a delivery from the Grand Hotel in Malahide, which is undertaking a revamp.

The headboards, mirrors, bedside lockers and desks have been walking out the door.

The selection on offer at the shop is eclectic and the prices attractive. A new-looking Phillips CD player with speakers has a price tag of €35. TVs cost around €50. Futons are from €100, three-piece suites from €150 and a vintage Singer sewing machine costs €40.

Someone recently donated a 70-piece set of blue and white Burleigh pottery, which looks unused. Prices for this china start at €6 for a mug (new, it would sell for around €13). A large glazed bookcase takes up one corner of the shop and its price tag of €450 represents exceptional value. Made by high-end reproduction furniture makers Bevan Funnell it would set you back €8,400 in Arnotts. A canny architect has snapped it up.

When real treasures (paintings, jewellery and silverware) are donated to the store they are auctioned. “We owe it to the donor to get the maximum price for the item,” says Adams.

[ www.oxfamireland.org ]

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