Acacia, the charity shop in Bath Street, recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, and banners marking the occasion are displayed in the window.
In 2017, donations left overnight outside the shop were set alight, causing extensive damage. After a rebuild, the shop was ready to reopen in 2020 when the Covid pandemic caused further delays. Acacia at 8-10 Bath Street, was incorporated on 18 February 1997. So it is older than those 25 years but has been effectively open for 25 years .
The shop offers a wide range of items, starting with greeting cards priced at 25p.
There is a basket of miniature china jugs and vases, once-popular souvenir collectables. The Horsham jug, with its decorative lattice neck, looks worth more than the ones for Bishop Auckland, Crowborough, Dorking and Durham.
Near the window in the vintage section is a copy of The Victor Book for Boys – 1967. In it the aristocratic footballer called ‘Gorgeous Gus’, arrives pitch-side in a Rolls to find his team, with ten men, are 1-0 down. The butler tells him that his help is needed, and so he gets out and helps win the game using intelligence – not dashing about.
Gus might have appreciated another book on sale at Acacia, In Praise of Slowness. I wonder what it would have to say about charity shops. Perhaps: ‘Those who take their time find unexpected treasures.’
