Kawan Shop @ Chulia Steet, George Town

This is one of the few thrift shops in George Town that is walking distance from most of the UNESCO heritage city's attractions - yet it's a secret that only the shop's regulars know. 

Credit: Kawan Shop

It's probably due to the shop's simple exterior but when you step into Kawan Shop, you get the same vibe as thrift stores along Oxford Street in London. It's clean, well-organized and reasonably priced. 

Set up by Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Penang, profits from Kawan shop is to fund YWAM with their work to the help the urban poor community of George Town. This means funding activities like giving food to the homeless. 

Items up for sale here are in decent condition. The volunteers at the store would also sew some of the torn clothes or remove flint from some of the clothes. It shows how much care they for every item put up for sale. 

Toys sold here are packed in individual plastic packaging, which is not a practice carried out in most thrift stores. Other items up for sale include clothes, shoes, books, household items and etc. Almost half the store is reserved for women's clothes which cost RM5 onwards. 

They even have a corner of women's clothes which is being sold at RM1 each. The items are mostly cotton tops. I'm not sure how they decide what items end up in the RM1 bin, which is the first thing that you see when you enter the store. 

It's a great place for bargain hunters but like most stores in George Town, there is no parking space in front of the store. 

Additional Details: 

Price Range: $*

Operation Hours: 10am to 5.30pm (Monday to Friday)

Address: 41, Chulia Street, 10200, Penang.  

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/KawanPenang/

Contact No: 04-2618405

*$ - cheap, $$ - reasonable, $$$- luxury