Vintage Shopping in Manchester

Affleck’s Palace:
This treasure trove of shops does not just appeal to vintage shoppers, but anyone with an alternative style. There are many shops selling vintage clothing within Affleck’s, particularly on the 3rd floor, but Affleck’s diversity and originality place it at the heart of Manchester’s northern quarter. A must visit.

American Graffiti:
Situated on Hilton Street, this emporium of bizarre and unique stuff is simply amazing. From fifties sunglasses, interesting earrings, costumes and, of course, vintage clothing, this place has it all. The earrings and jewellery are particularly unique. American Graffiti also sells perhaps every colour of costume wig ever made, from Peroxide-blonde to neon green. Beautiful, hand-made vintage bags can also be found here, although at a price. The clothing, again, can be pricey, although the pieces are all interesting and unique.

Junk:
Junk caters for a wide range of styles, vintage being one of many. Their flower-print dresses and distressed t-shirts are pretty and unique. Despite the name, Junk’s clothing is very high-quality, which means it comes with a price tag. Inside, the shop is very imaginatively decorated, with t-shirts bursting out of old-fashioned suitcases and jewellery placed on shelves suspended from the ceiling. Avril Lavigne has been seen wearing Junk Shop t-shirts, which shows the universal appeal of their style.

The eponymous £3 shop:
This shop does exactly what it says on the tin: all items of clothing in here are priced at £3 or less. Literally cheaper than Primark, this is probably the best place in the whole of Manchester in terms of value for money. However, as you might expect, such cheap clothing has its drawbacks. Not everything in here is strictly vintage, and sometimes clothes can be stained, dirty and damaged. The shop itself isn’t nice either, so if you’re quite choosy then this probably isn’t the place for you. The £3 shop requires a good bit of rummaging, but you might just find a fantastic piece of vintage clothing in there somewhere.

Oxfam Originals:
Let’s face it: Oxfam were doing vintage before vintage became cool, so this specially-dedicated branch of Oxfam is always worth a visit. The clothing here is good quality and fairly nice, although it can often err on the ‘safe’ side of things and be more bohemian than fashionable. Of course, all proceeds from this shop go to charity, which is a huge plus on the ethical side of things, and is also the reason why Oxfam Originals isn’t the cheapest place to pick up a vintage item.

Pop Boutique:
Pop is often seen as very cool and fashionable, although the clothing really caters to current fashion trends rather than genuine vintage enthusiasts. Although the clothing is very nice, it is often modern takes on vintage classics. As a result, you’re a lot more likely to find someone else wearing the same thing as you. The prom-style dresses are comparatively cheap and unique, and the rest of Pop is pretty affordable. So if you’re looking for something newly-made but with a vintage twist, rather than aiming to look like you’ve just stepped out of the 1950s, then this is the place for you.

Rags to Bitches:
This award-winning boutique definitely caters for the top end of the market. On the main floor of the boutique the clothes are very vintage, but also very pricey. However, downstairs has some more affordable stock which is definitely worth a look. The boutique itself is gorgeous, well set out and nicely decorated. I particularly love the leopard print sofa downstairs. The jewellery and accessories are also very nice. One other point worth mentioning is that Rags to Bitches is very authentic vintage clothing; meaning that it is often made for the body frames of yesteryear. So if you have the waist of a burlesque star, then this won’t be a problem, but if not, then you might have to make adjustments.

Retro Rehab:
The best adjective with which to describe ‘Retro Rehab’ is cute. This small shop is pretty and well-organized, which makes things very easy to find. Its prices are very reasonable, and the stock ranges from gorgeous fluffy jumpers to pastel prints to girly dresses. The sale rail is particularly good for bargains. However, this shop is definitely a feminine one, and so not the best place to go looking for a new pair of trousers. Retro Rehab also sells hand-made tops made from vintage fabric but in modern styles.

Ryan Vintage:
This is my personal favourite vintage shop. Ryan Vintage is a miniature warehouse stuffed with rail upon rail of dresses, skirts, jumpers, handbags and anything else you can think of. This combines the best of both worlds, with being truly vintage and also very affordable. Dresses often cost around £10, bags around £7, and tops and skirts at a similar price, although with the recent popularity of vintage fashion, prices seem to have crept up a little lately. Ryan Vintage is also famous for their brightly coloured skinny jeans, available in 10 colours. The men’s clothing section is as good as the women’s, which is also a plus. The choice here is huge, which for me is all part of the fun, and vintage enthusiasts could probably spend hours and hours going through the rails here.

Honourable mentions:
For shops and stalls that don't quite fit the vintage fashion category.

Manchester Fashion Market:
Located on Tib Street, these stalls offer the best of urban fashion. Some nice vintage and vintage-inspired stuff can be found on here. Manchester Fashion Market runs every Saturday.

Thunder Egg:
Thunder Egg isn’t particularly strong for vintage clothing, although it has some very nice accessories such as cups, mirrors and lunchboxes with kitsch and vintage motifs.

Where to find them:
Vintage clothing shops aren’t mainstream fashion, so finding them can be hard if you don’t know where to look. All of the shops in this article are located within Manchester’s alternative and groovy Northern Quarter.

From the Arndale Centre, continue up to Primark and take a left at Starbucks for Tib Street. For Oldham Street, take the next left.