Manchester’s best vintage boutiques and thrift stores that you need to visit
Shopping second-hand is often thought of as buying old, unwanted clothes in an extremely limited selection of styles and sizes. But Manchester's vintage and thrift boutiques are completely reversing that stereotype.
The Northern Quarter may be a hub for vintage aficionados, but there’s actually much more to Manchester City Centre’s charity shop and second-hand scene than meets the eye.
Shopping second-hand is often thought of as buying old, unwanted clothes in an extremely limited selection of styles and sizes. But Manchester City Centre’s charity shops, vintage and thrift boutiques are completely reversing that stereotype, offering a wide range of preloved and upcycled garments to fit with the latest trends.
Unsure where to start? Here’s our list of the best vintage boutiques, thrift stores and charity shops in Manchester City Centre to check out.
Blue Rinse
Blue Rinse has quickly gained a reputation as one of the UK’s best vintage chains, and their Manchester store definitely lives up to this hype.
Specialising in 80s and 90s style, they offer a variety of classic pieces and reworked items for a reasonable price tag.
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Perfect for: retro football jerseys, denim and flannel shirts
Don’t let the name trick you, as this Manchester City Centre store is anything but your local charity shop.
They offer a curated collection of the finest vintage clothing that you won’t be able to find anywhere else, and their knowledgeable staff are on-hand to assist you in hunting down that one signature piece you need.
Perfect for: any retro and vintage designer labels
Whilst the brand is now something of a national treasure, it all began in their Oldham Street boutique.
Culture and fashion come together in this crazy, eclectic selection of items, as well as their own branded collection. They’re definitely at the forefront of the latest vintage trends.
Perfect for: retro furniture, clothing and accessories
Where to find them: 34-36 Oldham Street, Manchester, M1 1JN www.pop-boutique.com
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Bags of Flavor
This retro boutique boasts a classic feel with its 70s and 80s vintage men’s clothing.
From their upcycled Burberry bags to vintage Berghaus jackets, they’re our go-to for an old-school sportswear and vibes.
Perfect for: waterproof jackets, bags and anything Adidas
This 90s inspired boutique has stores across the country, but their Manchester location is particularly influenced by the city’s musical history and bands like the Stone Roses.
From ditsy floral dresses to Hawaiian shirts, there’s a bit of everything on offer here.
Perfect for: flannel shirts, bomber jackets and pinafores
Where to find them: 61 Church Street, Manchester, M4 1PD www.wearecow.com
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Everything inside the Sephora VIP goodie bags worth more than £1,000
Daisy Jackson
Sephora opening in Manchester has been causing a bit of a stir, with more than 2,000 people queueing up this week to try and nab a free goodie bag.
And while the presents being handed out to the public are pretty impressive, it’s nothing compared to the VIP goodie bags given out at the store’s official launch on Wednesday.
A number of celebrities, influencers, press and other special guests were invited to have a sneak peek of the huge new shop at the Trafford Centre before its official opening to the public.
At the glittering celebration, VIPs were given a glimpse at the huge range of products on offer inside Sephora’s first UK store outside of London.
Those in attendance included actor and TV presenter actor Katie Mcglynn, TV personality Caroline Thomas, actress Alex Fletcher and radio one presenter Natalie O’Leary, Real Housewives of Cheshire, Love Island personalities, and professional footballer Courtney Duffus.
Special guests of Sephora were then sent home with the goodie bag to end all goodie bags, stuffed full of full-sized cult products.
And having totted up the value of everything inside, we can confirm that each goodie bag is worth more than a grand (£1092.93, to be exact). Wowsers.
Viral products inside include Makeup By Mario lipstick, Olaplex, Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, Glossier You perfume, and MorrocanOil hair treatments.
There are also TikTok sensations like the Dr Jart Tiger Grass treatment, which comes out of its tub green but magically turns beige on the skin, cancelling out redness.
And Tarte’s take on the revolutionary tubing mascara, which comes off your lashes with only water and a wipe, was also chucked in.
The most high-value items in the Sephora goodie bags were an Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream worth £64, Caudalie’s brightening serum at £52, and a Neom candle for £38.
Man replicates Manchester pizza restaurant’s loo in his own home
Daisy Jackson
A man has fallen so in love with the loos at a Manchester pizza restaurant that he’s recreated it in his own home.
Yep, while most of us spend our time trawling Pinterest or Instagram for our interiors inspiration, local Matt Hatt got his inspo on a trip to the toilet in town.
He was so obsessed with Nell’s vibrant orange bathroom interiors that he’s now created his very own cookie cutter version in his own house.
And Nell’s has been so impressed, they’ve even got stuck in to lend a hand with the finishing touches.
We are totally on board with Matt’s appreciation for a good restaurant loo – you can spend all the money in the world fitting out a dining room, but it really can fall apart if you head to a toilet with a wonky seat or a door that doesn’t shut or hideous fluorescent lighting.
Thankfully you don’t find too many of those around town these days.
From the ultra-luxury bogs around Spinningfields to the cheeky nude-covered toilets in the Northern Quarter, Manchester has a load of brilliant restaurant loos to explore.
The loos at Nell’s Pizza in Manchester. Credit: Nell’sMatt Hatt’s recreation of the Nell’s loo in his own home. Credit: Instagram @hattathome
One of the best is Nell’s, the New York-style pizza joint down at Kampus, which is painted a vibrant shade of orange.
Matt has nailed that bright toilet decor in his Victorian home in Manchester, down to the white subway tiles, the rounded wall mirrors, and the globe light fixture.
He even slid into Nell’s DMs to let them know about his project, and they offered to give him a branded pizza box, which Matt framed and hung on the wall.
Sharing his inspiration in a video filmed at Nell’s, Matt said: “If you’ve never been in a men’s toilet before, welcome. This is Nell’s Pizza in Manchester and this is the inspiration for our downstairs loo. Isn’t it fab?