A huge second-hand shop has opened in Manchester city centre and has already become the talk of the town.
Bare Necessities has taken over the former LOFT showroom on High Street, where you’ll find up to 20,000 items of pre-loved clothing on sale at any one time.
The thrift shop specialises in sourcing high-quality used clothing, which is then expertly cleaned and put back on sale as an affordable price.
And it really is affordable – prices start from just £1.
You’ll find row upon row of denim, coats, knitwear, t-shirts, skirts, and accessories, including a rainbow display of tops that greets shoppers as they come in.
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There’s even a whole section of ski clothing, crochet blankets, and fancy dress items.
Inside Bare Necessities / Credit: The Manc Group
Brands like Carhartt, Tommy Hilfiger, Dickies and Barbour are all stocked alongside items like patchwork crop-tops, that have been repurposed from other fabrics.
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Bare Necessities says: “Our mission is to source our forward-thinking customers with the highest quality of used clothing at the lowest possible price.
“Slow fashion shouldn’t break the bank, and only when second-hand fashion becomes more affordable will there be a larger shift towards the used clothing industry.”
The team who work there individually source clothes from piles of second-hand items that are heading for landfill.
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The items are given a full facelift, from de-bobbling knitwear to fixing zips and pockets to being washed and ironed.
Bare Necessities will also rescue damaged clothing and reuse the fabric as much as possible.
Inside Bare Necessities / Credit: The Manc Group
Since the pop-up shop opened in the last few weeks, dozens of people have been sharing TikToks and social media posts of their hauls.
TikTok user Francesca Perks’ video from the store has now gained hundreds of thousands of views.
She described it as the ‘best thrift haul of my life’ and said it was ‘like no other’, before revealing two bulging bags containing a £30 coat, a knitted red jumper, and one of the aforementioned crochet blankets.
One person commented: “Omg this place seems magical,” and another said: “Literally no idea where this place is but we must go for my sanity.”
Someone else said: “I’ve been debating going but now I’m SOLD.”
Bare Necessities is now open on High Street in Manchester city centre.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
Shopping
A major free styling event is coming to Cheshire Oaks, with big discounts, colour analysis, and styling masterclasses
Daisy Jackson
Cheshire Oaks will be hosting a major fashion event over the bank holiday weekend, helping us all to get inspired and fall in love with our spring wardrobes.
The Spring Womenswear Fashion Event will feature everything from styling masterclasses to huge in-store discounts, along with a range of freebies and giveaways.
Some of the top womenswear brands at Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet will be getting involved, along with fashion experts – and it’s all totally free to attend.
There’ll be live events like colour analysis to help you find your colour profile, plus workshops on styling outfits multiple ways, building capsule wardrobes, and shopping sustainably.
Whether you’re looking for insider advice or just a bit of inspiration for your shopping trip, you’ll find it here.
Personal stylists Laura Davies, Rachael Hughes, and Olivia Roseanna will be on hand to lead workshops and fashion showcases across the three-day weekend.
The Cheshire Oaks Spring Womenswear Fashion Event. Credit: The Manc Group
That will include a summer runway experience with JOSEPH, a capsule wardrobe masterclass, and a showcase to help you understand the transformative power of accessories.
Kate Harrison will also be at Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet that day, with colour analysis sessions and a workshop on how the colour we wear can change our moods.
Then brands including Jigsaw and Whistles will show off the spring summer trends and give tips on how to style them.
And once you’re suitably inspired, you can hit the shops to pick up some new pieces, with plenty of stores offering major additional discounts.
Credit: Supplied
That includes an extra 20% off at Whistles, Mint Velvet Hobbs, Phase Eight, Jigsaw, Joseph, Calvin Klein, and Monsoon, plus other deals at Abercrombie & Fitch, Paul Smith, and Tommy Hilfiger.
Dune will be handing out fizz in store, plus giveaways when you spend £100 or more in store, and you can enter a raffle to win a Radley hamper of products when you spend £80.
The Spring Womenswear Fashion Event will take place at Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet between 2 and 4 May – find out more HERE.
Aldi is looking for curious kids to become its first-ever ‘toy tester’
Emily Sergeant
Curious kids, this one’s for you… Aldi is currently looking for little ones to become its first-ever wooden toy tester.
With the sun showing its face more regularly now, and the temperatures heating up by the day, summer is very much on its way, and it won’t be long before the mini Mancs are getting to spend more time playing outdoors than in – which is why Aldi is now on the lookout for one lucky child to become its official Wooden Toy Tester.
The supermarket retailer is calling on children across the country – including here in Greater Manchester – to apply by explaining why they should be chosen and what make-believe dish they would cook up in their very own toy kitchen.
The successful winner will receive a selection of Aldi’s latest wooden toys for free to make sure they have everything they need to feel like they’re the head chef of their own garden.
Aldi is looking for curious kids to become its first-ever ‘toy tester’ / Credit: Aldi
All Aldi is asking in return is a short review of each of the toys, rating them on performance and fun factor to help guide the supermarket’s Buying Team on future product development.
In previous years, Aldi’s wooden toy launches have been so popular that the retailer has had to put a ‘two per shopper’ limit on purchases, so as you can imagine, this makes this adorable new job role even more in-demand.
“The nation’s love for our wooden toy range is undeniable, and our littlest shoppers are our most important critics,” commented Julie Ashfield, who is the Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK.
“We’re excited to appoint our first ever Wooden Toy Tester, to capture their experience and find out what makes the perfect playtime set-up, guaranteeing lots of giggles and fun.”
Fancy it then? For a chance to win the role of a lifetime, little hopefuls simply need to send a one-minute-long video to [email protected] with their name, age, location, what makes them the perfect fit for the role, and what dish they wood make in their wooden kitchen.
Applications close on 5 May, and Aldi’s Summer Wooden Toy range will be available in stores from 17 May.
Daisy Jackson -
16th September 2022 
