A new vintage and pre-loved clothing store has opened in Manchester city centre, selling some seriously big labels for £20 or less.
Catch My Thrift isn’t all about the designer goods either, with plenty of high-street names like ASOS and Levi’s being sold alongside Burberry, Nike and Armani.
But if the item falls under the ‘fast fashion’ umbrella, founder Scott Joseph will donate the money from the sale to the Forever Manchester charity.
The shop has opened at Great Northern Warehouse on Deansgate (down towards Beetham Tower), with rails upon rails of flannel shirts, band tees, denim, sportswear and sweatshirts.
Catch My Thrift is promising to take the ‘musty’ out of vintage clothes, with gender-neutral items sold washed, ironed, and ready to wear.
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For less than £20, you could be shopping for a classic Burberry shirt, a Kenzo sweatshirt, or a pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans.
Scott, whose background is in luxury, high-end fashion, including Armani and Harvey Nichols, started buying vintage clothes for himself, selling on anything that wasn’t the right fit.
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A Patagonia flannel shirt for only £16 at Catch My Thrift vintage shop in Manchester. Credit; The Manc GroupA wall of brightly-coloured vintage shirts at Catch My Thrift, Manchester. Credit; The Manc GroupA beer shirt at Catch My Thrift. Credit: The Manc Group
It didn’t take long for him to realise there was huge demand for ‘quality thrift’ – and the business has flourished.
With Catch My Thrift, he’s hoping to make this sustainable alternative to fast fashion more accessible to a wider audience.
The stock is replenished weekly with new garments on display at every visit.
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You’ll find a wall of band t-shirts, featuring the likes of Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Def Leopard (as well as Doja Cat and Ariana Grande), in addition to cotton, denim and flannel shirts, jeans, corduroys, casual bottoms and sweatshirts.
Catch My Thrift vintage store in Manchester.Catch My Thrift vintage store in Manchester. Credit; The Manc Group
Scott’s chosen to price everything by category, rather than label, so designer brands rub shoulders with high street labels in the same price brackets.
Scott says: “Vintage and pre-loved clothing has a story to tell, and it’s a shame that they often end up in landfill. I wanted to create a platform that makes vintage wear more accessible to people, gives them the opportunity to express their own unique style without fear of imitation and at the same time, help the environment by reducing waste.”
He plans to host classes on up-cycling and capsule wardrobe planning in the space, plus a series of talks and roundtables.
Mark Schofield, centre director of Great Northern Warehouse, said: “Catch My Thrift is a great addition to our thriving community of independent businesses at Great Northern Warehouse.
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“The pop-up store highlights the step-change in consumer purchasing behaviours, with Deansgate Terrace, now increasingly recognised as a hub for independent businesses offering a range of services including vintage clothing, coffees to go, and even tattoos, in addition to great restaurants and estate agents.
“We’re committed to supporting local businesses in the early stages and look forward to seeing Catch My Thrift grow and thrive on Deansgate.”
To celebrate its new home on Deansgate, Catch My Thrift will be hosting a weekend of partying across Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 September from 1pm each day, with complimentary refreshments.
Northern Quarter institution announces store closure after almost 20 years
Daisy Jackson
Thunder Egg, a Northern Quarter institution, has announced its sad closure after almost two decades in the neighbourhood.
The boutique gift shop and fashion retailer is known for its colourful, kitsch and quirky products, whether you’re after some bold knitwear or some statement costume jewellery.
Brands stocked here include loads of different British brands, like Daisy Street clothing, Ohh Deer art prints, and Little Moose jewellery.
As the Northern Quarter has changed rapidly on all sides, Thunder Egg has been a constant ever since its launch onto Oldham Street in 2018.
When it opened, its neighbours included Dry Bar, Magma, and a lot of adult-only sex shops – all of which have now closed for good.
And now Thunder Egg will also be bidding farewell to its flagship store in the Northern Quarter (though you’ll still be able to shop their collections inside Afflecks and online).
In a statement shared online, Thunder Egg said that the ‘considerable rise in interest’ from large retail names moving into the Northern Quarter would drive rents so high that the increase would be ‘too big to swallow’.
Thunder Egg will be closing its Northern Quarter flagship store
They also cited ‘rocketing’ business rates, plus ‘relentless’ theft, and increasing online competition from cheap retailers.
Thunder Egg said that with their lease coming to an end this year, the time is right to depart.
They wrote: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank every single person, from customers to past & present staff, for making the last 2 decades in this location so magical!
“We are devastated to be leaving this space, but you can read more about why we’ve made the decision to on the 2nd image. We have nothing but fond memories here.”
Explaining the closure of their flagship store, they added: “It is with great sadness that we are announcing that our current flagship branch of Thunder Egg on Oldham Street will be closing after 20 years.
“Our current lease was coming to an end this year and surviving as a small independent business in the UK is HARD right now.
You can still shop Thunder Egg in Afflecks
“There has been a considerable rise in interest from large national & international retail names for shop spaces in the Northern Quarter in recent years. The proposed rent increase that would come with renewing our lease here was just too big to swallow this time.
“Business rates are rocketing, theft is relentless, competition from cheap online retailers is growing… all of the above combined together to push us into our decision to depart.”
Thunder Egg is set to remain open for at least the next couple of months, with no official closing date announced just yet – so get down to Oldham Street and show them some love.
Lovely last-minute Mother’s Day ideas from Selfridges in Manchester
The Manc
Mother’s Day is this Sunday – and if those words have just sent you into a blind panic, just take a breath and head straight across to Selfridges.
The huge department store has come up with all sorts of things that make for perfect last-minute gifts and experiences.
That includes a carefully curated selection of gifts available in-store, plus a very special Morning With Mum beauty workshop so you can spend some quality time together on Mother’s Day.
Selfridges can be your one-stop shop for the big day.
In both Exchange Square and Trafford Centre stores, you can pick up lovely gifts like feast-filled hampers, fabulous accessories, luxury chocolates, candles, and even cards.
As always, there are gifts you can have personalised in-store for a sentimental present for the mother figure in your life.
If you’re really stuck, you can pop along to the Beauty Concierge and book her an experience.
And over in Selfridges Exchange Square, you can pick up a beautiful fresh bouquet from The Royal Exchange Florists.
Selfridges has loads of last-minute Mother’s Day ideas
There’s rarely a gift more precious than quality time together, which is why Selfridges will be hosting a special Mother’s Day floor-wide beauty event on Saturday 14 March.
Ticket-holders will receive expert beauty advice from your favourite brands, while enjoying complimentary drinks and sweet treats.
There’ll also be plus exclusive gifts with purchase available, and giveaways on the day, and you can redeem the £20 ticket price against products purchased on the day.
You can even grab an artist print for mum at the vending machine.
Tickets for the Morning With Mum beauty workshop are on sale HERE.
You could also share a moment over a glass of champagne at San Carlo in both locations, or grab a sweet treat from the bakery in the Trafford Centre store.
Daisy Jackson -
1st September 2023 
