Stores like Cow Vintage, Blue Rinse, and Pop Boutique, not to mention the numerous charity shops and pop-ups that line Oldham Street, have turned that corner of town into a haven for lovers of the fashions of yesteryear.
But now there’s a new outpost in the heart of Chinatown – and it’s possibly the most stylish, charming vintage store in the city yet.
Stare Society opened last December, and has put some serious effort into both sourcing the items it sells, and decorating the space it sells them from.
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Tucked away up a flight of stairs in a corner unit above Red Chilli, you’ve probably walked straight past it a dozen times already.
Stare Society in Chinatown, Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
But glance up above the long-standing Chinese restaurant and you’ll notice a slowly rotating disco ball in the window, giving just a taste of all the treats in store.
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Venture inside and you’ll feel like you’ve stepped right back in time to the 1970s, greeted by the sound of Fleetwood Mac being piped through the speakers (the legendary group are also the stars of a huge framed photo above the fireplace inside).
Stare Society is decorated to the nines – fringed lampshades, rattan screens, glitter ball plant pots, guitars, and a huge leopard print chaise lounge in the window, draped in retro-printed cushions, vinyl records and vintage hats.
There are 1970s-inspired scented candles named things like Cherry Bomb, Tiny Dancer and Rebel Rebel, and all sorts of knick-knacks (sunglasses, tiny mirrors, antique glassware) hailing back to the glory days of rock n roll.
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Then there’s the clothes – racks full of leather jackets, leopard-print furry coats, and fringed suede waistcoats.
Retro t-shirts with contrasting collars, with ‘Manchester 1970’ and ‘Chinatown 1970’ scrawled across them.
Cowboy boots painted with stars, piles of colourful felt berets, and loudly-patterned blouses.
The space is so beautiful, it’s actually available to hire, for things like photoshoots and private events, with a vision to host intimate gigs inside in the future.
Stare Society joins the booming vintage scene in Manchester, like Bare Necessities, the online giant that recently hosted a pop-up store on High Street that everyone lost their minds over.
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You’ll find Stare Society at 20 Nicholas Street on the edge of Chinatown in Manchester.
Featured image: The Manc Group
Shopping
Celebrity-loved ‘facial fitness’ brand Facegym is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Facegym, the ‘facial fitness’ brand loved by celebrities, will be opening a brand-new studio in Manchester this month.
Promising ‘facial workouts’, Facegym uses high-intensity hand massage, deep-tissue manipulation, and skin-tightening electronic muscle stimulation to tone and lift the skin.
Facegym’s signature workouts are designed to be energetic, combining massage and movement with techniques intended to stimulate circulation, sculpt the face and leave you with that post-facial glow.
The Signature Sculpt workout, for example, includes a cleanse and warm-up, high-energy movements, sculpting and contouring using gua sha and muscle stimulation, before finishing with skincare and lymphatic drainage.
Basically, it’s a workout, but for your face.
Facegym will be opening its first ever standalone studio in Manchester on King Street this September.
It joins a raft of new openings on the street, including Reformation and American Vintage, with plenty more on the way soon.
The brand has already made a name for itself across London and internationally, with studios in cities including New York, Los Angeles and Sydney, as well as a presence inside Selfridges in Manchester.
Now, Manchester is getting its very own standalone studio on one of the city’s most recognisable shopping streets.
The new King Street studio will be led by franchise partners Minesh and Hoosein, who bring more than two decades of experience across franchising, finance, retail, telecoms and food and drink.
The pair say they were drawn to Facegym because of its innovative take on beauty and wellness, and see Manchester as the perfect city to introduce the concept to a new audience.
The new studio will officially open its doors on 9 September, bringing Facegym’s high-energy approach to facial fitness and wellness to the North West.
And if you want to get involved from day one, Facegym is currently offering a limited Founding Membership for its Manchester launch.
The first 99 members can get a membership for £62 per month, compared with the standard Manchester membership price of £77. The membership includes one workout each month, plus discounts on boosters, additional workouts, skincare and tools.
Aldi on Market Street is officially open again, with a major upgrade
Daisy Jackson
Good news for literally everyone in the city centre – Aldi on Market Street is BACK after a major upgrade.
The supermarket in the Manchester Arndale has been closed for what feels like an eternity (okay, three weeks) while it was given a refurbishment as part of Aldi’s Enhanced Project Fresh initiative.
The closure had left some shoppers less than impressed, with locals previously taking to social media to say it had ‘ruined my f***in day‘.
But after weeks of waiting, the Market Street branch is now back open, and Aldi says there are plenty of changes for shoppers to discover.
The revamped store has been given a new floor layout, upgraded refrigeration and repositioned departments, all designed to make navigating the shop a little easier.
Having popped in this morning, we can confirm that the aisles feel significantly less claustrophobic than they did previously.
One of the biggest additions is a brand-new in-store bakery, alongside expanded chillers and an enhanced fresh produce section.
Buzzball BiggiesThe new Aldi bakery on Market StreetAnd magnums of Aldi’s own chicken wineLoads of new self checkoutsThe aisles feel much wider and calmer in the new Aldi Market Street
There’s also a larger food-to-go chiller, while the freezer section has been redesigned with easy-to-browse freezers.
And for anyone who has ever found themselves trapped in a city-centre supermarket queue, Aldi has also introduced an improved queuing system for its self-checkouts, with the changes intended to ease congestion during the busiest periods.
Store Manager Mark Strickland said: “We thank our customers for being patient during this period of closure and we hope the improvements we’ve made to the store create a noticeably better experience for our shoppers.
“The new floor, upgraded refrigeration, and repositioned departments now make shopping at Aldi Arndale easier and more comfortable than ever.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming back familiar faces and new customers to showcase what we’ve achieved.”
The makeover forms part of Aldi’s wider investment programme across its stores, including the rollout of updated CO₂ refrigeration systems.
According to Aldi, the carbon reduction from the completed programme will be equivalent to the amount of energy used to heat more than 6,500 homes.
So, while Mancs might have had to survive without their Market Street Aldi for a little while, there’s now a shiny new reason to head back into the Arndale.
Daisy Jackson -
2nd February 2023 
