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
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
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
Style
Football fans rage over the cost of the new England kits for 2026 World Cup
Danny Jones
It’s that time again: lots of Three Lions fans have been left furious over the cost of new England kits, and having seen the latest price, we’re not surprised.
No, seriously, the world of football fashion is getting seriously out of control…
With the squads for this month’s national team camp having just dropped, March has also seen the release of the new England home and away shirts – both of which are pretty nice, if you ask us.
In case you haven’t seen it already, here’s an extended look at the reveal video, which debuted the new white and red strips ahead of the 2026 World Cup over in the USA:
You can find the full England kit range and all the prices right HERE.
All that being said, something we don’t like the look of is the price tag, and we’re far from the only ones – a good chunk of social media is up in arms about it.
While one person said, “Baffling anyone paying those prices”, and another quipped, “Then treat yourself to a World Cup ticket for three grand” – match prices having also been raised as a concern – the general consensus seems to be ‘game’s gone’, to use a seemingly timeless phrase.
Another sarcastically wrote, “I have no idea why the counterfeit shirt economy is booming when you can get an original [at] such a good price.”
For example, it didn’t take long for someone to share their most recent and more affordable overseas order along with the caption: “Surely no one is genuinely paying £90 for that when you can get it just as good on DHGate for £10.”
While fake footy shirts are a growing obstacle for manufacturers and suppliers all over the world, for an increasing amount of the general public, it’s now becoming genuinely the only viable way they can justify spending money on the latest kits.
Its a nice kit. But I def do not have £155 lying about.
For context, the above post is an example of the authentic player version worn in matches, which features Nike’s breathable AERO-Fit fabric.
However, even just the standard adult replica version is currently retailing at nearly £90; juniors ‘Stadium’ shirts are priced at £64.99, a full kids ‘Mini’ kit is nearly £50, and even a pair of shorts will set you back either £44.99 or £32.99, depending on whether you’re a kid of grown-up.
When you take into account the countless parents hoping to put a smile on their little one’s face by getting their favourite player’s name on the back of the new England jersey in time for the World Cup, it’s no wonder the Classic Football Shirts and hand-me-down vintage kits culture is so strong.
Featured Images — England/The FA/Sky One (screenshot)
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The Premier League and EFL should follow La Liga’s lead and bring Retro Matchdays to the UK
Danny Jones
Following the news that La Liga is set to debut a new ‘Retro Matchday’ round, we can’t help but ask the question: why didn’t the Premier League and EFL think of this first?
Well, technically, neither did the Spaniards, but you take our point.
Anyone who follows the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, or even the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) equivalent here in the UK and mainland Europe, will know that the concept is nothing new – but by and large, it seems to be for the beautiful game.
In case you missed it, in an effort to further capitalise on the increasing trend of vintage and classic football kit fashion/the wider nostalgia culture that only seems to be growing every year, Spain’s top two tiers will soon host their inaugural Retro Matchday gameweek next month, and we want a piece of it.
Set to be hosted from Friday, 10 April, over the usual weekend of football in their premier and second division, and running until the final lot of fixtures on Monday, 13 April (no, thankfully not an April Fool’s), supporters will get to see players step out onto the pitch in some of the country’s most iconic kits.
Depending on who you ask, some would argue that Spain has some of the nicest footy shirts all time, whether that be the national side or clubs themselves.
To be honest, we definitely have a soft spot for a proper European throwback – we’re thinking Borussia Dortmund’s 1995/96 home kit, the Napoli kits of the 80s, that amazing Toyota-sponsored Fila Fiorentina kit at the turn of the millennium – and even some of the best 2000s ones now look so old-school.
In fact, we actually had a taster of these kinds of special matches in the past, including here in 0161 for the likes of the Manchester Derby.
Reminds me of the Manchester derby in 2008 where they played in retro kits due to it coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster. Looked absolutely brilliant. pic.twitter.com/TLRjKHThbG
When you also take into account that, besides collectors already creating a whole new craze in filling their cupboards with classic kits, the likes of Nike, Adidas and more now regularly turning to old designs like the ‘Futura’, Total 90′ and various ‘adi Originals’ revivals of late, it’s more the rage than ever.
Birmingham’s recent ‘penguin’ remake, Port Vale’s traditional 150th anniversary one, based on their 1953-54 season jersey, not to mention countless other lifestyle fashion collections inspired by historic releases, you can’t move for the stuff – so why not get them wearing it on the grass?
As mentioned, the likes of local ice hockey outfit Manchester Storm have been taking a leaf out of the NHL’s book for ages now, with the annual ‘Retro Nights’ proving to be some of the most popular dates on the calendar, even selling off original shirts in the stadium itself before, during and after the match.
We genuinely can’t think of a single football lover following a team at any level in the English football pyramid that wouldn’t LOVE this. In fact, plenty of them already go to the ground wearing their dad’s second-hand away strip, which has turned out to be a modern cult favourite among the next generation.
These are the kinds of ideas we can see fans actually getting behind; you can find out more HERE. Would you like to see a retro Premier League and/or EFL match day featuring your favourite kits from down the years?
Daisy Bradbury -
28th September 2020 
