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Over the last couple decades, vintage clothing shopping has soared in popularity with entire areas of cities becoming dedicated to thrift shops and consignment stores. Here are just some of the best cities to visit for vintage shopping.
London
There are places all over London for getting your fix of vintage shopping. Camden Market, Portobello Road and Brick Lane are some of the most famous spots for retro clothing stalls and shops. However, these can also often be the priciest areas – many of the most affordable finds are a little off the beaten track, hidden away in areas like Whitechapel and Hackney. Radio Days in Waterloo is one of the most expansive, with clothing dating from the 20s to the 80s.
Paris
This fashion capital unsurprisingly has a lot of places to go thrifting. Some of the most famous stores include Sissi’s Corner and Chinemachine, although these are more on the expensive end. The best places to get a bargain are Paris’s resourceries, which are pretty much semi-permanent car boot sales containing everything from vintage clothes to furniture.
Berlin
Berlin also has it’s fair share of thrift shops and flea markets spread out across the city. Humana is a famous charity shop chain in Berlin which is great for getting bargains – the Humana Kaufhaus in Freidrichshain is the biggest and is pretty much a second-hand department store that you can spend hours in. In fact, Freidrichshain is probably the hub of thrifting – this whole area has a very punk attitude and there isn’t a single mainstream brand store in sight.
Vancouver
Canada’s trendiest city Vancouver is also a hotspot for vintage shopping. Book a Residence Inn in Vancouver Downtown and you’re pretty much in the thrift zone where you’ll find stores such as Wildlife Thrift Store and My Sister’s Closet. The Rag Machine meanwhile is great for those on a budget and has a ‘fill-a-bag’ promotion on all year round.
Portland
The hipster capital of the world is great for it’s wackier selection of thrift stores. Lodekka is a good example – a store based in a converted double decker bus. There’s also Wanderlust Vintage, which once operated out of a trailer but now has it’s own Alice-in-Wonderland-esque store. Portland has so many thrift stores to choose – whether you’re looking for high quality consignment clothing or cheap second-hand bargains.
New York
No list on vintage shopping could be complete without a mention of New York. Lower Manhattan has the biggest cluster of thrift stores, particularly Alphabet City. The Brooklyn Flea is also a world-renowned flea market full of hidden treasures. Like many big cities, some of the best finds are often hidden away in areas you wouldn’t expect – you may stumble across them simply by exploring some of the back streets of trendier areas.
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