Posted On: 16/10/2015
By: Kate Nesta
Every girl loves a good shopping spree. It’s in our nature. But sometimes, hours and hours spent up and down Church Street and traipsing through Liverpool One can be hell; fighting your way through the dilly-dalliers, prams and Saturday afternoon chaos to find what you’re after is exhausting.
There’s a ton of shopping secrets that can help you avoid the chaos and find something completely one of a kind, without the stress.
Charity Shops
Charity shops are always the best place to start. Bold Street is full of them. You can grab yourself a bargain and find something more unique in 10 minutes than if you trawled the high street for hours. However, if you bypass the most convenient charity shops and head to Renshaw Street instead, you’ll find your first hidden gem. British Red Cross is a bit out of the way but has the most fantastic array of bits and bobs. It’s definitely not the most attractive of places – the high street is the glitzy, glamorous version whereas this place is the post-night out, hungover, bedraggled mess. However you can’t judge a book by its cover. You’ll always find something here. There’s a good selection of clothing for men and women but it’s the accessories that really stand out. It’s always the accessories that suffer on the high street, with everyone rifling through and tangling every bag strap, necklace and belt into some huge spider’s web of mess. Standing there like a lemon trying to untangle 17 necklaces is a waste of time. Avoid the chaos and head to Renshaw Street where’ll you find something from every era for absolute pennies!
Vintage Fairs
The next hidden gem, and my personal favourite, is the Vintage Kilo Clothing Sale. Sounds very odd, but hear me out. The Vintage Kilo Clothing Sale is a vintage fair that travels up and down the UK every year. It travels across the country because of its size and popularity. However, the genius gimmick behind it is that you pay by weight rather than individual item. So basically, you get stacks more for your money. Their 8-ton collection features clothes, shoes and accessories spanning four decades. At £15 a kilo you can deck out your whole wardrobe for a fraction of what it would cost at retail price. And you’re in luck, the fair will be visiting the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral (the one that has a crown) this Saturday 17th October.
If you appreciate all things vintage but don’t fancy the hustle and bustle of a huge fair like the Kilo Sale, opt for something a little more low key like Pillbox Vintage. If you’ve never heard of them, you need to change that ASAP! Pillbox fairs tend to pop up in places like Leaf on Bold Street and The Shipping Forecast. They have an incredible range of vintage garb and jewellery, but most importantly they sell designer clothing. It doesn’t specialise in the big labels but you can stumble across some designer gems hidden amongst the rails. There’s a mystery woman who appears at the fairs in The Shipping Forecast who is quite literally the fairy godmother of designer vintage. Her prices are brilliant and she has the best taste. She’s the one who’ll make your designer vintage dreams come true, so find her…
Quirky Shops
Next has to be Resurrection. It’s everyone’s go to point on Bold Street alongside Pop Boutique for standout attire. It’s quirky interior and infinite racks of clothing is enough to entice anyone in. However Resurrection’s hidden gems are… well they’re quite simply scattered just about everywhere you look. That has to be its most attractive trait. You can be browsing the new, branded pieces and all of a sudden find the most incredible vintage item that matches beautifully. You won’t find another store like it that combines old and new so effortlessly.
Last but not least has to be Grand Central (AKA Quiggins) on Renshaw Street. Even though most presume it’s purely the home of emo kids, they’re wrong. Yes it may be the place where all the misunderstood teenagers who are fuming at the world go to shop, but on the lower floors, underneath the masses of ‘Free Hugs’ t-shirts, fingerless gloves and industrial strength eyeliner, there’s a maze of independent stores. There’s everything from handmade jewellery to vintage clothing to home decor. It’s super quirky and ridiculously unique, but there’s masses to choose from in Grand Central. It’s not just for the scene kids and emos.
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