‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’: the overused cliché that rings true in numerous situations, but none more so than when it comes to second-hand shopping. Buying thrift/vintage is an undoubtedly rewarding experience that brings with it an abundance of opportunities to transform a wardrobe from predictable to unique, plus it’s environmentally friendly. Despite this, the perceived experience of second-hand shopping is quite different to the truth about thrift/vintage, and it’s definitely not for everyone.
Many people wrongly conflate thrift and vintage - they aren't the same thing. A typical thrift store isn’t for those who will only accept their clothes in pristine condition: the up side, of course, is that everything is fantastically cheap, but piles of clothes can be dirty and there’s also a lot of charity-shop junk to be rummaged through before you find something good.Vintage stores are much more selective about what they’ll sell. Genuine vintage is at least 35 years old, but I think this rule only applies in the most upmarket boutiques as the majority of places stock a lot of 90's pieces as well. Some items can be overpriced, especially seeing as they generally hold no antique value, but most of the time prices are reasonable and always cheaper than buying first-hand.
Best Thrift/Vintage in London
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| Blitz also stocks vintage vinyl and posters |
Blitz
Location: Brick Lane
Voted 9th best store in London by Time Out, Blitz is the one-stop place for an overall fantastic vintage experience. It’s a Victorian warehouse furnished beautifully into an organized store, with a bigger variety of men’s and women’s stock than most other second-hand shops. On top of this, Blitz sells a great amount of the items that people are actually looking for, so there's never a shortage of 501 jeans. It focuses on the 70’s-90’s, meaning the majority of the clothes are extremely wearable for a younger market – and also decently priced.
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| Jumper and jeans both East End Thrift Store |
East End Thrift Store
Location: Whitechapel
Don’t miss: Super cheap £1 and 50p sales
https://www.facebook.com/pages/East-End-Thrift-Store/165943483434967
https://www.facebook.com/pages/East-End-Thrift-Store/165943483434967
A trip to the East End Thrift Store will leave you questioning how it is possible for a company to make a profit whilst almost giving away stock. It’s easily the best place for grabbing a huge amount for a very low price; the end of season sales can draw massive queues so you do need to get there early. However, astonishingly low prices mean the store (which is actually just a warehouse down an otherwise-empty side road) gets very messy, during the pound sales you’ll have to rummage through piles of rubbish on your hands and knees to find something good. Personally I think that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make when buying a hoodie for 50p that would otherwise cost about £20, and I'm sure everything is more organized if you go during the week.
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| 90's platform trainers for £30 in Beyond Retro |
Location: Soho
Beyond Retro is a convenient vintage stop-off during a day of a shopping on Oxford/Carnaby Street. The store is furnished with funky decorations and some of the workers look like they’ve stepped straight out of the 70’s, which obviously makes the shopping experience all the more enjoyable. My only complaint is that sometimes the small store can feel a little crammed, but at the large store in Brighton this problem is non-existent, and the range of stock is fantastic.
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| Rokit on Brick Lane |
Rokit
Location: Flagship at Covent Garden, other stores in Camden and Brick Lane
Rokit is probably the most well-known vintage chain in London, and it's also the place I’ve bought the most things from purely because the flagship is so convenient to shop at and the collections are always changing. I love Rokit recycled: it’s reworked vintage that would otherwise be unusable, and it’s especially good for formal skirts, velvet tops and faux leather bags that are a bit more unique than what’s available on the high street. However, Rokit is extremely overpriced for tee shirts and sweatshirts – I can’t bear to pay £20 for a basic top with a washed out design on it. Also, the Camden store is too overcrowded to spend any longer than ten minutes in.
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| Coat - Thrift Store in Chalk Farm Dungarees - East End Thrift Store |
(Thrift shop chalk farm)
I can't remember the name :(
Location: Chalk Farm
Don’t miss: Massive selection of cheap fur coats
I have never thought that Camden market is particularly good for vintage/thrift, but continue walking on the main road in the opposite direction to the station, and on the right hand side you’ll find a small thrift store which you might never know was so near to Camden. I’m going to try and go again soon to find out the name, but this store is fantastic for second-hand stuff that’s in better condition than the East End Thrift Store, and still priced very fairly. The shop owner is incredibly kind and will let you reserve items for up to a month if you leave a small deposit on the day (for a £30 coat, I had to leave a £5 deposit).
The shops I've listed are just my personal choices for second-hand shopping, but there are plenty more places around London that don't have a bad selection of well-priced items. Outside the city, Brighton has a fantastic selection of stores which typically host cheaper price tags than places in the capital, such as Dirty Harry and To Be Worn Again. Personally, I'm not a big fan of the vintage 'departments' in high street stores like Urban Outfitters, since everything is overpriced and the perfection of items make me slightly skeptical as to whether they are genuinely second-hand.
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