Thrift Stores

6) East End Thrift Store

The East End Thrift Store strives to provide valuable vintage items at affordable prices. The owners of EETS have a knack for spotting trends and running with them. Imagine paying £15 for vintage denim shirts or £25 for vintage jackets. How about party frocks for a measly £10? Customers can learn about the latest discounts and sales by joining the store’s mailing list.

7. Annie’s Vintage Clothes

Annie’s Vintage Clothes is one of the oldest surviving vintage shops in London. For more than 40 years, it has serviced customers in Camden Passage of Islington. Annie’s Vintage Clothes is the premier storefront for lavish flapper dresses and lace bridal clothing from the 1920s. Rumour has it that Annie’s provided the costumes which were worn by the actors in the 1974 film The Great Gatsby and its 2013 remake. Other vintage accessories carried by the shop include hand fans, gloves, parasols, and hats. Although Annie’s is a tad more expensive than other vintage shops, they provide better deals on bridalwear than modern shops do.

8) Pennies Vintage

In 2011, Pennies Vintage was established in Islington, North London. This vintage shop is like Annie’s Vintage Clothes because their items predate the 1960s. Pennies Vintage offers classic wedding dresses, nightwear, and lots of rare collectables. It wasn’t too long ago that Downtown Abbey purchased a 1920s-dated wedding dress from Pennies Vintage. You should go to this shop for attractive gowns and wedding dresses. You’ll only have to pay about £200 or so.

9) Retromania

Retromania is a shop that’s operated by a charity called FARA. The Pimlico station and Victoria station are within walking distance of the shop. You will find a highly knowledgeable staff in Retromania, which sells fashion products priced anywhere between £15 and £200. If you’re interested in vintage magazines, vinyl, or other interesting memorabilia, you will find them in the shop. You’ll also find outlandish 1970s dresses, attractively embroidered shirts, and colourful extra-large sweaters.

10) Paper Dress Vintage

Paper Dress Vintage in East London has a little of everything that came between the 1900s and 1980s. The accessories, clothing, and shoe products are just the beginning of what you’ll find in the shop. There are also alterations available as well as unique and interesting services too. You can hire them for dance classes, burlesque or to be an event venue host and perform comedy. If you want to take time and relax during your shopping experience, you can sit down and get refreshments at the bar in the shop. Some of the prices include £30 for a 1960s striped dress and £25 for cool sunglasses.

It is always a good feeling when you come across a real bargain at a second-hand store. For instance, you might find a rare garment that costs only a fraction of what it is truly worth. This is a great discovery that will make you very happy.

However, it is not so easy to find such items in a thrift store. There is a lot of time, effort, and patience that goes into searching for vintage clothes. You can’t just go to one thrift store and expect to hit the jackpot.

First, you need to make a list of the greatest thrift stores in the city of London. Then you should make it your mission to go to at least 10 of those thrift stores and search for the type of vintage clothing that you’re interested in.

To help you out with this list, below are the top 10 recommended thrift stores in London. This post will contain a first thrift store pentad, but soon we’ll publish more.

1) Beyond Retro

In East London, you will find Beyond Retro. When you first arrive there, you will immediately notice the rainbow-colored rails. This store has been around for 10 years and within that time, they’ve made a success out of their franchise. The target customer base includes teens to early 20s adults and even mature adults who like retro fashion. Many summer themed clothes are available for customers, including lots of Hawaiian shirts and various sleeveless shirts with different styles, colors, and shades to them. You might feel overwhelmed by all the different choices of colors and design patterns available. But don’t let this feeling cause you to just choose anything. Take some time and look through the choices carefully.

2) Absolute Vintage

Brick Lane often has a lot of shoppers. Even though Absolute Vintage is out of the way from these crowds, it is still able to attract several people. That is probably because it puts many of its items on display where everyone can clearly see them. In fact, there are so many goods and items at this thrift store that it can get tiring to search through them all. The good news is the starting price of clothes in this store is £5 and up. If you needed to purchase a special outfit for yourself, you could certainly do so for less than £100. Just be sure to check the quality of the clothes first.

For instance, the wear and tear of used shoes usually cause them to have faded colors and damaged soles. You will need to have patience when looking through these shoes to find ones in better condition. As for used boots, they typically have a much higher price tag of around £55. With the vast quantity of clothing pieces, it is more difficult to find a quality item. However, you’ll likely find some rare Chanel bags in the cabinet they have there.

3) Rokit

You will find two Rokit stores in Brick Lane and another in Camden. People love Rokit because it stocks a complete inventory of second-hand goods, including military gear, tutus, sunglasses, and even cowboy boots. Don’t expect to locate big label items in this store, but you might get lucky. Recently, Marimekko and Gunne Sax dresses were found in Rokit and they were purchased for a real bargain. Other types of clothing pieces in the store include hats, scarves, and belts.

4) Atika

In 2011, a vintage store named Blitz was founded. The name was later changed to Atika and it remains that name to this day. Atika is more than just your average vintage shop in London. It is an entire department store which has vintage goods available on multiple floors. The building was previously used as a furniture factory, which should give you an idea of how big it is. Before it was turned into a vintage department store, the building was renovated thoroughly and made to be more attractive than ever. You will find different types of goods on every floor of Atika. There are floors devoted to accessories, books, fashion clothing, furniture and more. The type of clothing you will find includes silk kimonos, brogues, seersucker blazers, and coloured denim. These are top quality clothing pieces which are clean and authentic.

5) Reign Vintage

In 2002, Reign Vintage first opened its doors to customers. It didn’t take long for the thrift store to gain popularity in the vintage fashion circle. They have a store in Oxford as well as London. In addition, they operate an e-commerce store which is updated all the time. People looking for second-hand goods don’t even need to leave their homes anymore. Most of the store’s inventory comes from European sources. You can find unique vintage clothing like kitsch dresses, sweatshirts with logos on them, Versace blazers, and Gucci loafers. As for the prices of these items, they are more than reasonable. You could purchase a nice vintage shirt for a starting price of £25.

The Greatest Thrift Stores in London Pt.2