One good thing about recession - it makes second hand cool again. In a time when everyone is…read morewatching the pennies, charity and vintage shops are making a killing. This store opened up in 2009 and seems to be doing very well. I love going in for a wee hoke about and while, like at most second hands, the results are varied, I've managed to find a few little pieces amongst the rails. It is predominately clothing, but there is the odd bit of furniture which tends to be beautifully crafted dressers or wardrobes - just what you need to hold all your beautiful vintage items, right? The staff are always very welcoming, the prices are right and there's always something new to find, rather than the same old stuff you see on the high street normally. Plus, it's run by the East Belfast Mission who do a lot of good work in the poorer parts of East Belfast, engaging with young people and homeless outreach, so everyone's a winner!

'Vintage, re:use, re:style, re:store'…read more I love the idea of this shop. I hate waste and I'm always one for restyling my own clothes. This isn't just another vintage shop, it's slightly better quality than the others. They do a great job with mannequins, I'm always impressed with their window dressing skills. The clothes in the shop front was the first thing I ever noticed about the place. It's always a really good job. So kudos to whoever sets this up. Inside the store it's always laid out brilliantly, some vintage shops are a bit like TK Maxx at the best of times, you need a good few hours to sort through the jumble until you find the gem you're after, but in Vintage they've got everything in order around the shop and you can immediately find some real gems. They sell (amongst a myriad of others) trousers, skirts, dresses, shoes, jackets, formal and casual wear. Anything and everything. Paradise! Even their furniture is for sale (so pretty too!) Like most vintage shops they don't offer refunds but do offer a credit note exchange. I find this particularly handy if you don't have the time to try items on. You're always going to find something you're after anyway.

I'd never even heard of this place until I heard about it from a fellow Yelper, and while on a trip…read moreround town I spotted it and just had to pop in. It is so aptly named, as the moment I walked in my eye was drawn to pretty things at every turn. Furs, fabric, patterns and jewellery all fight to catch your eye, and they have a good range in all sorts from the conservative to the 'out there'. As it is vintage, you won't find loads of things in your size, but if you find something you love that fits, buy it before it's gone. You'll love it and even better no one else will be wearing it.

As I drive up and down the Newtownards Road I've always wondered what lies inside More Junk, mainly…read morebecause of all the randomness they have sitting outside. I was doing a message along the street and thought finally it was my chance to check it out. More Junk is perfectly named, it is filled with junk of all sorts. Crockery and cabinets, pictures and lamps, DVDs and old coins, it is all there. I nearly had a heart attack as I walked in to find myself face to face with a life size, pretty scary Jack Nicholson statue, random indeed. It reminded me of the flea markets in Berlin, but without the hipsters and beautiful surroundings. It was a bit more junk than kitsch for my liking, but I'll be in again, you never know what a magpie like me might find.

Ideal for collectors of unusual old items, mostly easy to find old items and as the shops title…read moresuggests a lot of it is junk but its worth a look in just for nostalgic reasons, I still believe one day I discover something worth a fortune and not have to work again, one of those Russian eggs or a bit of Faberge glass, I'm not giving up looking!

Raspberry Beret is a an attractively laid out vintage clothes shop where there is a choice of good…read morequality bags, scarves, gloves and jewellery at not too vast a price. The clothes range from 1920s pieces to 1970s and you would have a good chance of finding some pretty, upmarket evening wear which though not especially cheap should still be a good buy. The range of stock covered mainly summer and evening wear, probably to reflect the current summer season. There can be something very satisfying about vintage clothes, probably because they are well made items which have stood the test of time. Not much is here is less than 30 years old, apart from a few 1980s items to reflect current interests. As with all good vintage shops, Raspberry Beret is an excellent place to get something a bit different and I, who am not the keenest clothes shopper, am still mulling over the pretty things that I can remember seeing there.

I was cutting through Wellington Street on my way to Upper Queens Street yesterday when I stumbled…read moreacross Octopus's Garden. Belfast used to be a wash with Vintage stores but over the years these have slowly become extinct so it's always good to see a new one rise from the bottom of the ocean - much like an Octopus. Octopus's Garden has many strands or arms/tentacles (may as well continue down pun street). It sells vintage clothing for both males and females, old school vinyl and various other retro artifacts. The main thing I liked about Octopus Garden was that their was a varied choice - the rails were jam packed with everything from flannel shirts, band T's to leather jackets and potentially bum cheek exposing denim hot pants. The prices were reasonable too - you often find that vintage stores inflate the prices of their stock but it seems that Octopus Garden have made a concerted effort not to extort their clientele. I was only going in for a browse but I ended up walking out with a loud shirt that has already proved a controversial choice - but that's the beauty of buying vintage items - they always divide opinion and create a talking point. I recommend popping in here for a wee duke round - you never know you might come out with your (not everyone's) new favourite shirt.

If I was trapped in the Garden of The Octo I would never have a time of misery or boredom. This is…read morethe slickest place so far and I would tell anyone who visits this city that loves music and old clothes to begin their journey here. I love this place!

The lovely ladies who lunch who shop in Rich Rags will probably be horrified that I've classified…read moreit as 'Second Hand Clothing' but sorry gals, that's what it is and in these purse pinching times, who cares? Anywhere you can get a Custo hoodie for £24 when it would have sold first time around for £100 more than that can only be good. Rich Rags does indeed sell second hand clothes, but strictly high end designer labels only and is always good for a bargain. They seem to have loads of shoes at great prices and really smart wedding type clothes, all from the best labels. If you're selling they act kind of like agents, selling on your behalf, taking their cut and giving you the rest. If you're buying, it's just like a normal shop. Beware though, they don't accept any kind of card as payment - cash or cheque only sweetie, even though cash is sooo vulgar and cheques so last year. There's a small car park just at the door and you usually get lucky and get a space. When times are hard, buying or selling here is a great option.

The owner is so stuck up,it's surprising the shop has any clientele…read more She really looks down her nose,especially when you take clothes in too sell. If she doesn't like the look of you everything is "so last season dahling". Can I suggest she climbs down off her high horse and takes a good look in a mirror!!

This place was the best!! Definitely one of my favourite vintage/secondhand clothing shops to date…read more We noticed clothes plastered along the upper windows of a building and knew we had to check it out, so we eagerly followed the sign. The place is simply covered in everything you could ever want! I love finding quirky, original pieces, and it couldn't get much better than this. The man (who seemed to be the owner) was perfectly lovely, let us browse in peace and was very cheerful. He informed us that everything was half price- this was amazing considering how low the prices already were. It was overwhelming to look over everything but so much fun. We found great pieces and took our time trying them on in the spacious changing rooms. Dresses, blouses, skirts, jackets, pants, from all the various time periods. All the while, he was playing 60s hits and dancing and singing along! Adorable! He was incredibly helpful and not at all pushy- when a tunic didn't fit, he went into the storeroom to find more options. I ended up getting one of those and a gorgeous jumpsuit for a total of £7.50! He doesn't accept card but there's an ATM right across the street. I'm definitely planning my next trip to Belfast just to come back here!

Ah, Rusty Zip. Anyone reading my reviews (hi Mum), will probably infer correctly that I love shops…read morelike this. Selling all sorts of vintage and outlandish get-you-noticed gear, the shop itself is very well laid out and colourful, with cheerful helpful staff. I love all the scarves wound around the rail to the top floor, and usually unravel and buy at least one when I'm in. Great shoes and bags too, and oh how I love my floor length purple velvet cloak bought here for just £18. I haven't got up the nerve to wear it out beyond the pub yet, but hopefully that day will come soon. As with most vintage clothes, the sizing is a bit off sometimes, especially for trousers. And no, that's not a lard-arsey excuse along the lines of 'That damn dryer shrunk my jeans again'. A 2010 size in a contemporary shop is not the same size in Rusty Zip, so be prepared for a fair bit of trying on and an even higher level of disappointment when those tartan flares, supposedly in your size, won't even make it past one thigh. Still a great shop though, highly recommended.

This place is great if you want to wear the stuff. But how often can a man get away with a disco…read moreshirt that even Travolta himself would have thought "eyy.... no thank you"... The clothes are not entirely appropriate for going to class or having a sandwich, but if you want to wear something thats a bit special and with a chunky price tag, this place is the only shop you need to go to. Some call it vintage. Others say it's old expensive junk. I'm lost somewhere inbetween the groovy 70s and the poor student in 2010. It's definately worth a look.

Bang Boutique is at the higher end price range of vintage shopping in Belfast. In my opinion it's…read moredefinitely not as good as the other shops I've been to (Rusty Zip, Best & Vintage) They do sell some really funky clothing, stuff you really wouldn't see anywhere else. But in my eyes it's all second hand clothing, but here it's got the 'vintage so expensive' tag. One bonus though is the manager and staff who are awesome, you'll often find them in adjacent Muriel's (By the way, go here! It's great!) One thing that did disappoint me was a visit I made after going to buy a friend a Michael Jackson t-shirt I'd seen. (This was shortly after his death, she was devastated) we had a bit of banter together and then I enquired about it, he was asking £50! I mean, no way! Said friend was (is) his hugest fan, but even she would kill me for spending that amount of money. It was absolutely ridiculous. That's totally just cashing in on the mans death, I wasn't impressed.

Bang Boutique is a cool little vintage clothing store just across from Muriels bar…read more It has really cool and funky clothes but I fear it is one of those vintage shops where everything is great to look at but you never actually buy anything because it's all too pricey. There were some cool things to browse through on the counter like an old school telephone and a girl's annual from the 1960's called Boyfriend, which had some really cool drawings in it. I also spotted some cool leather handbags but at £20, they were a tad too expensive. The owners are really nice and friendly and will chat away to you as you browse. I could imagine the members of Belle and Sebastian doing all their shopping in a place like this.

It's such a shame to see small local businesses like this going out of business! I wandered in here…read moreafter ready some great reviews and then seeing the huge 'closing down' stickers on the windows! I think this place is more a victim of it's location rather than anything else - I'm confident that if it had been in the city centre or the Queens Quarter it would have been a real success. The shop itself sell a whole range of vintage items including clothes (I spotted a wedding dress), board games (there's currently a vintage Monopoly Board for sale) and other trinkets. It's a real throw back and a fine example of a well maintained vintage shop. The good news is that it's still open until at least mid June so if I were you I'd get down there and grab yourself a unique bargain.

Love this place…read more Lots of vintage alt clothes. Also crafts etc from local artists that are good for presents. The shop is an enterprise linked to Mersey street church I think. There is a food donation basket usually outside the door for the community larder. There is also a change one room. Upstairs is a book shop called the Book Well also I think linked with Mersey street church. The shop is run by numerous volunteers.