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 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!

This is a charity shop with a difference and frankly, was a bit of a god send to me whenever I…read morerecently moved to a new apartment that was dangerously empty when I got there. Unlike most other charity shops this one accepts and sells a lot of furniture and house hold appliances for shocking cheap prices, compared to what they would actually cost brand new. I got a full sized book case and coffee table from this place for around £45 all together which is great value, and they are in perfect condition. If your moving into a new place and need a lot of furniture for less or are just looking for a bargain, this is the place to go!

I love this charity shop, and have converted many a reluctant friend by dragging them along and…read moreleaving them to their own devices while I dive straight in among the clothes racks. They sell the standard clothes, hats, shoes, belts etc that all others do, but there's also a very wide selection of books and plenty of furniture and electrical stuff in great nick at great prices. My best bargains picked up there, apart from the many books, were a tie belt for 50p, and a full length grey Kookai coat for just eight quid. I got loads of compliments on both from other laydees who wanted to know where I'd bought them, and who were invariably disappointed when I told them. Even my mum's friends made a point of complimenting the coat, a true rarity for any item of my wardrobe. (It very nearly put me off it.) While most charity shops are of the 'call in as I go past' variety, the SVDP one is one I'd recommend getting on a bus for if you're not from the area. In fact, I think I'll take a run up there on Monday.

Belfast gems in Belfast gem run by Belfast gem!!…read more Delightful shop run by the magical Mandy, assisted by her beautiful mother. Had a blast on my visit, picked up some gorgeous jewellery & the kinkiest shoes (which are also somehow tasteful?). Ordinarily I'm not a fan of much chat when browsing places, but the owner of Pretty Vintage is such great company, so helpful & so knowledgeable, you can't help but melt.

Place has more variety then most vintage shops in the area. However, the greatest part was the…read moreexperience with the owner. She was super friendly and helpful in finding the right piece. I love supporting local businesses and this one made my morning. I left when a peice of jewelry that I am treasure for life! Reasonable prices. Cheers!

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!

i love fresh garbage a lot but the queue to get in is long and you have to wait 20-30 mins it's…read morebefore even getting into the shop itself, whenever you get in you can't even move because there is so little space, if you spend a lot of time in the shop you feel guilty of holding up the line outside. it's also really hard to let people past you because of the small space, you have to stand in a spot for a long time in order to let people pay and your just wasting time there. not to mention the overpriced clothing!! most are cringey as-well, most of the skirts there are around £60 and yes, are nice but wayy too pricey. good shop for alternative people but also not because there isn't a large variety. you cant even try clothes on aswell which is stupid staff are nice and will help :) i think that fresh garbage could do with an upgrade in a shop as in space because it's super hard to move around, and you cannot even look at clothes because you feel like you holding up a line or room for people to get past. bigger shop is definitely needed!! overall it's a good shop but very small. i'd say come during week days when you have the chance because it isn't as crowded.

Word of Advice; Do not under any circumstances try and go into Fresh Garbage at around 4.30pm on a…read moreFriday afternoon during term time. The reason I say this is it will be packed full of geeky emo's looking for their next quirky crazy purchase. I could not even walk into the shop to do a decent review, so I left and am now spreading what I have learnt toy the good people of Yelp.

Dignity Thrift is a relatively new charity shop situated on the Antrim Road. I like charity shops,…read moreyou never know what you might find that people tend to just throw away. Some mans rubbish, is another mans treasure is the perfect cliché! The shop itself is pretty dark and drab looking inside. This is a local charity so they cannot afford doll up their shops like other major charities may do. Their merchandise is placed all over the shop in a really disorganised way, but if your looking for something specific then the volunteer ladies will always be glad to dig around for you. Despite its lay out, Dignity Thrift deserves three stars. It's trying to help people through its endeavours and shouldn't be scoffed at because they put all their money into their projects and not into new carpet.

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.

I have nothing but positive things to say about Re:Store. It is ran by East Belfast Mission who I…read morehave had experience with volunteering in the past, so I know firsthand the hard work and the results that the profits of these stores have on people. The store sells a wide range of home furnishing goods. As to be expected from a charity ran organisation, there are a lot of donated goods which may not be new, but they are always in good condition and are immaculately cleaned before sale. They also sell a lot of new stuff that is sold by manufacturers and other retailers for heavily discounted prices. The store also sells clothes, shoes, jewellery, music and white goods and other small electrical items. There are some really good bargains to be had in here, and I would recommend it without hesitation to the swathes of students out there who need to furnish their student homes for reasonable prices. All profits are reinvested into the church and sustaining the cost of the Mission's community projects, so for that reason alone I recommend the store, ignoring the surprisingly good quality of the products on sale in here.

You can get good furniture to upcycle , I got a wood and glass coffee table for £15 that I'm using…read moreas a display case for a model boat, also they have tins of paint for a couple of quid ideal for small jobs . Sometimes worth nipping in to see what they have.