Uncle Sam's has been here for as long as I can remember, and I do quite like it, but despite saying…read morethat, I haven't actually bought anything from here. It is a fairly small shop, a beacon to vintage lovers on Park Street. They sell records, leather wallets, jackets, 80s dresses, cut off levis.. anything vintage that pops in your head, they do have it here. You do have to dig abit to find things though, which just adds to the fun. This is somewhere I always pop by to have a browse, always expecting to find something awesome, but never really do. Maybe that is because the prices are quite steep; rising with the rise of the love of vintage fashion these days.

From the outside it looks as though Uncle Sam's is going to be the best offering that Park Street…read morehas. A classic American vintage sign, a window full of Levis and checked flannel shirts, but it's best not to judge a book by its cover. (Or a vintage clothes store by its window!) I love a bit of a rummage through piles of retro clothing, but the interesting finds here are so few are far between that it doesn't make your wait worth-while. On the whole, I find that men do better here than women with some fantastic leather jackets and belts to be had. Just be prepared to pay a hefty price for some of the better pieces. It's worth a look for die-hard vintage clothes fans, but personally I prefer to save my pennies and go rooting around Bristol's fabulous charity shops. Cheaper, with added feel good factor!

absolutely love this shop, they have such good prices & are so friendly, really love the vibes in…read morethere & the music is good, recommend a lot definitely worth going to!

From the owner: Vintage Clothing, Retro Clothingread more

I wish this shop stocked men's clothes! Now I don't know if…read moremore mirrors are being manufactured or if it's the result of a subtle advertising campaign but I'm sure more men nowadays are taking more pride in their appearance. It would be a godsend, essentially, if places like RagTrade could be of service to us. The idea is spot on. A shop that gathers, in their own terms, pre-loved designer women's wear. Another delightful name they call themselves is The Recycle Boutique. Think modern feminine Dickensian, with a kind of sexy urban twist. The website, the flyers and of course the shop are all very poetic and friendly, offering services to customers of all age, budget and occasion. With regular discounts and sales they must be, I am sure, popular with the local student market. Indeed it is shops like this, and thus the writing of reviews about, that I sometimes feel I'd have made a pretty good woman. A shopaholic, but woman nonetheless. Roll on the man's Rag Trade!

Rag Trade is simply a lovely, and functional idea. From the outside it looks like yet another…read moreboutique, but their concept is just great. Basically they are a dress agency, who you bring your unwanted designer clothes to, and they price it and put it in their shop for sale. Hence, anyone wanting to find some unique price slashed designer pieces, try here! The clothes stay on the racks only for 7 weeks, in which they get lower in price as the weeks go, if the clothing doesn't sell. After that 7 weeks, they go to charity. So if you are a seller, and if your item does sell in the shop, you either get 40% of the sale price in cash, or 50% of the sale price, in store credit. Ideal for label lovers, or those who are just looking for something non high street. The 7 week rule ensures the stock changes regularly, and I'm really glad that a shop like this seems to be sustaining itself through the more difficult economic times. It's quite inspiring.

Everything in this shop is gorgeous, including second-hand books, vintage clothes and accessories,…read moreleather-bound notebooks, local postcards. "Booty", with its definition "treasure", is exactly the right name for the place; anything you pick up here feels like a little prize, something you uncovered by happy accident when wandering along this quirky street. This is the sort of shop I remember dreaming about as a teenager, yearning for a shop that would have the ideal combination of brilliant things all in one place. It's a great place to come for gift-shopping, as you're likely to find something far more original and meaningul (and easier on the wallet) here than you would in a conventional, specific "gift shop". The shop is very at home here in this part of Bristol, with a dozen unique small businesses along one stretch leading towards yet more as you start down the Christmas Steps.

Booty! The name says it all - this shop is pretty much like a car boot sale (this particular car…read morewould have a very big boot). There are tonnes of books, vintage jewelery, vintage flick out fans, sunglasses, clothes, leather bound Indiany books, cards, hats, records.. the list goes on, and boy does it go on. You feel like you're transported to many different shops while you're in here. You could be in the aisles of an old library in the book section, and suddenly you're in your grandmother's closet, and a few steps later, you're in a really old school record shop! It makes it feels so fun to shuffle around in here, peering at every item as you go along. A great shop to wander in on a lazy afternoon, when you feel like immersing yourself in some great vintage retail therapy.

Small vintage boutique tucked beside The Lanes bowling alley. This has an area for vinyl and then…read morethe shop has clothes on tall racks. There is a nice range of eras on show here, and very reasonable - I saw a 60s skirt suit here for £20. Keep an eye on their website/shop as they often hold vintage fairs here with the bigger space of the lanes available. Then shops from all over the country visit with some serious period panache.

If you're looking for a place of sanctuary, away from the generic high street stores found in the…read moreCabot's Circus/Broadmead area, come for shelter here. It's a cute little retro vintage store, with a small selection of individual items to spice up the fashion jerseys and plain jeans in your life. Found in the entrance to Bristol's city centre bowling alley, you could almost strike lucky with a well priced find. There's an especially good range of accessories and vinyl on offer here too and with a retro bar round the corner, you can't loose.

So it would be silly not to duly note the name of this second hand clothing store. A poke at the…read moremain stream stores perhaps. Or a subtle dig at themselves and the silly nature of consumerism maybe. Whatever you will, this place has a sense of humour and in no way takes itself seriously. You will notice this as soon as you approach the entrance and are greeted by a giant celery in a dress. Nice touch. Recession has the look and smell of a vintage clothing store, but don't be fooled. Many of the items in store I could swear had come straight from the racks of a charity store. I was however pleased to see that these items weren't being charged at vintage rates. It is not really a vintage store, nor is it a charity shop. I'd say it is simply a second hand store that also deals in kitsch items. The front desk has an array of Lynch and Trechikoff inspired badges and I was very taken by the selection of sunglasses and hats. It is pretty retro in here but not exclusively. Its the kind of place I'd pop in and out of to see what treats I could find. After all it is very reasonably priced. However it isn't exactly conveniently located for me to do so. I dare say that with a better location the place would flourish. So,was I buying? This is the question. Yes I was, I bought a pair of sunglasses, a red leather shoulder bag in incredibly good nick and some buttons. Haberdashery collectors are encouraged to check this place out for unique finds to adorn clothing with, from buttons to peacock feathers. I like Recession for its small and quirky shop interior and low key atmosphere. It is cash only but if you happen to have a few pound coins jangling around in your pocket I dare say you would be able to find something in there to make use of them.

Recession opened fairly recently, just before the word recession started turning up in every other…read morenews broadcast. They seem to be surviving the credit crunch though and doing it whilst only opening three days a week. Pretty impressive given the lack of any real passing trade and their reasonable prices. This small vintage clothes takes a little bit of finding. It's on the Jacobs Wells roundabout, and only five minutes from College Green. They've got the usual mix of detritus and gems you get in a vintage shop. Some nicely weathered jeans when I went along and I picked up a cheap jacket. The size means that you're not gaurranteed to get what you want. Their's enough odd bits and pieces to make the shop an interesting visit though. Though it's reasonably trendy, they don't take themselves too seriously. Hidden away, Recession makes the journey out of the city centre well worth it if you're into vintage fashion.

Ah the ever changing faces of BS8...this shop has never been the same on two separate occasions…read more I'm almost certain the clothes you can find here are more or less the same. It's a huge site that's been divided up and rented out to various different smaller clothes retailers. This creates a really interesting jumble of very fashionable clothes, and a market like atmosphere. Not the best quality clothes, but it's great for unique on-trend gear that nobody else will have. So you don't ever end up spending a fortune for an item of clothing, but that's cool because it won't be fashionable for very long anyway. There is a great section of vintage clothes and the whole place has the feel of a boutique, with an excellent jewellery section that's perfect for Christmas presents. There used to be a comic art store upstairs, which has now gone, sadly. And there is not as many men's clothes as there used to be. It's great to stock up here on holiday clobber, stuff like board shorts and vests. And if you were wondering where to get a Flight of the Concords style animal jumper, this is the place! They always play some pretty great music in here as well.

The name makes no sense. I checked for this review and this shop is definitely in BS1 (for those of…read moreyou not from the city I should explain that BS1 and BS8 are Bristol post codes). So that's confusing. The shop's a good one though. Doing men's and women's fashion, they have quite a lot of retro stuff as well as doing a good line in limited edition print t-shirts and various other odds and ends. It's all pretty eye-watering price-wise if you compare it to the new Primark in the centre. However, you're definitely paying for something better. The leather jackets, for example (which I have tried on many times but never quite had the recklessness to go and buy), are made from such softer leather it makes what they've got a Primark feel like plastic. A bit kookish, and certainly trying quite hard to be cool, BS8 has the sort of fashion I like, but because of the prices is somewhere I only buy stuff when I want to treat myself.

Picton Street is a wonderful little place, filled with delectable delis, cafes, grocery stores and…read morecurious little shops like Bohemia. There's long been a tradition of vintage clothes shopping on Picton Street and Bohemia is the latest in a long line. It's colourfully crammed window is bound to tempt you in for a fascinating browse amongst in costume jewellery and items of kitsch chic. There's a great variety of hats, scarves, bags and vintage clothes, if you're into the current Burlesque trend, then Bohemia is definitely worth checking out. Open Tuesday to Saturday.

Bizarre little shop this. It ocassionally has some really interesting looking vintage pieces,…read morealthough a lot of the time it looks like your grandmother had her wardrobe raided. Highly recommend coming here if you are looking for something special to wear to Grannycon! I've noticed in the last 6 months the granny trend is taking off and blue rinses have become the cool new hairdo! Lavina's Lair is most certainly a lair of the unknown. The rails are rather crammed so you have to search if you want to spot something. I've yet to find that one perfect piece of clothing from here but its definitely worth checking out as you just never know what you will find.