One of the most "retro" "vintage" charity shops I have ever been in. They have really made the…read moreeffort to make this charity shop stand out from the rest, and there are about 8 charity shops along this road in which we visited all of them yesterday but this is the only one worth reviewing! They have wedding dresses for £24.99. And not tatty old wedding dresses with things spilt down them, but proper heavy well designed fancy pants dresses in perfect condition. Almost made me want to get married just so I could buy them, not quite enough though. Seen all these new vintage shops selling old clothes for a small fortune? Well visit this Barnardo's and get the same stuff for less money with the knowledge a charity gets the money! Also a nice change - not walls filled with books, dvds and cds - only really old old stuff! Well worth a visit x

The second Sunday of every month is one of my favourite days of each particular month. That's one…read moreSunday when I'm happy to set my alarm, get my caboose out of bed and fly on further south in Manchester to Stockport's historic Victorian Market Halls, because that's where I can find epic 70s flowery maxi dresses, Smash Hits 'Best of the 80s' annuals and trinkets galore. Welcome to the Vintage Village! I've been to a lot of vintage markets and shops in my time. Once, I even travelled all the way up to Edinburgh for a coat, I brought back over £40 worth of vinyl and a 56 year old fur from Glasgow and I've been known to scour our little Manchester boutiques for hours at a time. But what Stockport offered last month just blew me away, knocked me sideways and had me gazing around open-mouthed like I did when I was taken to Disney World at six years old. This was epic. The quality was remarkable, the prices were insanely affordable and the sheer variety on offer was stunning. I defy you not to walk from stall to stall and see at least three things per section you covet. If you were to slap something not only like this, but of this calibre (exceptional quality, eclectic variety) bang in the middle of Manchester City Centre it would be completely overrun with fifteen-year-old Noel Fielding stalkers in knee socks and oversized Urban Outfitters jumpers (not that there's anything wrong with them - I've been known to rock a woolly from UO regularly and have frequent NSFW dreams about Mr Vince Noir myself), but as it's tucked away in a sleepy town centre in the South Manc 'burbs, it attracts a much calmer, quieter, more discerning clientele. Families bring along their children and have soup and bacon butties at Zip's Grill. Couples with dogs mooch around for gifts. It's incredibly relaxed and wonderfully friendly. I lost count of the amount of conversations I struck up with stall purveyors. This is worth getting out of bed on the day of rest for. Seriously, do it! You won't regret it. And if you do, come and have a go at me. I'll probably whup you upside the head. (P.S. Zip's Grill serves some of the finest coffee I've ever had the good fortune to taste, and the food looks all kinds of fabulous. I'll definitely have a soup this Sunday.)

Vintage Village is on every second Sunday of the month in Stockport's totally brilliant market hall…read moreplace. If the truth be known, It was more my wife and sister in law who were the instigators in us going but I wanted to stretch my legs and go out for the afternoon so thought I would give it a shot! Gotta say, it was really really good and there were all sorts of stalls selling vintage clothes, records, antiques, furniture - pretty much anything from yesteryear. Nice touches were a skiffle band playing live, with a DJ playing hits from the likes of Elvis throughout and a load of vintage cars and motorbikes on display outside. Great street food was provided from the (both) excellent Lord of the Pies and Honest Crust Pizza. I'll definitely be heading there again in the coming months as it's a great day out and only a £1 entry - bargain!

I marked it as "pricey" - that's because for clothes, it IS pricey - but it's also DESIGNER clothes…read moreat CHEAPER-THAN-ORIGINAL prices!! I got a Moschino handbag for £20 here, looked new. I also got some Armani jeans which fit me SO well for £25. I don't have them anymore but that's not because they didn't last. If you love designers but can't afford it come here! You can even try on.

this is one of the cutest thrift stores I have been in and I love the fact that they had a whole…read morebookstore on the other side separated between the clothes and HomeGoods, 10/10

Another day, another Oxfam, and another Oxfam that is 100% defined by its location. In this case,…read moreDidsbury. Home of the well-dressed, the well-heeled and the well-read. This wee shop takes in a normal Oxfam and an Oxfamm bookshop, and is jolly well stocked on all counts. To the bookshop first, which has a great window display of signed first editions. None of them hugely lucrative or historically important, but still pretty cool. Inside, the sections are clearly demarcated and all well stocked and, more importantly, alphabetised. The crime/thriller section is, as in all charity shops everywhere amen, very good; full of your latest Cornwells, McDermids, Ludlums and whathaveyou, as well as a brand new Charlaine Harris box set for £15 (the True Blood books, to the uninitiated). The general fiction section, too, is well-stocked, and te Literature section is modest but respectable. In glass cases around the place you will find rarer and older books, including an early edition of Pride and Prej for £100; nice if you're a wealthy person with an Austen habit. The other side, selling the usual second hand bric a brac and fairtrade shizzle, is solidly good, carrying a lot of Topshop, Pringle and Coast clothes, and a lot of jolly nice smart menswear. The homeware and bric-a-brac section is pleasingly mad. Wine glasses sit beside ugly china tat and Chinese urns. This Oxfam has a very convenient drop-off point; a well-manned back room that will happily take your bags of stuff, and help you to 'tag your bag' so that Oxfam can claim Giftaid on all the stuff they sell. Oxfam Didsbury; a better class of customer, and a better class of second hand stuff.

What's your poison - phone cards? Old postcards? Vintage glass bottles? No matter how weird or…read morewonderful it is, you'll find them here. Located in a series of portakabins, just off Cheadle Village's High Street, the Collectors Yard is a quirky, family run business where you can pick up some real gems! It's one of those places where friends of the shop linger round and chat to you while you browse, which can be either fun or intimidating. Personally, I like it! Customers are few and far between here, so you'll probably be made a fuss of when you go in, too! At times, prices can seem a little high, particularly the single photographs at around £3 each. But you know any money you spend is helping to keep this unique business alive!

Everybody, look how pretty!…read more I'm writing this not as an actual market customer - more an aesthetic appreciator. I promise I'll be back to Yelp the markets properly. You know Em loves her updates, peoples. I recently attended Stockport's Vintage Village which took place in these impressive Victorian Markets, and boy, are they attractive. Handsome. Like if they were a guy, I'd be giggling like a stupid schoolgirl while they spoke to me. And I'd probably accidentally snort or something. They lent themselves incredibly well to the whole retro vibe, especially those types at the markets who were selling and crafting cute little trinkets. First of all they're covered, which is great for our inclement Manchester weather (ooh, quick warning: do not refer to Stockport as part of Manchester to a Stockportian. Ever. Even 'Greater Manchester'. They'll practically beat you about the face with a handbag and give you the evils for the rest of the day), and they have underfloor heating. Er, bonus! Food was provided by the lovely Zip's Grill, an Australian affair that offers all kinds of tasty treats from their meaty bacon and egg butties and steak wraps to mezzes, soups and salads reflective of the proprietor's Aussie Greek-Cypriot background. Oh, and they have loads of different kinds of bread too. Double bonus. The stalls I saw marked out, closed obviously at the time due to the Vintage Fair, I was very intrigued by. Books! Triple bonus! And many others to boot. Anyway, thus ends my Scrabble-esque chat about Stockport's Market Halls. Now, if I could just find a cab driver who takes me right to the door instead of abandoning me on a drizzle-ridden pedestrian road with armfuls of Yelp goodies, that'd be just dandy.

We popped here while nipping to the regular Foodie Friday in Stockport (last Friday of the month -…read more6-9pm) and the old market does seem to be having a bit of a renaissance period. Ok so I may have had slightly rose tinted specs on due to me enjoying the fine fine food on offer outside but it really is a nice spot. In the week, it's open with a good mix of shops - all sorts of market grocers, butchers and a little cafe - plus some totally random shops and some real gems like High Peak brewing Co (go here for amazing beer from all around the world - amazing x464648!) On this occasion with it being FF, you could sit inside and take a load off, buy from some of the traders and even buy beer from High Peak to drink! A winner for me and great architecture to boot! Some great pubs like the Bakers are in the Market square too if you fancy getting your whistle wet!

Some fairy stories were dreamed up to comfort children, teach them about values and virtue and make…read morethem feel that all is well with the world. Others were written with the sole aim of scaring children into an early stroke, haunting their dreams forever more and terrifying them into submission (I'm looking at YOU, Hans Christian Anderssen). This tale is the former. Only it isn't just for children. And it's not just a tale. Okay, I might be gushing, but is it every day that you walk past a cute little charity shop with a sign outside that mentions tea, coffee and free wifi? Ohh, Withington. A place where strangers say good morning to you. *Melts* Intrigued, I hopped inside, laptop charged and raring to go, to discover the legend of Barnabus. Now, Barnabus is a charity which helps the homeless. All is explained on the wall of its little coffee corner, which is just too adorable for words. And just when you think it can't get any better, it does. I rocked up to the counter and asked for a green tea. I don't think I've ever encountered such a pleasant, chirpy, happy and chatty group of ladies than those who run Barnabus. They were niceness personified. The lady who served me engaged me in conversation about herbal teas and got the wifi passcode for me post-haste, and they let me put my laptop down while they brought the tea over to me which was only a tiny distance. Such a sweet gesture. Another huggable touch was the plate of Tesco's own Penguin biscuits, priced at 10p a pop if you want a snack. They serve up two herbal teas alongside normal English, and lattes, cappuccinos and hot chocolates as well as regular coffee. The soundtrack swung between Savage Garden, ABBA, Pet Shop Boys and The Bangles, and when I'd earned a break I took the opportunity to look around the shop. It wasn't long before I was back at the counter with a Judy Garland LP for 65p and a £1 vase. Er, keep the change much! I'll be back with frequency. Barnabus is a unique little gem, and I'm so happy to have it on my doorstep.

Mysterious shop on Cheadle High Street, it looks shut most of the time. This shops is a vintage…read morewonder, lovely old shop fittings and vintage underwear mannequins from the 50's. The ladies in the shop are lovely old women. The shop sells underwear and hosiery (even seamed stockings!), odd bits n bobs and nighties/nightgowns/slippers- The shop is packed with stock, so much so it's hard to navigate inside- lots of boxes on shelves, but the ladies who work here know where everything is! If they get you chatting you may be there for a long time!

I've been coming here to dump quite a lot of my unwanted clothes and items recently as it's just on…read morethe corner and is fairly accessible by car. Friendly people who run it and I like the fact that you can gift aid most items. Having large fronted windows it's actually pretty good for spotting board games without having to go in (as this is something I'm always on the look out for) and there's the odd gem that makes you have to dash in and snap it up before anyone else gets it! They also seem to specialise in musical instruments which is pretty cool ( a lot of nearly new/hardly used ones are in the windows) and they also do lots of children's items like buggies, toys and play sets etc.