Great spot for shopping. Lots of treasures. We loved all of the different businesses in building…read moreacross 4 floors.

Back in the days of Madchester, Afflecks Palace was the place to go to get cool flares, psychadelic…read moreshirts, sunhats and all the right threads. Rumour has it Urban Splash founder Tom Bloxham even had a stall here selling bootleg Inspiral Carpets and Happy Mondays tees. These days, Afflecks is a bit of a ghost town. There are still dozens of stalls selling everything from vintage and secondhand clothes to military wear, drugs paraphanelia, henna tattoos, wind-chimes and furniture. Sadly, there aren't as many old goths, rockers, emo teens and ageing punks as there used to be and you can sometimes walk round the whole building without seeing anyone other than the staff!

What a name. The rehabilitation of retro garments... I'm SO there…read more Dinky? I'll say. There's a lot to be said for small vintage shops as you can do all your rummaging quick sharp, and this place is perfect for that very purpose. As previous Yelpers have confirmed the stock rotation is indeed frequent, so be sure to pop in any time you're in the Northern Quarter. One of the things I love about this titchy boutique is the shoes... the brunette and I were drooling over little red pixie boots for quite some time. There are plenty of customised one-offs and second hand garments to choose from, and no doubt anything you buy from there will attract envious attention from friends. Unfortunately it doesn't cater for men, however a great many high street fashion shops don't either, so I don't have a gargantuan issue with that. The staff are very friendly and appropriately quirky themselves, so if you're stuck for inspiration you can always have a gander at what they're wearing. Prices vary depending on the item but no label has made me gasp in agony thus far. And I had no idea about the buy one get one free sales, so thanks to Alexandra I'll certainly be looking out for those in the future! And who can resist aqua-marine, well, I can't. This store has done extremely well in making itself conspicuous amongst the many shabby chic boutiques along Oldham Street, and it has definitely earned its place as one of the shops that very much makes the Northern Quarter feel like the Camden of Manchester. Chin chin to you, Retro Rehab.

Great little vintage shop. Great place for if you want a real one off piece. There is no rummaging…read morethrough piles of old clothes here, all clothes are pressed and ready to wear straight from the shop. Sorry boys but you wont find much here but hey at least they put the most important people first! Very often this place puts on a sale which is 'buy one get one free' so keep an eye out girlie's :)

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.

It's a nice business and the staff are professional . They treat everybody equally. It's a good…read moreplace to shop. I will recommend them to all my friends too

If I was working at Pop Boutique I'd be tempted to turn off the neon sign that boldly encourages…read moreretro lovers to 'Come and worship'. Once the hippest vintage shop in the city, PB now looks like a ghost of it's former self. The window displays look tired and empty and the stock looks exactly the same as it did years ago. By this I mean, exactly the same flared and bootleg jeans, cords, psychadelic dresses and tracksuit tops. In short - the shop needs to get it's groove back and fast if it wants to hold on to it's Superfly reputation!

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!

Need a costume? MCR Histories Festival or an extravagant party this place is a trip. It's not cheap…read morebut it is a-maz-ing. All 18th, 19th and 20th century mens and womens (sorry no/few kids) in rows upon rows of beautifully theatre-quality made garments. Not sure about the weird and wonderful but ask. Call for appointment only, no drop-ins, and enjoy the experience. It's right next door to the Mackie Mayor (gorgeous butchers market and only survivor from the old Smithfield Market- restoration near completion!)

In need of a suitably colourful Hawaiian shirt for an event, it was thanks to 'ask Twitter' that I…read morebecame aware of Blue Rinse's existence. Their flagship store opened in Leeds in 1997 and they subsequently opened their Manchester one a few years later. Though technically they're in the NQ, they're just a stone's throw from Piccadilly Gardens so have a higher foot fall of customers passing by. Primarily selling vintage clothes and accessories (though they also have garments that they have cut up and restitched - their 'Remade in England' range) - we were bowled over at how much there was on offer. Racks, racks and more racks of stuff up to the ceiling. I think if we weren't running against the clock we could have spent a couple of hours rifling through the clobber and trying some of the many 80s shell suits, bum bags, sportswear and clothing our parents were probably rocking when Margaret Thatcher was in power. Shoulder pads galore, ladies. Come here if you want to look like your Dad from 1983, fellas. Having found a load of suitably gaudy (yet brilliant) Hawaiian shirts and by process of elimination getting to my preferred choice, it was just a case of paying up (they accept both cash and card) and I left a very happy customer - £15 for what is probably a unique item which will truly bedazzle all who see it at Caribbean parties for years to come ;) Tip: they have their own eBay store for online ordering http://stores.ebay.co.uk/bluerinsevintageleeds

So there I was, wandering round the Northern Quarter looking for something new, and POOF it…read moreappeared! In a shadowy doorway near Leo's gross Fish Bar, is a little staircase, lined with cool music posters and a couple of outfits on hangers. To be honest, I didn't hold out much hope as I descended the stairs. The sign above the door isn't the best (though it gets kudos for being simple) and, let's face it, vintage shops are ten-a-penny nowadays, and Manchester's NQ selection is already so good, it'd be hard to live up to that. But, I am glad to report, Bratt's does it admirably. Located in a cellar, basically, Bratt's takes advantage of the exposed brick work and low ceilings, and the arched alcoves in the wall are used as features; one of them houses much of the homewares selection (more on that later) and the other has been curtained off as a fitting room, which is almost too cool for words. It's the best fitting room I've seen since Rags to Bitches' silky tent. In terms of stock, Bratt's has really got it. Endless racks of good quality, well-cared-for vintage merchandise line the tardis-like cellar, organised, by style and material. So you'll find all the cricket jumpers together, offset by a great collection of retro trackie-tops and a bunch of good-looking furs (faux, or no? I dunno.) There's a multitude of jolly good womenswear, from all eras and epochs, and a seriously decent selection of knitwear. There's also a fantastic array of upcycled dresses and skirts by Love Me Again. I love upcycling, and you should too! The homewares, though mainly concentrated in one area, are scattered round the shelves. The awesomeness is too much to list, and I'm sure it's changed since last week, but expect to see vintage telephones, Atari consoles, the odd coffee table and some very nice mirrors. The perfect addition to any bijous dwelling, and the sort of thing I yearn for, but cannot have, in my modernist gaff. Sigh. Anyway, if you've got a kitsch aesthetic going on, you could do a lot worse than to pop to Bratt's for a vintage milk jug. (£3!) Not only is the stock great, the people here are fab too. The manager was more than happy to have a wee chat about the place, and told me that originally he'd planned to open a bar there. Thank God he didn't; this vintage shop is far too good to miss out on. As well as Mr Bratt (j'assume) there's a lovely female shop assistant who wafted around being the epitome of vintaahhhge styyyyle, dahhhhling, making it look totally effortless. She's hard to hate, though, because she's so damn lovely. Considering the instant awesomeness of Bratt's, only two weeks after opening, I think this place is one that will go quickly from hidden gem to firm fave, and rightly so.

What a really cool vintage addition. Downstairs you go and explore and be fascinated and prepared…read moreto shell out on some very amazing pieces. Fancy a batman mobile telephone? A very old sewing machine? Listening to Rock FM and admiring the brickwork, the poster work and breathing in that vintage smell? Get yourself down to Bratts. Brilliance.

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!