I Love Bristol | A Guide to Vintage & Secondhand Shopping

Hello from the beautiful city of Bristol! This post - a guide to vintage and secondhand shopping in Bristol - is long overdue. I have always been a thrifter, a bargain hunter and a vintage admirer so without further ado, here are the best of the best by a proud Bristolian born and bred. It is a long 'un - I've been very thorough - so grab yourself a cuppa and enjoy!

GLOUCESTER ROAD

REPSYCHO - 85 Gloucester Road

Repsycho is certainly to thank for my early love of vintage as I grew up near Gloucester Road, a unique road filled with independent shops, restaurants and pubs. In my teens, I would come here regularly to search out cute dresses and patterned jumpers and while my style has moved on since then, Repsycho is still my go to store for retro clothing in Bristol. On the ground floor, you'll find everything (for men and women) from beaten up leather jackets, cute blouses and faux fur to 90s sports jackets and Levi's jeans. On this visit, I was particularly impressed by their fringed and embroidered women's suede jackets from as little as £30. Up a winding staircase is everything you could wish for to create the perfect retro home like mirrors, armchairs and just general knick knacks, all at reasonable prices. Finally, downstairs they sell vinyls. So if you want lots of variety in one small space - check out Repsycho!

CLIC SARGENT SHOP ON THE GLOUCESTER ROAD - 97 Gloucester Road

Half charity shop, half vintage shop, Clic Sargent's Shop On The Gloucester Road offers the best vintage and secondhand goodies, carefully selected from public donations. From the inside, this place is so well merchandised that could definitely pass for a proper vintage store…until you see the low low prices. Oh wow this place is thrifter's heaven! Most items do not cost over £10, even coats, and they have a great selection from colourful blouses and jumpers to retro jewellery and leather bags. They also sell their own range of up cycled clothing under the brand name 'Fix Up Look Sharp'. So go find your best bargain and help a charity at the same time. 

There are many other excellent charity shops on the Gloucester Road - on the same strip as REPSYCHO and CLIC - including Marie Currie, St Peter's Hospice and British Heart Foundation. The one that I particularly like is Cancer Research UK because the choice is excellent and they have their own 'Vintage with Love' section, which is pretty darn good!

PARK STREET & TOWN

RISE - 70 Queens Road

Once just an independent music store, Rise has gone through many changes since its opening but their current formula seems to have stuck. Downstairs is a noodle bar but upstairs is the home to music, books and their Rise Revival vintage clothing brand. The selection ranges from secondhand denim jackets, Levi's shorts and patterned jumpers to vintage style new shirts, printed dresses and reworked wax Barbour-style coats for just £45. 

UNCLE SAM'S AMERICAN VINTAGE STORE - 54A Park Street

I always think of Uncle Sam's as the dark horse in Bristol's vintage clothing game because I am never sure if it will be open when I go there. But if you are lucky to catch them open (I have no idea what the deal is with their opening hours), then you will be in for a right treat. This shop is raw, rugged and filled with authentic American vintage at decent prices. Find your perfect western style shoes from £35, cute silk shirts for £9 and a large selection of dungarees for £30. 

 SOBEYS - 24 Park Street
Formerly consisting a small corner in multi-brand store BS8 just up the road, Sobeys expanded and moved into MOTEL ROCKS' former flagship when they sadly closed. The clothing is a nice mix of new vintage style pieces, reworked items and genuine vintage but of course I was particularly interested in their choice of old Dr Martens. The shop itself is extremely aesthetically pleasing - just look at those cute changing room doors (below)!

 URBAN FOX - 58 Corn Street
Owned by the same retro genius as Gloucester Road's Repsycho, Urban Fox feels more upmarket thanks to its impeccable visual merchandising and super central location. There are not many shops on Corn Street (mainly restaurants and bars) so Urban Fox is really owning this strip. There is the perfect selection of everything that is bang on trend from gorgeous sheepskin coats, sparkly sequins and a suede skirt collection to die for! Their bag and boots collection ain't half bad either with lots of cowboy boots, chunky DMs and pointy lace ups. The clothes are pretty reasonably priced despite its central location - you'll pay £20 for a shirt, £30 for cute retro dress and £50 for a super warm and sturdy sheepskin coat.

CLIFTON

 FOCUS ON THE PAST - 25 Waterloo Street, Clifton Village
Focus On The Past is a bit different from the other shops in list because, although it boasts a decent section of vintage clothing, handbags and jewellery, its main trade is in homeware and bric-a-brac. I absolutely love coming here for a rummage whenever I am in Clifton Village - the shop is just such a mess, especially in comparison to its super sleek surroundings, which makes it extra charming. They sell everything from anything from Bristol related books, furniture and kitchenware to gorgeous rugs and retro lamps. This is an absolute must visit if you are looking to deck out your home with reasonably priced secondhand gems.

Elsewhere in Clifton, you will find some charities shops worth visiting on Whiteladies Road, Cotham Hill and Regent Street back in Clifton Village. 

So there you have it! I hope you have enjoyed this very in-depth guide to vintage and secondhand shopping in Bristol. I must admit that when I started thinking up this blog post, I did not fully appreciate how amazing Bristol is for your bargain hunters and vintage lovers out there!

Let me know if you have been to any of these shops and which are your favourite!

Izzie x

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