Huge store, great for denim and workwear. Lots of unusual stuff. Decent prices. Easily my favourite…read morevintage shop.

The genie must have listened to one of my wishes because Beyond Retro have finally opened a store…read morein Brighton! It's not just a tiny two up, two down on Sydney Street either, it's a huge, L-shaped building on Vine Street. Today being Halloween, I walked in to find the foyer piled high with amazing fancy dress costumes, wigs and masks. It was walking around the corner and seeing the racks of retro skirts, shirts, blouses, jumpers, jackets, coats and yup - cowboy boots - that made my heart truly skip a beat though. There was no boots in my size but the good news is, they are open 7 days a week and get new stock in every single day. Hallelujah. The staff are lovely too and whilst I was there they played 'Jolene' AND 'I Want Candy.' Oh and the stock is reasonably priced too, guaranteeing I'll go back in about, erm, 24 hours!

A glittery emporium its an Aladdin Cave of treats. You can never have too many many hats, coats and…read moreshoes, isn't that right! For men, women and everything in between this Vintage store will kit you out in the most impressive garb from head to toe.

I discovered this little gem in Seven Dials in Brighton a few months ago and I have been hooked…read moreever since. Great coffee, amazing grilled cheese sandwiches and a fabulously curated collection of antiques and quality vintage clothing. If you find yourself in Brighton be sure to check them out, (especially the buffalo chicken grilled cheese sandwich!)

I can't believe I haven't written about Wolf & Gypsy before…read more A designer boutique on Sydney Street, it specialises in vintage fashion for men and women. Last time I popped in there was a couple of dresses from the fifties but the majority of outfits are from the sixties and seventies. We're not talking about tatty flares either but stylish dresses, blouses and wide leg trousers for women and cool shirts, cardigans and figure hugging Levi's for men. Refreshingly, everything is reasonably priced and the stock is in very good to excellent condition.

I instantly loved Wolf and Gypsy. I'm a long time fan of second hand shops, but oh, the effort of…read moreweeding through racks of duds for that one stylish Find. Well, if you're not feeling up to the time sucking search, Wolf and Gypsy has already done the leg work. Racks of Finds for both men and women are available throughout the shop. Prices aren't bad - in the £15 - £25 range. Records and collectables are available upstairs, but "he just stepped out for about half an hour" I was told, and so will have to leave that for another time.

Tucked in the basement of the Loot fashion boutique, Mumbles Emporium is a great vintage shop that…read morespecialises in fab 40s and 50s furniture. Run by one of the Brighton Rumble deejays, its a tiny space packed with cool sofas, leatherette chairs, formica topped tables, designer chairs, lamps, stools and cabinets. Everything is reasonably priced and the stock changes regularly with new pieces selling quickly. Record lovers should note, they also sell gorgeous jukeboxes and boxes of old magazines, postcards and rockabilly 45s and 33s.

I wish I hadn't graduated from University, and was still sitting pretty on my student loan, because…read moreif I was, this shop would be empty. Downstairs from the shop Loot, this little beauty of 'Vintage Living' and 'Kustom Kulture' hides. It is like stumbling across an immaculate basement of some cool east end grandad who lived and breathed the Teddy Boy and Mod life, and has kept one room as a shrine to his forgotten past. On sale there is a mix of vintage clothes such as old parka's, leather jackets and other coats and anoraks from the 40s/50s era which to be honest I don't even know what they're called, but I know they look damn cool. There's also a small range of mint condition shoes, some still with their original boxes from the era. However as the shop declares, it is not only vintage clothing but 'Vintage Living', which means a whole cross section of items, from Paintings of Rockabilly star Mac Curtis, red and white American diner style stools, original DICE magazines and cans of Dax Wax to name a few. The Rockabilly scene in Brighton meets here to discuss upcoming gigs, and the owner DJs a Rockabilly night in the Tin Drum. So if your into the lifestyle or just the music, this place is brilliant to just come and hang out and chat, or come away with an original piece of clothing or 'Kustom Kulture' item. Bit pricey, but it's all quality, so fair do's.

If you can't find what you're after in Dirty Harry, To Be Worn Again is a smaller, cosier,…read moresecondhand shop that's packed with vintage clothes from the 50s and 60s to the 90s. As well as racks of flares and bootleg jeans, there's cords, checked shirts, psychedelic jackets, tee-shirts, tracksuit tops, dresses, skirts and coats. They also do a small selection of retro Adidas and Nike sneakers, Converse boots, kitten heels, slip-on shoes, satchels, handbags and belts. If you dig around, you'll probably also find the odd baseball cap or American high school tee.

This place sells carefully selected, upper end second hand clothes. They seem to lean heavily…read moretowards seventies gear, with bright patterned shirts and wide flares featuring heavily among the stock. They also sell some new items - there is a great collection of gola trainers and bags - my trusty gola university bag came from here.. On rails on the street they seem to put out racks of some of their cheaper items - and it's definitely worth rumaging through these, even if you can't afford to buy the clothes in the main shop.

The London Rd is a charity shop haven...I love nothing more than a lazy day meandering from shop to…read moreshop, picking through other people's old tat to see what I might lay my hands on. Brilliant though they all are, one shines out above the rest...the good old PDSA! Tucked away on Oxford St, the PDSA always seems to deliver, which really isn't something you can normally expect from a charity ship, given the inconsistent nature of donating. But seriously, I struggle to leave the place empty handed! The shoes are usually quite dodgy, all a bit Shoes Fayre circa 1983, but they often have great jackets and jeans. The tops are organised by colour, which is very visually pleasing, and makes life easy, especially if you have an idea of what you are looking for. The book section used to be really good, lots of great authors like Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou. Last time I went in there wasn't so much, but they may just have been experiencing a bit of a book drought. The ladies that run the place are amusing, to say the least- they usually have some anecdotal tale that is rarely related to what you're buying. And if you're a pet lover you will feel especially good about shopping for this wonderful cause!

Charity shops have come under fire and lost a lot of credibility lately in terms of stock and…read morepricing, which is unfair, after all they are fundamentally a charity. Like all charity shops PDSA sometimes still has the odd hidden gem in the midst. The book section isn't upto much but the vinyl section has come up trumps in the last few visits I've made. The staff are lovely and even let me into the hallowed back room of the glorious non display items, it was my Graceland.

Debra is my new favourite charity shop. The selection is much wider than others in the area, with…read moretwo levels of clothing, houseware and accessories. Furniture is upstairs; and includes kitchen, bedroom and living room items. I'm a little iffy on buying a used mattress, but the tables and wardrobes have a lot more character than anything you'd find in a discount furniture shop, for the same kind of prices. The clothing isn't overly fashionable, but there's a lot to look through for men, women and children. Home items like dishware, knick knacks and even musical instruments also come at reasonable prices. There's a large selection of books and tonnes of VHS tapes, but DVDs are pretty minimal. I only noticed some informational DVDs and a Jamie Oliver Christmas special. The shop is quiet and spacious, making it a much nicer to look through than some other charity shops. I'd recommend it for budget shopping - especially for the furniture.

Debra is a charity that works to raise money for Epidermolysis Bullosa. Money raised helps to fund…read moreresearch and also helps to support individuals and families suffering with the condition. I am a great fan of charity shops and the London Rd area is a real hot spot for charity shop shopping. This branch of Debra is quite a bit larger than some of the other charity shops in the area (Oxfam, BHF etc.) and for this reason it stocks a wider range of stuff, including furniture. There is also a wide variety of men's and women's clothing, as well as crockery and lots of vases and ornaments too. Debra is a great place to pick up an end table or a coffee table for a very reasonable price- they always seem to have at least two or three floating around the shop. There is also always a collection of what I imagine they deem 'vintage' dresses in the window...quite often these are not that great but occasionally there will be a real winner!

Loved it! So many pieces for such a fair price…read more When I was there they had especially many blouses in like an 80's style so if you're into that - you should for sure visit when you're in Brighton!

To Be Worn Again, Brighton's bulwark of second hand clothing, now has another retail outlet in…read moreKensington Gardens, adding to the outlet at the top of Sydney Street and the warehouse on Providence Place. This behemoth has everything you could want in a second-hand store: huge selection, cheap prices, and now another shop to browse through! Don't give these shops a miss: the warehouse is the best for wealth of choice, but this new shop seems to be their new place to stock the more traditional of your items, meaning you're more likely to find something you can wear more frequently here. I've been shopping at To Be Worn Again for the past 5 years, and the whole set-up has always been a welcoming one. Service is friendly across the branches, and they all seem to have a good idea which of their shops stocks what. You may need to travel a bit if you've gone to the wrong branch, but once you get there the wealth of choice is amazing. I've seen everything in to be worn again: leather jackets, t-shirts, hats... They seem to have a couple hundred of each item of clothing you can think of. If you're a second-hand clothing whore, like myself, this is the best place in Brighton to go. Apart from their excellent store policy, selection and service, To Be Worn Again also seems to offer the best prices on their merchandise. You pay much less than market value, but not excessively so: you won't walk away with hundreds of new things for just a couple of quid, but you will be pleasantly surprised. Beyond that, they seem to specialise in stocking more peculiar items: nothing to risque, just pieces that could be fashion disasters or masterpieces if worn with the right combo. If you're going to a costume party or running a play, this is the best place to find costumes or costume ideas. In the end, To Be Worn Again is an open secret. Everyone in Brighton knows it's the place to go for second hand stuff. There are more upmarket places, like Traid in the Lanes, and cooler places, like Beyond Retro, but nothing beats finding a jacket that compliments your wardrobe perfectly for under £30. If you haven't been, go. Now.

I heart Oxfam. When…read morethe Labour Party held their conference in Brighton recently, Oxfam put out a blackboard with the message: MPs - COME AND SPEND YOUR EXPENSES HERE! This cheeky humour extends to the shop's colourful window displays and the humour of the staff and volunteers that work here. As well as stocking lots of new and secondhand clothes, shoes, boots, handbags, books, CDs, vinyl and household goods, this particular branch includes one-off items of clothing that have been customized with different textiles, patches, zips and so on. Where else in Brighton could you get a blouse with a skull and cross bones AND flowers added?

This branch of Oxfam sells crafts and other fair-trade produce (especially food) and greeting…read morecards, rather than second-hand items (for those, go the Western Road shop near Waitrose). Items include textiles, pottery, jewellery, bowls and vases. It has a small but nice selection and is worth a browse if you are in this part of town, or are looking for a specific fair-trade item. It's also worth a try if you are looking for a nice but unusual gift, while keeping your conscience free!