Think you can open a new vintage shop eh? Think you're special do you? "Vintage Heaven indeed!" I…read morewas prepared to scoff after leaving this new store. I had to eat these words before they even came out of my mouth. Vintage Heaven does live up to its name by being not only very competitively priced but also stocked to the brim with goodies. They even have bloomers and although some people might draw the line at second hand pants, I say if you're going to do it, do it right. You could actually get an entire outfit here from bloomers to coat and hat for under £100 although you might be put off trying it on in their skanky cupboard of a fitting room. Despite that little inconvenience, I have to say, I am rather impressed and this shop might even make it possible on a rainy day to knock off walking all the way down Cheshire Street to Beyond Retro.

"I started wearing vintage as I'm a cheapskate" - A quote made by one of my friend's. Ah yes 'tis…read moretrue I am I am I am a c.s lol A simple shop with a touch of vintage, this shop IS what it said it is "Vintage Heaven" (excluding the white fluffy clouds, golden pavements and Angel's). They sell/stock classical menswear, ladies wear, kids wear and accessories at reasonable prices. The members of staff are polite and very helpful. If you want to experience the true essence of vintage then Vintage Heaven is the place to be.

If the plague were to start ravaging the world tomorrow, I think I would probably gather a decent…read moreamount of food and water and then hunker down in Beyond Retro, because I'd want to spend the last of my plague-free days treating Beyond Retro as my personal closet. (Yes, I have been told that I need to reevaluate my priorities.) Beyond Retro is honestly the best thrift store I've ever walked into. It's tucked away on a side street just a stone's throw away from the bustling Brick Lane Market. My first impression was that the store was extremely well-organized and clean... like so clean that it could've matched the standards of a soulless corporate chain. But the clothing here was nowhere near as sterile as whatever you can find at your dime-a-dozen Zara. Every single item in here was high in quality and had its own vintage, retro character. Hands down, Beyond Retro has the most well curated, eclectic selection of clothing ever. A lot of thrift stores suffer from the musty, outdated '70s closet syndrome, where you'll have to do a godforsaken amount of digging to find that single diamond in the rough. That won't happen at Beyond Retro. I wish I could have had a shopping spree here, but I guess I'll just have to wait for the next plague.

I've lived in Shoreditch five years and it took a newly made Northern friend to introduce me to the…read morewondrous Beyond Retro not long ago. A sprawling vintage emporium with more of an emphasis on clothing than its obvious rival, Absolute Vintage, Beyond Retro sells vintage from the twenties through eighties at very reasonable prices. Its friendly staff are a breath of fresh air; its resident cat adorable; its stock varied and good quality; and its pricing so right on you'd be forgiven for thinking it was run by a philanthropist. Particularly noteworthy is Beyond Retro's premium vintage section which has a beautiful selection of vintage silk chiffon prom dresses and twenties beaded shifts and its astonishing Kimono rail which will not disappoint. As the name suggests, Beyond Retro is more than polyester sixties frippery and faux-vintage rock t-shirts. This place is the real deal and vintage fanatics would be mad to pass it up.

So this was a wonderful surprise. Every block is filled with some sort of ethnic or cultural gem,…read morenot to mention all the breathtaking street art and wall graffiti that is there to discover. There's a market that happens only on Sundays til 4pm, so try to go then, but even when it's not happening, Brick Lane is such an adventure to walk through. It has a serious Brooklyn vibe - thank you, hipsters of the world. If you're at all into vintage clothes, arts, jewelry, maps, antiques, home decor, and bric-a-brac, this is the mecca for it. I've never seen this much vintage merchandise in one location! Make sure to check out the underground vintage market halfway through the street, because if you're into shopping at all, you'll find tons of second-hand designer clothing and accessories. The food options literally left my jaw dropped, and the same will happen to your Instagram followers. The crux of it is geared towards Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi cuisines and dollar stores (hence the unofficial nickname, Curry Lane), but you can find all sorts of shops on the street, like chocolatiers, donuts, a world-famous cereal bar, Lithuanian food, Ethiopian food, Middle Eastern food, and more. There is so much personality and eclectic energy to Brick Lane - I can't recommend it enough that you add it to your itinerary!

pretty cool slept on area? similar vibes to kensington (toronto). tons of food optionsread more

An excellent vintage shop in Brick Lane territory which has the bet examples, dry cleaned, dated…read moreand displayed nicely. there are two floors of clothes and the ladies in the shop are super helpful. I bought 2 1960s dresses and a handbag for less than a 100 quid. Will definitely be back.

Hands down the best vintage shop in London! It has proper vintage from my favourite eras…read more(1930s-1970s) but also feels really relevant and fresh. I go here at least once a month and I always find a special piece.

Backyard market and London Artisian is awesome! Period!…read more Big huge indoor venue, lots of food and shops to choose from, and super classy area, with lot of trendy things! You can easily spend a good half day there! Will let my photos speak for itself!

I recently bought a bling collar from a stall at backyard market. I also recently felt like a Kanye…read morewest douchebag, as recently as the last sentence I just wrote. I always loved this market on sundays- just because it's always a bit quieter than the upmarket and the stalls are a bit more bling-y, like bling phone cases, and bling necklaces, interspersed with some good old vintage glasses and hand drawn artwork. ALSO there's a good few food stands outside too! The collar I even haggled for and damn, i got tonnes of compliments- so it shows that you don't need to pay crazy prices for UNIQUE statement jewellery.

This store use to be THE BEST, I would have actually made it my first 6 star review but since they…read morehave had to move the clothing Oxfam store from down the road and combined it with this fab book and vinyl it has become a little cluttered and manic. This was the place to get you holiday reading from, starting at 20p a book you can't really go wrong, even if you don't enjoy the story. It was also a fantastic place to pick up vinyl that your mum would love and you know that you shouldn't like. I think I have several of my Dolly Parton and Disney records from here. One thing that does upset me about this place is the way that stuff that's left outside just gets ransacked if the store isn't open to take it in, come on guys, this is for charity! Seriously!

I had heard and read so many things about Dalston's Oxfam that I had to check it out for myself…read more Apparently Channel 4's Miquita Oliver is a regular and found a vintage Chanel bag there. Having grown up in Hackney I was surprised to learn that there was a fashion mecca in Dalston. I headed down there with high hopes of finding a vintage Dior clutch or maybe a YSL smoking jacket. After much fifling through rails I saw a few items but no Dior clutch or YSL blazer. With slight disappointment I left with an art deco frame (£5) and a small stained glass mirror (£7). So I might not have discovered any designer vintage pieces but my frame and mirror would have been at least twice the price in Habitat. If you wander in there without a wanting anything specific you may be surprised but otherwise you might leave disappointed.

Blink and you may miss it! The entrance is right next to (or in front of) the falafel stand. It's a…read morebasement stuffed full of vintage clothes and accessories. Smells like it too, but there's not much one can do about that. There is a wide variety of clothing and the prices seemed pretty reasonable.

I love this place because everything is arranged in size -- with vintage it can all be hard work…read moreand lets face it -- it is much easier just to see your choices and go for it -- No fuss no muss just start trying A really good layout and lots of space to see and wind around the room - with a small lounge area and a bag section and some clothing -- you can easily spend time here. There are also alot "special" cases scattered with "not for sale "signs - these seem to be the real vintage pieces - - but do not fret there is plenty to try and buy...

This is definitely the best place for vintage shoes. The choice is endless! There are shoes in…read moreevery colour, every size, and from all the eras. The shoes are also very affordable considering an average pair of heels will only set you back £15. Second in line are the bags. They also seem to come in every colour and size. Most of them come in leather and are once again, priced very generously. And last but not least, there are the clothes. I have never actually bought any clothes here. Personally, I think that they are not arranged in the best way and generally a bit messy or stained. I have flitted through the Menswear before though, and found it easier to navigate and generally better in choice. But really... it's all about the shoes here!

I think now one can feel pretty safe in saying that it's common knowledge that "thrift-store chic",…read moremore often than not, is a mere farce. The actuality of it is: the coolest kids on that block have spent far too much money on looking "cheap" to be able to consider them thrifty at all. Not that there's anything wrong with this... I'm by no means the coolest kid on the block, but I too (like most) have be known to indulge on items of clothing that are a little out of my budget. I do, however, also have a little trick up my sleeve: the Walworth Road charity shops, Salvation Army in particular. Charity shopping requires dedication. I may have an upper hand having easy access to Walworth Road, but more often than not I manage to walk away from the Salvation Army shop a happy man (and believe it or not, being tall and skinny it's incredibly hard to find well fitting clothes so give us a break!). Although these clothes haven't received the tailoring and haberdashery that you would find in a high end boutique, I have managed to find both lambs wool and cashmere sweaters; as well a fine array of jackets; and the odd guilty pleasure plaid shirt, all for very little money. Don't get me wrong, this isn't some kind of magic fashion shop were they sell everything you want for a few bob, but the odd finds you get from here seem to make it worthwhile. The staff are an admirable group of friendly locals who seem to love a radio station stuck in the 1960s; and aside from your fashion needs there is a fine selection of quick reads, as well as quirky trinkets to help decorate your home. No you won't be able to buy your winter wardrobe here, but it's worth a look in just in case.

Junk, the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up [syn: debris, dust, rubble,…read moredetritus] Shop, a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services; "he bought it at a shop on Cape Cod" [syn: store] Basically this is a place where you can purchase nonsense that you didn't even want or realise you needed. It's also a little bit amazing! Run by 2 old geezers Alice S is right, there is a ramshackle collection of stuff the you just wouldn't put together, Actually if you are in the business for a bargain you may find one here, I can't put a name on what they sell but there is a huge collection of nonsense to browse. Seriously, It's a lovely place, go visit!

I don't know where else in South London you can find an antique javelin, a birdcage and an…read moreautobiography of Frank Sinatra on the same table. The Junk Shop is an Aladdin's cave of rubbish/treasure on Greenwich South Street. The stock varies from biographies and historical artifacts (mainly right wing paraphernalia- a Daily Mail series on the modern monarchy, an enormous hardback on the Third Reich and a Thatcher biography) Amongst all the military-themed bits of tat, there are actually some very good finds- there were some cool old 1950s Christmas cards, some 1960s newspapers in excellent condition and some beautiful vintage postcards. It is a funny old place but definitely worth a rummage through.