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!

The Childrens Society is a cool charity shop on Stockport road, going through Levy. There's a few…read moreof these around across Greater Manchester and this one is pretty compact. They sell clothes, books, games and bric a brac. Basically if you're after a bargain it's worth popping into as there can be some real finds. I personally like to have a scan for decent board games as yes I am a bit of a nerd and am always looking for fresh games to play at home - especially if only a few quid. Levy has some great food options like Trove/POD so come and check these places out if you're in town.

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!

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

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.

Although it is quite a small shop tucked away just off the Wilmslow Road, this second hand bookshop…read moreis always very well-stocked. These charity bookshops have been in the media recently and have been dubbed 'unfair competitors' to non-charity second-hand bookshops, who have suffered greatly. Basically charity shops no longer sell books for 5p which can be snapped up by other shops who'll sell them on at a profit. Charity shops have upped their game and I'd say most fiction books in this shop go for about £1.99-£3.99. Not as cheap as Amazon Marketplace but it's all about the rummaging! Alongside your Zadie Smiths and Patricia Cornwells they also have a good range of non-fiction books and I spied a decent selection of GCSE revision guides. It may be a good place to pick up second-hand course texts for uni due to the high student population of Withington. The shop is often staffed by students and young types who organise events such as cake sales. Find out more on their facebook group http://www.facebook.com/pages/Withington-United-Kingdom/Barnardos-Bookshop-Withington/102309933968

I'm with Kirsten, this is a lovely wee shop and though the prices aren't as good as some online…read moreprices, it's all made sweeter by the fact that it's for charideeeee! Also, you're likely to find stuff here that you're not going to find on Amazon, such as old board-bound editions of Shakespeare and romantic poetry. The 'olde booke' section, as I called it, is small (think the tall Billy bookcase from Ikea, about 2/3 full...) but the rest of the sections are well-stocked. The crime section in particular is healthy, which is good for me (I do love crime!) The staff here are truly lovely. They are almost always reading when you go in, and when I was living in Withington I noticed that the sign advertising for volunteers stipulated 'must love books' or something similar. One of the volunteers (a nice boy with floppy hair) put aside two old Shakespeare books for me because I couldn't remember whether Classy Friend loved Lear or Much Ado. The edition of Lear she ended up with had an inscription from a Manchester boys' school, sometime in the 1920s. Which was cool and very eco, too. A lovely wee shop with a great selection, nice staff and the occasional Lionel Richie 12".

This is a pleasant, quiet charity shop in Longsight. As a charity, Scope works on behalf of…read moredisabled people to gain better rights, liberties and opportunities within our society. It's there in a sentence how great this charity is, so it's always worth popping in to see if they've got someone else's hand-me-down that is actually exactly what you want or need. I immediately liked Scope in Longsight because they had Marc Bolan on the stereo. It was a blast from the past but added a good bit of character. Some charity shops can seem a bit like a jumble sale at times. Scope is neat and tidy, warm and welcoming. They also have some awesome old jazz cds.

Second hand clothes seem to be all the rage nowadays, at least with the girls I know. They often…read morevisit Oxfam looking for that one off piece which may be in and it's always worth a nip in. The guys that run the shop are friendly and helpful and will happily show you whatever has come in. They've also got a photocopier at the back for those last minute things you need a copy of before slogging it into you're lecture. Other times it makes a great Christmas card buying spot along with that divine chocolate you can't find anywhere elsewhere. O best pointer buy some spiced apple tea bags, you won't regret it.

Location, location, location. No, nothing to do with a man who can't say his R's and his curvy…read moresidekick trying to sell properties to middle class people. More to do with my philosophy on charity shops. Y'see, just as the Oxfam in Notting Hill Gate has a sickkk selection of Hermes scarves, and Oxfams in small Northern market towns have awesome ranges of waxed coats and jumpers that smell of dog, the University of Manchester campus branch has a pretty decent range of togs and books. Firstly, to the dress rack, which is always my first port of call in this shop. It's split into two bits; the actual second hand bit and the upcycled second hand bit. The actual straight up second hand bits are really decent; Oxfam don't sell crud so expect to see dresses from Mango, Toppy, Miss Selfies and Warehouse, all usually priced £5-£10 depending on awesomeness. The upcycled dresses are really something; from local designers such as Me & Yu who rework second hand clothes into cute and funky new stuff. The stock is always changing as these bits are hot property, but one memorable piece was a dress constructed with a purple vest top, and a cute pleated skirt made from a man's YSL shirt, which sold for £28. £28 for a piece of upcycled YSL! Tres bon. As far as I'm aware, these upcycled bits are made from donations, and the designers only take a cut for the actual time and resources, so it's a great way of giving a chunk to charity while also getting something totally unique and awesome to shimmy your stuff in. The book section here is great if you want a bit of light reading. They always have student staples such as Nick Hornby, Irvine Welsh and Jack Kerouac. Last time I popped in, they had three copies of the second Bridget Jones book, in case you really, really like Bridge. As with most second hand book sections, there's a pretty plumptious crime thriller section. I ruddy love crime thrillers, and come here for my Val McDermids and Patricia Cornwells. Paperbacks are generally priced about £2.99. The textbook section is mediocre in size, but always worth a look; for the 2 minutes you spend perusing, you could save a lot as most of the books are fat law and medicine texts, which I know can cost a helluva lot new. Textbooks are generally in the £10 region. Out back there's a bric a brac section that usually has some decent teacups and cute bits and bobs, and for great prices. There's a section of DVDs and videos here, too. Most of them are cack, but as with the textbooks, it's worth a few minutes of browsing for the bargain you might find. As far as boy clothes, there's a sizeable section, but I cannot vouch for the quality as I don't wear boy clothes. On the counter, whilst paying for your charitable purchase, you will see loads of fairtrade chocolate from Divine. Chocolate and charity, lovely stuff.

Our great local charity shop! Just round the corner from…read moreLevenshulme, nestled in Fallowfield retail park, it is a hidden gem! Always packed with new stuff nearly every other day and especially Saturdays! You can buy 5 books for 99p here- that is ridicously cheap AND goes to a good cause! I bought all of the twilight saga, with some in hardbacks for only 99p with one book to spare! They're also great for greetings cards, weddings, birthdays, Christmas etc with lots of new stuff, never been used, like school book bags and gift bags, You can also bring all your unwanted books and clothes etc here, obviously providing its in good condition. You can also sign up to gift aid each item they sell, so they get more for each purchase. After signing up you also get an email to tell you how much they sold each of your items for. Love this shop- guilt free shopping whilst helping others and also a great way to clear out your cupboards!