Are you a secondhand shopaholic? Do you think of new charity shops as unchartered territory? Does a Sunday morning spent on your hands and knees scrabbling through an ‘all items 50p’ bin sound like your idea of a good time? Well, you’re in the right place. And if you live in, or you’re planning a trip to, Leeds – even better. The Bargainista’s Little Black Book (Leeds Edition) is your guide to the best charity shops, car boot sales and vintage stockists in Leeds – keep it close and you’ll never miss another bargain.
728 King Lane, Leeds and 49 Street Lane, Leeds
Expect to pay…
£5 for branded dresses
£2-3 for blouses
£1 for glassware and accessories
You could find…
Current season dresses from Topshop, French Connection and Boden
Vintage tea sets
Leather cowboy boots
PDSA’s Attic
57 Otley Road, Headingley, Leeds
A beautifully-laid out shop with a focus on vintage pieces, supporting animal charity PDSA. The Attic is filled with old suitcases, 60s tea dresses, leather clutch bags and trinkets from times gone by. A little more expensive than your average charity shop, yes, but with vintage dresses priced around the £10 mark, not too pressing on your purse.
Expect to pay…
£20 for a vintage suitcase
£10 for vintage dresses
£2 for silk scarves
You could find…
An original 60s shift dress
Vintage lace fabric
A rotary dial telephone
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Car Boot Sales
The Big One
Greengates Farm, Old Otley Road, Leeds (Sundays from 6.30am)
Pannal Car Boot
Junction of A61 and A658, Harrogate (Sundays from 8am)
Swillington Bank Holiday Car Boot
Wakefield Road, Swillington, Leeds (Bank Holiday Mondays from 6am)
Photo of a car boot sale in Brighton from Dominic’s pics on Flickr
If you want a real bargain, you need to be in a muddy field at 7am on a Sunday morning – snoozers are losers. Car boot sales are full of second hand treasure – just avoid the dodgy DVD sellers, the fake designer handbags and the baby clothes (unless you’re after baby clothes, in which case fill your boots). My three favourite car boot sales are big and take around two hours to navigate properly, but I always come home with a car full.
Expect to pay…
50p for dresses
£2 for winter coats
£5-£10 for furniture
You could find…
A vintage typewriter
A faux fur coat
A (real!) designer purse
Vintage Stockists
Mighty Baby
Duncan Street, Leeds
Mighty Baby is a vintage gem, tucked away at the bottom of Briggate in Leeds city centre. The shop opened in April and is stuffed full of treasure, from pretty printed dresses to leather satchels. Clothing is organised by colour – not only is that helpful when searching, but it also makes the shop look like a sartorial rainbow. Mighty Baby currently have a £10 sale (everything is a tenner!) and lucky Little Bird readers will also get 15% off by mentioning this blog.
Expect to pay…
£10 for everything from dresses and jackets to leather bags and belts
£15-25 for items in the boutique section, including high quality dresses and leather jackets
You could find…
The perfect summer dress
A pair of leather shorts
A classic white blazer
Redneck Clothing
Duncan Street, Leeds
Redneck Clothing, despite its neanderthal name, is a haven for vintage vixens. Located in the old Oxfam shop at the bottom of Briggate (and next-door-but-one to Mighty Baby), Redneck’s window displays promise gilded mirrors, bird cages and leather suitcases all piled haphazardly on top of each other. And when you step inside, that’s exactly what you get. Clothes trails up the stairs, shoes cover the carpet and bags spill from open suitcases. You’ll need to dig, but there’s lots to discover.
Expect to pay…
£5 for small leather bags
£10 for chunky cardigans
£20 for lace dresses
You could find…
Cut off Levi’s 501s
Sequin capes
Leather biker jackets
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And there you have it – my favourite second hand haunts in Leeds. Now I need your help to create more editions of The Barganista’s Little Black Book – if you’re a regular thrifter with a list of must-visit shops, sales and stockists, I want to hear from you. Email me on jen@littlebirdfashion.com to find out how you can take part in the Barganista’s Little Black Book project – can’t wait to hear from you!
Great piece! I run a vintage business and got started by trawling car boots and charity shops, it’s one of my favourite things to do. I will definately have to check these places out when I am next in Leeds. Speaking of which, have you been to Mad Elizabeth in the Corn Exchange? It’s run by my friends and is jam packed with really on trend vintage. It’s less than a year old – a real hidden gem!
I sooo took a trip to Might Baby the other day. It’s fab, got some gorgeous stuff, I also went to St Gemma’s Hospice in Pudsey today and found some real bargains.
Thanks for this Jen.
C x
Win a Shabby Apple dress:
http://memiorsofalittlethingcalledlife.blogspot.com/2011/07/shabby-apple-dress-giveaway-over-here.html
I’ve recently moved away from Leeds, this post makes me want to go back so much! All though last time I went to PDSA attic they only had one rail of vintage clothes and everything else in there was the same kind of stuff you get in all the Headingley charity shops which was a bit disappointing! x
Great post! I have a couple of friends up in Leeds so now I know where to hit up when I come & visit!
Dang, I wish I’d read this before I went to Leeds today, I would have made a beeline for Mighty Baby! Sadly Redneck Clothing was closed (was a bit sad to see that Oxfam had gone).
However I am due back to Leeds next week so will have another bite of the cherry.
Great recommendations Jen, thanks. I went to the Pannal boot last sunday and picked up some nice bits too! Sadly not a typewriter though!
This is so good. Someone do one for Liverpool please!
Good post, especially seen as though I live in Leeds! I never new about mighty baby until your last post, will definetly be visiting there soon. The only vintage shop I tend to go in is Pop Boutique, nice but it is quite expensive xxx
Oo a wee one of these for the london area would be a god send! Rummaging around charity shops definitely seems a good idea but it’s good to have some idea where to start; otherwise it can be a rather lengthy process lol! x
Oooh. I live in Leeds but I haven’t checked out some of these places. Obviously I need to change that.
Do you ever go to Otley carboot. It’s amazing!!
Great mix of old and new stuff, fair prices, starts at midday! And there’s normally one or two ladies selling amazing cakes.
nightofbones.blogspot.com
I second the vote for Mad Elizabeth in the Corn Exchange- great stock, and they’ve got a fantastic sale on at the moment.
Px
Ahh love this. Wish I could hop up to Leeds to see the charity shop sights! x
Great post – I can send you some S London tips.
Love this post! Leeds is my nearest decent shopping city when I’m home (i.e. not at uni) and ashamedly I haven’t been for aaaaages! I wasn’t as into vintage last time I went as I am now so deffo up for a big shopping trip after the tips! I’ve heard good things about PDSA’s Attic too and have been anxious to go for a while!
http://katieafox.blogspot.com
x
Fab post! Not sure I’ll ever be up early enough on Sunday for a car boot, but I’ll definitely be checking out those vintage stores next time I’m in town.
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I’m pretty sure mighty baby has shut down now 🙁
There’s a fab new vintage shop opened in Netil Market in Hackney called Mabel’s Attic. Worth a peek