Second-Hand September has been and gone, but second-hand fashion is for life! And so, it’s time for another guide to second-hand shops! This time I visited Bristol, along with my bestie, to thrift until we drop! Our trip was back in August but with all my volunteering with Brighton Fashion Collective, I haven’t had chance to write this guide until now.
This trip was my first time in Bristol and I had such a great time. My friend found us some of the best restaurants – definitely bookmark Café Kino, Tomo No Ramen, and Wilson’s – and I found us some of the best second-hand shops in Bristol. Here’s my review of each, including addresses and links to their sites!
5 of the Best Second-Hand Shops in Bristol
Over our long weekend, we spent one full day trawling these charity shops and thrift stores. If you’d like to do the same as us, I’d recommend starting on Gloucester Road in St Andrew’s, and heading south to the city centre, and then North West up to College Green.
Sparks Bristol
78 Broadmead, Bristol BS1 3DS
Sparks is Bristol’s very first ‘Sustainable Department Store’ and on our first day in the city, my friend and I stumbled across it while getting supplies for our hotel. I suggested we spend “10 minutes” looking around, and that quickly became a few hours! Inside Sparks, you’ll find second-hand concessions run by indpendent outfits, including CLOTHEMOD and Suchitoto Vintage. I was especially taken with the CLOTHEMOD store, and got chatting to Founder and Stylist Meg, who explained that she would source high end second-hand clothing for her clients, and anything left over would make the rails in-store. And boy there were some great pieces! I still think about the £15 Burberry waistcoat I put back on the rail… With the great selection, great people, and great pricing, Sparks gets full marks from me.
My rating: 10/10
COW x Thrift Bristol
35-37 Park Street, Bristol BS15NH
Next up, COW x Thrift. This was one of the standout stores we found during our big day of thrifting. It comes as no surprise – COW has appeared in my guides to thrifting in Birmingham, Manchester and Nottingham too! However, this store is slightly different, with a good number of rails with ‘High End Garms!’ labels, where I found this Jean Paul Gaultier skirt. No, she didn’t come home with me, but again, I do think about her sometimes… As with all COW stores, they know what they’re dealing with so the pricing is on par with the market average, but it’s a great place to head if you’re looking for pre-loved designer and true vintage clothing.
My rating: 9/10
Charity Super.Mkt Bristol
2 Concorde Street, Broadmead, Bristol BS1 3JX
Now onto a second-hand pop-up: Charity Super.Mkt. I really love what Charity Super.Mkt is doing – they bring together local and national charity shops and put their wares in shopping centres, where fast fashion customers may get tempted by better quality clothing for lower prices. They’re like a gateway to shopping second-hand, and I love that! In their Bristol store, opposite the popular Broadmead Shopping Centre, I found a great selection of clothes, knitwear, shoes, accessories, and designer clothing. It comes as no surprise, since their Brighton pop-up also was really well curated, so if you’re in the area, be sure to check them out before they move on!
My rating: 9/10
Shelter Bristol Promenade
3-4 The Promenade, Gloucester Road, Bristol BS7 8AL
If you’re looking for an incredible charity shop, Shelter Bristol Promenade is the place. This list has been made up of more curated offerings so far, but this Shelter shop is just as good – if not better – and is full of beautiful donations across clothing and homeware. I love a good charity shop, but the best ones are like this shop – curated, well spaced, well presented, and well priced. It made me wish I lived in Bristol, so I could bring some of the homewares home with me!
My rating: 10/10
Urban Fox
St Nicholas Market, 58 Corn Street, Bristol BS1 2AZ
Finally, to round off this guide, I’d like to also highlight Urban Fox. This vintage clothes shop was round the corner from our hotel, and had a great mix of vintage and designer clothing at reasonable prices. If you imagine an old-school vintage store, this is what Urban Fox is, for better and worse. Some items were a little well worn, but also items were priced fairly, so it’s well worth visiting.
My rating: 7/10
A Few Honourable Mentions
I also wanted to include a few more destinations that we didn’t get chance to visit during our three days in Bristol. Add these to your list (and I hope to visit them next time!)
Let me know if you visit any of my suggestions – or if there’s any I’ve missed from my list!
