A massive vintage store is taking over the old Topshop in Liverpool ONE

The site of the former Topshop store in Liverpool city centre is about to become a huge new vintage shop.

The prime Liverpool ONE space, which fronts onto Church Street, has been taken over by The Vintage Store which has been targeting and moving into large empty fashion units across the country on an anti-fast fashion mission.

Owners say it will not only be Liverpool’s biggest ever vintage store, but the UK’s biggest.

Alongside the smaller independent vintage shops which Liverpool already has and loves, The Vintage Store will offer floors full of everything from worn-in biker jackets and jeans to big brand sportswear, classic American snap back caps and rare band T-shirts.

Credit: The Vintage Store

With shops already opened in Sheffield, Hull, York and Newcastle, The Vintage Store plans to welcome its first Liverpool customers through the doors on Saturday May 28.

The Church Street store has been empty since Arcadia announced all of its Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge shops would close in February 2021. Liverpool’s branch never reopened following January lockdown restrictions.

Promoting itself as the UK’s largest vintage retailer, The Vintage Store specialises in giving a second life to pre-loved clothes, on a massive scale.

Credit: The Vintage Store

It was launched by business partners Aaron Thornhill and Kane Blythe, with the aim of encouraging shoppers to think more sustainably about what they wear and the impact it has on the environment.

“It’s giving clothes another chance rather than having to go to landfill,” said Aaron.

The company wants to help shift people’s buying habits, and the pair are keen to lead the change towards re-wearing instead of fast fashion, even making caps and totes from damaged or unsaleable clothes so nothing’s wasted.

As well as rails packed with pre-worn stock to hunt through, The Vintage Store also holds kilo sales in its shops where vintage lovers can grab a bag full of pieces and then pay by weight rather than ticket price. A sale in the Hull store a week ago charged £10 per kilo, with lighter items like tees and dresses coming in at between three and six in each kilo.

Credit: The Vintage Store

Once Liverpool is open, there are plans for at least another five stores this year in cities around the country including Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham.

And the idea has already won over one well-known fan – Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant was spotted buying in the Hull store over the Easter weekend!