Best Hipster Vintage Shops in the World

(By Kirsten Mccroskrie/Skyscanner) Calling all hipsters! Step off the high street and into the wonderful world of the vintage shop. We have a good browse in eight of the finest purveyors of pretty paraphernelia on the planet.

Priding themselves in owning one-of-a-kind, rare and beautiful clothes and a range of random quirky items from times gone by, vintage shops are experiencing a surge in popularity as the hipster brigade pile into these treasure troves seeking individual and quality items.

Vintage shops are wonderful places where you can pick up clothing from a time when everything was not mass-produced. You’ll find pieces of hand-made, hand stitched and well-loved items that have a history and are not ready to be thrown in the back of a closet.

These wonderful vintage shops range from the quirky, the traditional to the downright eccentric, and are the best places to shop for your own hipster wardrobe.

1. Hidden Treasures, California

The treasures of this wonderfully eccentric shop flow from the shop’s five packed rooms out onto the exterior of this quirky 1930s building. The store sells – and buys – men’s and women’s vintage items of all types including hats, purses, belts, shoes, dresses, shorts, trousers, coats, sweaters, blouses, shirts, textiles, antiques, and much more! They also sell seasonal attire including costume pieces from July through to October for festivals and holidays such as Burning Man and Halloween. Understandably, this surreal, dreamlike treasure-trove has become renowned the world over with the likes of Kate Moss quoted as being a fan – come be wowed by this amazing building and fall in love with the gems hidden within…

©Ari Abramczyk (click the picture to see more of her photos)

2. The 3rd Policeman, Dublin

Dublin’s The 3rd Policeman prides itself in providing unique and affordable collectables from all over Europe. It sells everything from furniture to clothes to stuffed foxes all mixed together into a hodgepodge of excitingly wonderful chaos. Here you’ll find cute floral dresses hanging alongside film lights and a 1950s pastel pink pedal car. You’ll feel as though you’ve stepped into a hipster museum of oddities and curios.

©The 3rd Policeman

3. Lodekka, Portland

What to do with a 1965 Bristol bus that ends up on Craigslist in Oregon? Turn it into a dress shop! Lodekka’s owner sources her own clothing, keeping prices low and ensuring top quality and original items for her customers. This unusual shopping experience is made even better by its new Portland location. Having been based in the same spot for four years the shop has recently moved to Tidbit Food Farm and Garden – a wonderful neighbourhood hangout with an array of enticingly good food vendors, where beer flows and people can gather and hang out in a true hipster paradise.

©Ryan Flood

4. Pick N Weight, Hamburg

This undoubtedly cool shop is one of six owned by the same company in Berlin and Hamburg. Their newest Hamburg store is housed in a former bank in the trendy (of couurse!) area of Schanze. Unlike other shops of its kind, Pick N Weight’s store is bright, open, and modern and sells essential hipster items from printed tote backs to oh-so-ironic knitted sweaters. The magic of this alternative store is their motto ‘Vintage by the kilo’ – all your purchases are priced fairly by the weight you buy!

5. Wanderlust Vintage, Portland

Back to Portland to check out Wanderlust, with its carefully selected collection of vintage dresses, skirts, men’s shirts and more from the 1930s-1960s, with new items added weekly. They also have a selection of handmade jewellery, stationary and home décor from independent designers. It’s the perfect place to find a 1950s sundress or men’s cowboy shirt. The store originally operated from a travelling trailer until finding its own shop in 2012, but their quirky pastel trailer still features at events across the States. The shop is wonderfully cute and dainty, decorated with Alice and Wonderlandesque looking glass mirrors and quirky hipster accessories that perfectly complement their high quality clothing.

6. Hunky Dory Vintage, London

Stocking mainly French, Italian and British clothing from the 1940s to the 70s, Brick Lane’s Hunky Dory is a must-visit for any London hipster. Their concept is to source enduring styles in good quality fabrics, with more emphasis on style than fashion, or more particularly overexposed trends. For this reason the shop attracts an older clientele along with younger shoppers with an interest in traditional and timeless pieces. The shop is well-known in London’s fairly competitive vintage scene having won the Best Menswear and runner-up in Best Womenswear categories for the last four years in a row in The Vintage Guide to London’s annual Popular Awards.