Coming from a town where clothes shopping stretches from a few poorly stocked charity shops and the one vintage shop – which did in fact close down less than 12 months after opening – Cardiff, style-wise, was like a breath of fresh air. Of course, it was tempting to splurge the remainders of my student loan in Urban Outfitters, but the variety of quality vintage stores makes it easier to branch out and find unique pieces.
Beyond Retro, located just a few doors down from Urban Outfitters in the city centre, only opened in late August this year yet has already become one of my staple visits.
Having an upstairs and downstairs, it offers a large selection of retro pieces, such as bulky jackets and knitted jumpers, perfect for the upcoming colder weather. It also has – which I have found hard to find in other vintage and charity shops – unique corsets and floaty long-sleeve tops perfect to go clubbing in.
Another benefit of Beyond Retro is its pricing – most pieces cost around half of what they usually would in Urban Outfitters, which all students could benefit from.
On top of this, they frequently have deals in-store, such as 50% off all knitwear, where a top I bought was reduced from £30 to £15. I would highly recommend Beyond Retro for students who would like to expand their wardrobe with some new vintage pieces but don’t want to invest huge sums of money into it.
Another new retro store in Cardiff is Rokit, also located in the city centre, which reminds me more of a kilo sale with its large selection of vintage jeans, jackets, and t-shirts.
In my opinion, Rokit is more of a staple-piece store, where you will have to really dig through the clothing rails to find what you are specifically looking for.
In my opinion, Rokit is more of a staple-piece store where you will have to realy dig through the clothing rails to find what you’re looking for
One of my favourite places for charity shopping in Cardiff is Roath, specifically Albany and Wellfield Road, around a twenty-minute walk from the city centre. If you are looking for cheap jewellery, I would recommend having a look through all the charity shops around here – they are all quite closely located –as I have bought some of my favourite beaded necklaces from them!
The prices are also a huge benefit for students, with jewellery and most clothing items being under £10. These are some of my recommendations for retro shopping on a student budget, but there are more expensive shops such as Flamingos and of course Cardiff’s Urban Outfitters (it will always have a special place in my heart) which are great if you feel like treating yourself or just for a quick browse!