Bang Vintage Clothing

While the Vintage Shop itself did not impress me that much (majorly male stuff, not cheap) it is definitely worth visiting it for the Second-​Hand book and CD/​vinyl section upstairs. Most books are about 2 pounds and I found some great literature there.

Let’s just say, It didn’t quite go off with a BANG.
A wide range of vintage beauties for ladies and gents however be prepared to flash some cash in order to attain your prized possessions.
When compared to other vintages shops in Belfast such as Best Vintage or Rusty Zip it’s definately aimed at a higher end of the market. And if you’re like me and buy items on the cheap to customise at home it isn’t really going to be your cup of tea.
Saying that, it does have some amazing and unique vintage dresses which could be the perfect answer to standing out from the crowd. As well as this, there are stacks of head and neck scarfs to brighten up any indie outfit.
The layout of the shop is simple, clutter free and getting to items of clothing couldn’t be easier. Unlike other vintage stores, which sometimes can blur the lines between vintage and charity, Bang is a different class altogether.

Situated just on the edge of the In-​Shops Bang is a large ‘retro-​clothing’ shop with bags of attitude. Plenty of racks to trawl through and a few interesting pieces line the walls. The stuff seems to be predominantly male so there is a healthy stock of leather jackets, denims and some rather brilliant polo shirts.
There’s a load of old vinyl upstairs as well if you fancy a bit of a record bin rummage.
Pros: Big choice, friendly staff.
Cons: The leather wear seems expensive.

Bang Boutique is a cool little vintage clothing store just across from Muriels bar.
It has really cool and funky clothes but I fear it is one of those vintage shops where everything is great to look at but you never actually buy anything because it’s all too pricey.
There were some cool things to browse through on the counter like an old school telephone and a girl’s annual from the 1960’s called Boyfriend, which had some really cool drawings in it. I also spotted some cool leather handbags but at £20, they were a tad too expensive.
The owners are really nice and friendly and will chat away to you as you browse. I could imagine the members of Belle and Sebastian doing all their shopping in a place like this.

This is a lovely wee shop tucked away in what was a forgotten street in Belfast until the redevelopment of the Cathedral Quarter and Victoria Square opening up. It’s got a great vibe to it, and while I’ve never actually managed to find anything to wear in it, I love going in for a nosy. Other reviewers have mentioned the vinyl collection upstairs, but it’s worth mentioning again since it’s such a cool add-​on to an already cool store!

Second hand shops like this one are brilliant for a bargain. A tip I learnt once is to go to the bigger stores and see what kind of style is about at the time, and then go to a vintage store and buy pretty much the same style for less than half the price. There is even now a clothing style in and of it that is purely based around second hand stores like this one.
The staff are great, and seem to love to dress customers up with what they think is a great outfit. I can’t say I agree with a lot of their fashion tips but I appreciate their enthusiasm!

Bang Boutique is at the higher end price range of vintage shopping in Belfast. In my opinion it’s definitely not as good as the other shops I’ve been to (Rusty Zip, Best & Vintage) They do sell some really funky clothing, stuff you really wouldn’t see anywhere else. But in my eyes it’s all second hand clothing, but here it’s got the ‘vintage so expensive’ tag.
One bonus though is the manager and staff who are awesome, you’ll often find them in adjacent Muriel’s (By the way, go here! It’s great!)
One thing that did disappoint me was a visit I made after going to buy a friend a Michael Jackson t-​shirt I’d seen. (This was shortly after his death, she was devastated) we had a bit of banter together and then I enquired about it, he was asking £50! I mean, no way! Said friend was (is) his hugest fan, but even she would kill me for spending that amount of money. It was absolutely ridiculous. That’s totally just cashing in on the mans death, I wasn’t impressed.

Bang Vintage Clothing is a cool store. It’s like a very specific 2^nd hand shop. There’s old Alex Ferguson biography sitting in the corner being sold for a £1.50. All that they stock are the coolest retro gear from every decade worth making note of (and sadly, a little bit of the 80s). A lot of the vintage shops in Belfast are really expensive. This one, whilst still a lot dearer than any regular 2^nd hand store would be, is still one of the cheaper one. The staff are nuts and love to help unsuspecting browsers pick an outfit. What makes this store a little more unique, is that upstairs it sells records, which is always good to wonder through if your into that type of thing!