If you can’t live without shopping, then Barcelona is the place for you! Whether you are interested in the latest affordable collections offered by Zara, Desigual and Mango, or high-end designers such as Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, Barcelona’s cobbly old streets will make you burn through your cash in no time. Head for Passeig de Gràcia and Portal de l’Àngel and you will soon say goodbye to your euros in exchange for bags full of bang-on-trend wearables. If are not that great of a fan of today’s fashion and admire the outfits that were used decades ago, then Barcelona will not disappoint. There are a number of second-hand clothing stores where you can find plenty of vintage items to add to your wardrobe.
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Where to buy vintage clothes
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There are two main streets in Barcelona where you should head to in order to the find the best vintage treasures. The first one is Carrer dels Tallers and the second is Carrer de La Riera Baixa, both of which are located in El Raval, about a ten-minute walk from Plaça Catalunya. Both streets are home to many retro stores and vintage-style enthusiasts can easily spend an entire afternoon searching the rails for some fantastic attires.
Carrer dels Tallers
Some of the best second-hand outlets in this street are Retro City at number 47 and perhaps the most famous vintage clothes shop in town, Holala! which is located at number 73. Both stores stock a great range of authentic and pseudo vintage clothing and accessories.
Carrer de La Riera Baixa
Carrer de La Riera Baixa, is a small street inhabited by mostly vintage shops. Most of the stores you can find here are dedicated to clothing, although there’s also a retro record shop and a hairdresser, La Strada, that specializes in vintage hairstyles courtesy of the gorgeous Tatiana, a Costa Rican/American woman who speaks both Spanish and English and does the best haircuts (retro or not) in town in her beautiful vintage style salon.
The best time to visit Carrer de La Riera Baixa is on Saturday afternoons when the shops and their wares spill out onto the street and a few impromptu tables appear so that locals can sell second-hand items.
The best shops on this street are Lullaby and Kilostore. Pricing varies according to the age of the item but don’t expect to find super cheap items as Barcelona’s shop owners know vintage is on trend and they price their items accordingly.
Related article: Where to donate used clothes
Humana and Roba Amiga stores
Another second-hand clothing outlet worth mentioning is Humana, which operates like a charity shop, where they sell donated clothing and the profits are used for charitable purposes.
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Humana currently has 33 stores across Spain where you can purchase original, second-hand clothing and accessories. The shops have a wide selection of clothing for men and women of all ages, which are sold for a very affordable price.
Though a lot of the clothing sold at Humana belongs to relatively recent fashion collections, there are also some vintage items in each store, just waiting to be discovered.
If you need a pair a jeans, shorts, a dress, jackets, shirts, t-shirts or even accessories like belts, handbags, and jewelry, you will be able to find them at Humana.
Roba Amiga works in a very similar way to Humana. Part of the donated clothes they receive are handed out to people in need while the other part is sold at their stores. The profit made from the sales is used to keep the project going.
Both Humana and Roba Amiga recycle the clothes that cannot be sold and donated, giving them a new life.
Second-hand markets
There are also a wealth of flea markets that pop up all over the city during the weekend, like The Flea, Fleadonia, Lost & Found, and On the Garage, where you can often get your hands on a real bargain. Many of the items sold at these markets are more second hand than vintage but like at Humana and Roba Amiga, there are hidden items to be discovered so make sure you dig in to find what are looking for!
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* Main photo by PreciousBytes via Visualhunt
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