Glasgow West End: Pat's Guide: Hunting out the Bargains

Find something wonderful - new or nearly new or vintage

Handbags and Gladrags

Maxine's'Aladdin's Cave of Clothes and Accessories'at 158 Dumbarton Road is worth a trip to Partick Cross(Kelvinhall Underground). Expert in the second hand clothes trade Maxine, together with husband Michael, has for many years run 'Maxine's', the jewel in the crown of Paddy's Market. I predict that Handbags and Gladrags will be a great success in the West End. You'll be amazed at the cheap price and enjoy Maxine's banter. I was laughing out loud - some good Glasgow humour in the West End! (April, 2003)
Check out the new area at the back of Handbags and Gladrags
Fantastic designer gear, retro and accessories - you will not believe the prices. (Spring, 2008)
Read the full feature

Retro

8 Otago Street, Kelvinbridge, G12. Telephone: 0141 576 0165

Lesley McGowan's well established shop is the place to find your 50s, 60s and 70s gear - with a great selection of summer dresses, party frocks, quirky shirts, classy cardis, coats and jackets. There are also cabinets chock-a-block with costume jewellery, retro shoes, hats and bags. It's a favourite student haunt - often full of Art Students after that certain look. They even get a 10% discount.

There is also a selection of linens and those highly sought after long velvet curtains, which look great and keep the cold out.

Circa

37 Ruthven Lane, off Byres Road, Glasgow G12 9BG
Retro and Vintage Heaven at 37 Ruthven Lane, off Byres Road.
Amazing range of dresses, jewellery, handbags, shoes and textiles. Read the feature
Telephone: 0141 334 6660,
circavintage@xln.co.uk
www.circavintage.co.uk

Starry Starry Night

Some of the best bargains can be found in Retro shops such as Starry Starry Night which is every bit as uplifting as its name suggests. Satins, lace, ribbons and bows, tuxedos, kilts, neat tweed jackets, fair isle cardigans, genuine embroidered cardigans, party frocks and dinner suits. (I was besotted by exquisite baby christening gowns when I dropped in recently.) It is a favourite with students in the area and offers something really different and special at affordable prices. Yes, you too can go to the ball!

When Anna Graham arrived back in Glasgow from a soujourn in New York in 1987 it was her ambition to own a vintage clothing shop. With three friends (she is now the sole proprietor) she established Starry, Starry Night which has provided a focus for her passion for retro and clothing antiquities. There is not much that Anna does not know about vintage clothing and she has a story to tell about almost every item in the shop.

Take your pick from gloriously beaded and embroidered Victorian gowns; twenties dresses looking for an opportunity to Charleston once more; thirties glamourous bias cut satin cocktail dresses and the students' current favourite 70's retro. The shop is completely fascinating and not surprisingly a regular haunt of Theatrical Companies.

When I called in Anna showed me some of her favourites outfits including a Victorian Lord Lieutenant's Uniform with the most wonderful gold heraldic embroidery and - can you believe? Sandie Shaw's pink spangled cat suit designed by her husband Jeff Banks. Apparently Sandie wore this sensational outfit to the 1968 Montreux Film Festival. (No matching shoes required.)

The shop also offers a wonderful range of accessories including feather boas, elbow length gloves, Paisley patterned Tootal scarves and various styles of hats. At Starry, Starry Night there really is something for everyone . Anna sells things you need and others just made to be adored.

(Situated in Starry, Starry Night you will find Bethsy Gray's wonderful silver jewellery handcrafted and designed in the shop.)

Other Retro shops combining good quality with good bargains include Change at 9 Park Road, Kojak near Partick Cross is great for 60s and 70s gear and Watermelon on Great Western Road.

Dumbarton Road in Partick has numerous second hand and junk shops and you really need to browse around and have a good look. Browsers at 561 is more upmarket but not overpriced - I got a great bargain here in my silver and ruby ring.
Tel: 0141 337 1837

Charity Shops

Partick also has an amazing number of charity shops, around Kelvinhall Underground there are three: the PDSA, Sense and OXFAM. Also at Partick Cross you will find the very large Salvation Army Shop, which is enormously popular and has a super range of clean and well ironed stock and also has its very own boutique! All along Dumbarton Road you can find charity shops - the Cancer Research Campaign at No 458 is good for bargains also Marie Curie Cancer Care No 383.

Byres Road and Great Western Road both have quite a selection. On Byres Road Barnadoes and Save the Children Fund are almost next door to each other (177 and 165) and newly opened beside them is a fabulour OXFAM second hand book store.

Shelter has two shops on Great Western Road and they both offer good quality stock and the one at No. 679 sometimes has clothes from BBC Scotland Costumes Department - these can either be very startling or real finds. This is also where I pass on my own retro collection and I like to see my 'donations' hanging up for sale.

Offload your own retro

At The Auction Stop
11 0ld Dumbarton Road, Yorkhill and Dumbarton Road, Partick. Telephone: 0141 576 5692.
Selling for you on eBay - take along your collectibles and unwanted items. Almost anything can be sold so turn your unwanted gifts into cash. You can also raise cash for charity.

Comments

My daughter, Emma Raeside has opened a new florists/gift shop called "grace" at 173 byres road. As her father I'm bound to be a little biased but notwithstanding that she does seem to be building a reputation for fair pricing and good service. Perhaps you would like to drop in sometime and and decide whether you would like to include her in the web site. I couldn't find a florist in your list of shops.
--JIM RAESIDE ( JIM at JRAESIDE dot FREESERVE dot CO dot UK dot ) from Scotland on 4.3.2000; 0:00:00 Uhr

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