NEVER let it be said that the high street rules supreme in our city because, believe it or not, we offer much more on the shopping front than schlepping around department stores and tripping over wastrels in Primark.
Should you wish to browse its wares, you might happen across a 'Uni-Polar Wartenberg Pinwheel' and the frankly baffling 'Tadpole Electric Egg Probe'
Step away from the beaten track and all manner of consumer desires can be satiated by some pretty weird and wonderful retail destinations (it’s fair to say that some on the list lean considerably more towards the former).
Here's seven of the most unusual shops you'll find anywhere in Manchester:
Situated on Northern Quarter's Newton Street opposite the former Roadhouse club, eclectic would be an understatement for this Aladdin’s cave of bric-a-brac. Many an hour can be whiled away browsing knick knacks from David Beckham head mugs to fur coats and mini popcorn-making carts; vintage prams and stuffed toys to Jordan's biography; collectable figurines and vintage records to second-hand Tag Heuer watches with one hand. Empire is like an all-weather car boot sale. We were somewhat disappointed to learn that the life-sized Frank Sidebottom effigy was not for sale, though it’s nice to know he’ll be there waiting with a smile when we next pop in to pick up that wooden Slazenger squash racket with seven strings.
BEST BUY: Life-sized angel, £300
1 Newton St, Manchester M1 1HW
EmpireThis hidey-hole of cheekiness on the second floor of Afflecks could easily be mistaken for your average, harmless fancy dress and joke toy shop. Should you innocently wander past and see the brightly-coloured wigs and packets of plastic sick without paying much heed to the establishment’s name emblazoned above, you may be quite surprised to encounter a vast array of bizarrely-flavoured condoms and adult toys, as the father was during our visit when his angel-eyed little boy pointed at a mighty rubber dong.
BEST BUY: Grow your own gay friend (£2.50)
2nd Floor, Afflecks, 52 Church St, Manchester M4 1PW
A pocket GBFOne of the most remarkable shops you'll find anywhere in Manchester. You can find T.LA amongst the hustle and bustle of Chinatown, flogging shelve-upon-shelve of Chinese tat, erm, merchandise, ranging from authentic lanterns to giant Native Indian dreamcatchers and a range of indoor fireworks (erm indoor? That's what Balotelli thought...). Dragons, Buddhas and weird plastic cats abound, while across the back there are 100s of different incense fragrances, with a variety of choice ranging from the more ordinary cinnamon and coffee scents to ‘Dragon’s Blood’ and ‘Go Away Evil’ - handy when the TV Licence mafia come calling.
BEST BUY: Giant gong £195
16 Nicholas St, Manchester, M1 4EJ
No Mario... not againFound at the corner of Chester Road and Ellesmere Street, this architectural salvage and antiques shop is a slightly out-of-town interior decorators dream factory housed in what was a Grade II-listed Victorian pub. Satisfy all of your vintage home improvement requirements wandering up and down the numerous rickety wooden floors, with windows and glass products, heritage furniture, a remarkable array of forks, stuffed beasties, antlers and more brass than Amsterdam's Oudekerksplein.
BEST BUY: Taxidermy deer head, £550 + Vat
252 Chester Road, Manchester M15 4EX
Sling your coat on thatFirst opened in 1886, Fred's is the oldest on this list by a massive ear, er, country mile. Head to Northern Quarter's Lever Street and you can’t miss this extensive space dedicated to all things artsy, with three floors of endlessly useful materials to really get those creative juices flowing. Fancy getting crafty with your cakes? There’s a kit, character and cupcake case for every whim. How about making some candles? Just choose your mould, dye and type of wax and away you go. There’s even a photo booth, rented photography studio and laser studio. Just don't start-up a game of laser-tag... they don't like that.
BEST BUY: Knit your own beaver (£10.97)
37 Lever St, Manchester M1 1LW
Massive ear anyone...Lurking off Longley Lane in this anonymous suburb between Northenden and Wythenshawe is one of our favourite things in the whole wide world; a first rate second-hand bookshop in a nondescript warehouse and a handful of shipping containers. And it’s been there over two decades. The shelves are packed with literature of every description, every subject, every taste; from Juliet Bawden's seminal Lamps and Shades: Beautiful Ideas To Make & Decorate to Noddy Gets Into Trouble and It's Easy To Play Country'n'Western.
BEST BUY: Warlords of Japan by S.R. Turnbull (£4)
Unit 15, Wearlee Works, Longley Ln, Manchester M22 4WT
In the belly of Sharston BooksIf you’re in the vicinity of Sackville Street in Manchester's Village, Clone Zone definitely isn’t somewhere you’ll stumble into without having a specific type of purchase in mind. The posters in the window alone should tell you all you need to know, although the display stock consists mainly of 'sportswear' and saves some of the more spicy stuff for those who dare to enter. Should you wish to browse its wares, you might happen across a 'Clone-A-Willy-Kit', a 'Uni-Polar Wartenberg Pinwheel' and the frankly baffling 'Tadpole Electric Egg Probe'. Not one for the lily-livered.
BEST BUY: Zipper face, £27.99
36-38 Sackville St, Manchester M1 3WA
Clive quickly realised this wasn't Ninja SchoolHave we missed anything? Let us know in the comments box below...
YOU CAN ALSO FIND THE CITY'S BEST STEAKS, BOOKSHOPS & NEGRONIS IN OUR BEST OF MANCHESTER SERIES
