Stockport Old Town is bursting with newness, full of award winning independent businesses and brimming with local community nourishment, the local indie shop scene is thriving.
A couple of minutes on the train from Piccadilly, Stockport is the next essential destination on our Brothers & Sisters tour of indie hot spots….
Mooch Route: Indie retail joy is best enjoyed downhill, start at the top on Wellington Street, slide down Lower Hillgate, a nimble cartwheel over to the Market and finish off with a forward roll to Merseyway.
Pit stop: Don’t leave Stockport Old Town without dunking a Hobnob in a Hard Lines coffee at Rare Mags. It’s a thing. At the end of the shopping sesh hardworking Redwings are best parked with a pint at The Produce Hall.
Don’t forget: Face mask, 2m social distancing, re-usable tote and plenty of pre-shop-day StairMaster sessions.
Agapanthus Interiors, 77 Wellington Street Hillgate, SK1 1FE
What’s New: Agapanthus used the last lockdown to refurbish the upstairs rooms. Lots more furniture and chandeliers have been sourced and restored too.
New products include danish basketware, indoor and outdoor planters, ready for potting up in the garden, and the shop now stocks Abigail Ahern’s faux botanicals.
Opening times: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 11am to 4pm
Rare Mags, 5 Lower Hillgate, SK1 1JQ
Independent magazine and book shop, specialising in hard to find and international magazine titles, along with a range of fiction and non-fiction books from a wide range of independent publishers.
What’s New: A shed load of new stock in, strict mask policy, coffee, all the usual fun.
Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 6pm, Sunday 11am to 5pm
Old Town General Store, 24 Lower Hillgate, SK11JE
An independent lifestyle store selling a range of fashion for men and women and a selection of homewares and beauty products.
What’s New: Link up with a local art hub, Stock & Ford. New fashion brands include Portuguese Flannel, Hikerdelik, Fracap and for Home and Beauty: Eym Naturals, Sunday of London and Miffy.
Opening times: Wednesday to Saturday 11am to 5pm, 10am to 5pm Sunday
SK1 Records, 17 Little Underbank, SK1 1LA
SK1 Records is an independent record shop & cafe in the heart of Stockport’s Old Town. SK1 buy, sell & trade records!
What’s New: Plenty of new stock and full shop refresh ready for the spring season.
Opening times: Monday to Saturday 10.30 to 5.30pm
Underbank Studios, 11 Underbank, SK1 1LA
Underbank Studios is an artist and designer collective of four local women with a vision to open a not-for-profit, multi-purpose artists studio space and cultural hub in Stockport Old Town.
Opening June 2021: Downstairs from the studios will be a public-facing space with a print shop displaying the work of studio residents and other local makers, an arts/event space for risograph printing, collage making and other craft workshops and selling zines.
Andrinka Art, 20th Century Stores, 26 – 27 Market Place, SK1 1ES.
Local artist Audrey Szabo is a clothing designer by trade, with over twenty five years working for a range of companies from large corporates to small start ups.
Audrey’s favourite part of the job was always the illustrating and for the past four years Audrey has been selling her stylish and joyful prints to local shops, online and have had her work shown in “Homes and Antiques”.
Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday 12 noon to 4pm
Stockport Market, Market Place, SK1 1EW
With over 30 independent businesses selling everything from beer to buttons, Stockport has been market trading since the Middle Ages – the beautiful Market Hall dates back to the 1860’s and has a rich history.
Opening times: The market is open every Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
All Night Flight Records, 10 Mealhouse Brow, SK1 1JP
All Night Flight Records is a physical and online select record store dealing in predominately left-field, experimental, electronic and worldwide sounds. New and used records are sold, bought at traded.
Opening times: Thursday to Saturday 11am to 7pm, Sunday 12 to 5pm
Still Life Story, 16 Merseyway, SK1 1PJ
Homewares and lifestyle pieces selected to promote slow living, collections transcend trends and help to create your own unique story.
What’s New: Opening a temporary pop up until a new permanent spot is found, the space on Merseyway has a brand new shop refurb. Inside are new collections from Scandinavian & UK designers as well as an expanded product offering, more fresh flowers & new team members.
Opening times: 9:30am to 5:30pm Monday to Saturday, 11am to 4pm on Sunday
Brothers & Sisters 