Leith Walk and Broughton Street: Retail Picks

I would definitely recommend the stretch along Broughton Street and Leith Walk as food strips (see earlier entry), however there are a clutch of interesting stores as well ranging from independent boutiques to second-hand bookstores. Here were my top 3 favourite browsing experiences today:

1. Threadbare, Broughton Street

You would have thought, from the last few entries, that I'd have exhausted my appetite for Vintage. I thought I had, until I chanced upon Threadbare.

Walking through Threadbare is a perilous activity: the aisles are so narrow you can barely walk through. The racks are bursting with clothes which continually threaten to encroach onto the already claustrophic walking space.

This is a shop where you really have to get down and dirty, sifting through the straining mass of fabric, and contorting your body into awkward positions to peer behind those mannequin torsos scattered around. I found the most gorgeous dress ever quite by accident - it was hanging off an antique mirror which was in turn obscured by a rack of clothes. I was later told that the dress was a new arrival (just in yesterday!) It was truly pretty - red rose-print on a white background. Sadly, too big for me!

The cluttered, creche-like space is presided over by a loveable, helpful lady who gives off an air of slight kookiness. When I arrived she was in the middle of sorting out her jewelry collection at the counter, which was in her words, 'in a mess.' Just before I left, I noticed she had settled for arranging them in order of progressive 'bling-ness' - shiniest on the left.

Threadbare is a wee bit pricier than Armstrong's I think, but excellent for those shopaholics who love the thrill of scouring through a confusing morass of clothes for that perfect 'find.' Worth a look-see.

2. Joey D, Broughton Street


If Dr Frankenstein were in the fashion business, he'd have set up his laboratory in Joey D. This is a literally fashion factory - and indeed, there seems to be a workshop at the back where you can see staff getting down on their knees and hacking away at fabric.

Old clothes are deconstructed and given new life in Joey D's eclectic creations. A simple denim skirt is anything but 'simple' - rather it's a patische of different strips of coloured denim, and some leftover vintage scraps which are sewn together in Frankenstein fashion, to constitute a new skirt. There are also Joey D's men's shirts (one pictured above) which resemble something Two-Face from the Batman series would wear. I also stood for quite a while contemplating a Joey D bustier halter top, which went round the mannequin's neck with nothing more than a recycled leather belt strap.

If loud reanimated fashion is your thing, you should probably stop by Joey D. Not entirely my cup of tea, but I'd recommend it simply because it's so unusual and different - for me anyways.

3. McNaughtan's Bookshop, Haddington Place
(along Leith Walk)

A must-see in Edinburgh if you're into second-hand, antiquarian books. This is a quiet, dignified establishment, which is (random as this sounds) exceedingly well designed and presented. Love the continuous shelves which run all across the shop, and end up enclosing little private niche-like areas with chairs - perfect to sit down and browse through a nice, good book.

The amount of books is quite staggering, and they generally go at reasonable prices. I never thought I would open another Thomas Hardy book after one year of JC with the thoroughly revolting Clym Yeobright and Eustacia Vye. However I couldn't resist flipping through The Return of the Native in McNaughtan's. It was in excellent condition, and sheathed in its own book box. The novel was also illustrated with exquisite wood print engravings. And all that for 10 pounds.

Also spied plenty of art history books, the complete 48-volume set of Walter Scott's Waverley novels (at 225pounds), and 19th-century editions of Jean Froissart's Chronicles. Book lovers might go a little crazy in here.