Shops / vintage
A luxury vintage clothing store has opened in Bristol
A luxury vintage clothing store has opened in Bristol and they’re looking to bring back the retail experience.
Basement Brokers, will have opened its doors almost one month ago on Park Street.
The store sells designer vintage goods at discounted prices, as well as offering a trades service. They believe the market has been missing a high end experience, with buyers of luxury goods hesitantly shifting to second-hand products, long after everybody else.
is needed now More than ever
On that final, long-awaited shift, Danny Donovan, owner of Basement Brokers says: “You realise that there’s so many people that wear high end clothing and keep everything in pristine condition. The amount of stuff we have come in doesn’t even look like it’s been worn.
“So, there’s so much value to be had in. It’s like, this one bag was nearly £3,000 and you can have it for £720 like, who, in their right mind, is going to pay three grand for it when you can get it for much cheaper?
He adds that they often come across some rare, unique items and limited designer collaborations.
One of the limited edition collaborations on offer
Speaking on the shift in attitudes, Ruairi O’Sullivan, marketing director for the store, says: “I think maybe 10 years ago, it wasn’t maybe as common for people to want to buy used things, or items in second hand condition. I think there was kind of a different mindset then, a bit of stigma against it.”
Depop is “swarmed” with fakes, says Ruairi
Selling vintage designer items isn’t nothing new, and has become increasingly common with apps such as Vinted and Depop becoming more popular with Gen-Z buyers than Ebay.
Danny believes what they’re offering is distinct due the service, he says: “to be able to, come in-store, we think is a huge part of high end clothing, receiving that service and experience. As opposed to a quick order online, get the item, and that’s it.
“Coming in, browsing, talking, sharing a passion and a knowledge about the item, getting to try it on, having fun with it. I think that’s so lost with online shopping, which is more transactional.”
They have already got regular customers, bringing in their items and trading them.
The designer goods on apps do have the potential to be fake. Ruairi adds that the ability to being able to come in-store, gives a sense of trust that the items are legitimate as they verify everything.
The team also offer personal shopping, for those wanting to take their retail experience to another level
They both say that moving forwards, they’re hoping to make their offerings more affordable at £100 or £200.
In the meantime, they’re model of trading seems to be working well for them, “We’ve had so many people come down and be really excited about, you know, the idea of bringing something in and leaving with something else which is really nice enough to exchange any money. It makes it quite good fun” says Danny.
And they’re keen to bring the circular economy to designer goods, in a way that fits with that style.
On his choice of location, Danny says, “Jacobs has been here for years and I always really liked what they were doing and saw that they had unused space in the basement.”
All photos: Hannah Massoudi
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