Retro Boutique

Found a coat I liked and took it to the counter because I thought I could make an offer (was only £30 but I’m a student, and I had the cash). The man didn’t hurry up his conversation on the phone at all, just grunted a ‘hi’. I waited, and when he was finished and I made my offer of £20; he looked at me as if I was an alien, and looked at my friend as if she’d be on his side with the mention of such a ridiculous offer. He gave the vibe of an up himself hipster, and he lost my sale. The coat had mud on it as well, while he maintained it had been ‘specially cleaned’. Guys, if you want good retro/​vintage bargains, go to the auctions. This is where shops like this get their stock. The reason I was in there was just pure curiosity. I don’t often put reviews on like this as it takes a lot for me to be negative about someone who works with the public because I’ve worked in retail myself. Disappointed.

This is one of the most beautiful, exciting, jam packed vintage shops in Leeds. In terms of display it is like a Narnia of years gone by, each corner holds another section of hidden delights. There are huge rails, from a number of suppliers, of beautiful clothing styled from the 20s right up to the 90s and more. Other than the second hand stores I’ve never seen so much exciting and quirky furniture in one place either! If you held this shop up against the vintage store in town, pop boutique, and a number of others who are trying to break into the market, this place would still come out on top. Certainly based on stock and display they are winners.
That said their clothing items are not as genuine as those in, say, Final Curtain, and their prices are a touch steep to say the least. Such is the life of a vintage loving person… If you are looking for incredible quirky items, gifts, picture frames, old telephones, posters, furniture, mirrors and more, then you will not be disappointed. Most come with a hefty price tag, but for an incredible art nouveau style mirror as big as your wall, could you expect much less?
The main complaint you could hold against retro boutique is that not exclusively every item in here is retro. You’ll be hard pushed really, to find a vintage shop that deals in exclusively retro goods, so perhaps it’s a moot point. It’s a wonderfully packed store and makes an incredibly interesting browse, and I highly recommend a visit to see what treasure you can unearth.

Retro Boutique is a haven for people who love all things retro, vintage and antique. The windows are full of interesting flea market type items including vintage clothes, colourfully sleeved records, beautiful furniture, jewelery, and various other bits and bobs. It is an enticing window to say the least, and it has drawn me in on the odd occasion. Inside, the layout is more like a show room than a shop. Mannequins draped in vintage jewellery are poised elegantly around Audrey Hepburn-​esque items as if to say ‘Come in, darrrrling.’
The clothing racks upstairs are bursting with different coloured prints and fabrics, ripped denim, leather jackets and fur coats. There is a huge amount of different items to pick up and ponder at from all corners of the retro/​vintage spectrum, from the dainty and glamorous, to the garish and bubble gum. Some of the items (i.e. furniture) do seem overpriced but I have been told by friends that it is very good quality.
The quirky little tea sets, record players, and pictures of pop icons from the past make this a great place to buy presents for friends and family. I bought a small and beautifully decorated tea leave tin for a tea addicted friend of mine for about £3. On the other hand, if you are skint and feeling the winter blues I’d advise against going in. Often when I go into a shop to find shelter from rain or am simply drawn in by nice lampshades, I come out with a purchase I don’t need and can’t really afford. Damn. You will probably come out with a novelty ashtray sporting a pop art picture of Marilyn Monroe’s face then get home and realise you don’t even smoke.

Retro boutique definitely picked the right spot when placing their business. Daily hoards of student walk along Headingley Lane on route into the city and the university not able to resist a peek in Retro Boutique.
Retro Boutique is a little different to the other vintage stores in Leeds as it’s focus is on «antique» value rather than retro image. In addition to this, the boutique sells a lot more furniture and nic-​nacs than Blue Rinse and friends in the city centre do.
The first floor holds vintage sofas, wardrobes, photo frames, lamps, paintings and other furniture from the 20’s up to the 80’s. It has all been chosen with precision and every item is a really beautiful piece of history. The prices reflect this, and you pay for antique value. I’m sure many a student loan has been spent in one visit here on a few bits a bedroom décor!
Upstairs holds retro fashion pieces which vary slightly from that of other vintage clothes shops also. The clothes picked are a little less accessible as wearable outfits than Best Vintage e.t.c. They are all gorgeous items and some of the female dresses in particular are breathtaking.
The shop holds some really «oooh» «ahhhh» «that’s just gorgeous» antique items if you have the money and a passion for vintage décor. However if you are wanting to kit yourself out with trendy vintage bits head into town for Blue Rinse and Ryan Vintage instead.

Ingeniously situated in one of Leeds’ most bohemian and effortlessly cool areas, Hyde Park, Retro Boutique provides customers with vintage items from many eras with which to wear and furnish.
Like any retro shop, you have to root around for ages before you find anything worth buying, and sometimes you won’t find anything worth purchasing at all. There are heaps of clothes on offer, but they are more geared towards women than men, which is a bit disappointing if you have a Y chromosome.
Unlike most of the other vintage shops in Leeds, however, this place does offer plenty of quirky items of furniture as well as its clothing selection. So if you’re a woman, or in need of some bizarre bric-​à-​brac, I’d recommend Retro Boutique. If, like me, however, you want to find a 1980s Adidas tracktop, I’d recommend Blue Rinse in town.

Totally disagree that is shop of sht, are some amazing bargains to be had when you open your eyes. Plus they’ve improved the layout and the prices aren’t too bad. The reason why some of the furniture is expensive is because it’s not just some cheap c*p from ikea or similar, that will fall apart in a year, but rather is a quality item that has already lasted a lifetime and will last several more.
As well as furniture there is a wide variety of nice unique clothes, which can be found if you rifle through.
There are also items of interest, like old books and records and magazines, that are good for a little slice of history.
All in all, would definately reccommend this shop because you never know what you might find, and you always feel that extra sense of achievement because you make the find yourself, rather than have it marketed at you.

I disagree on the expensive front, there are some real bargains in this place. Admittedly not everything is a bargain but then who would expect that.
Go to an architectural salvage place and then you will see what overpriced means.
There is a lot of really nice stuff and the owner is really friendly. The stacked up nature is rather the whole point of places like this, you go in, and you have a dig around. If you find something then all good otherwise, what have you really lost whereas you will have likely gained a rather pleasant, lazy half an hour looking at some things that have a bit of character about them.
If you are looking to be pointed to what to buy in neat little rows then you are probably better off going to Ikea.

Want a unique item of restored furniture? Vintage clothing? Or perhaps just some old retro knick-​knacks? Then look no further than Retro Boutique, the best place to go in Leeds for vintage curios. Situated on Hyde Park corner, it’s absolutely packed with everything from chairs, to mirrors, to bags, to costume jewellery and much, much more. Like everything retro it’s not the cheapest place in the world, but while you might not come away with a complete bargain, you’ll definitely come away with something chic and unique. Be prepared to rummage.

I am too scared to come in here very often, because:
1) The layout is rubbish and stuff is piled up precariously everywhere
2) Everything is expensive
3) I am incredibly clumsy
Add those three together and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
Also, it is full of the kind of people that shop in The Story of O. In fact, it’s EXACTLY like the shop off that Harry and Paul show, where people buy overpriced sh*t because they think it’s retro or something. Heh heh that’s what Retro Boutique is. A Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse stage shop. Hilarious.