Northern Quarter

The Northern Quarter is possibly the best bit of Manchester that I can think of. It is the most colourful, most creative area, and it's inspiring and happy just to wander around in. I'll give you a rough guide to what shops are where, and some of my most favourite places ever!


~ Affleck’s Palace ~
Slipping out of the busy-ness of Market Street in between Debenhams and the new (and all too common) Starbucks, you come ...
...the very heart of the Northern Quarter: Affleck’s Palace.

Affleck’s Palace was once the home of rag-trade wholesalers and Asian Eateries, but now it has replaced with independent retailers and local creative types giving it its current lively and happy alternative to the high street shopping. Basically, if you need something funky, you can get it here!

There are loads of quirky shops here:
~ trendy and unique ... more

The Northern Quarter is possibly the best bit of Manchester that I can think of. It is the most colourful, most creative area, and it's inspiring and happy just to wander around in. I'll give you a rough guide to what shops are where, and some of my most favourite places ever!

~ Affleck’s Palace ~
Slipping out of the busy-ness of Market Street in between Debenhams and the new (and all too common) Starbucks, you come across a mosaic poem on the floor. Looking on ahead you see another verse, and following this will lead you to the very heart of the Northern Quarter: Affleck’s Palace.

Affleck’s Palace was once the home of rag-trade wholesalers and Asian Eateries, but now it has replaced with independent retailers and local creative types giving it its current lively and happy alternative to the high street shopping. Basically, if you need something funky, you can get it here!

There are loads of quirky shops here:
~ trendy and unique clothes shops
~ the poster shop (I've never seen a shop sell so many posters!)
~ the bead shop (part of the Arcade which is the bit of building that's stuck to Affleck’s and looks like Affleck’s and is accessible via Affleck’s, but called the Arcade...)
~ the pink shop (it is very very pink, and sells loads of bits and pieces like greeting cards, Hello Kitty stuff, Playboy stuff etc)
~ shoe shops
~ PVC shop (kinda scary with UV lights and stuff)
~ there's a cafe or two (used to be one that was decorated with square cows but it's gone now! :( )
~ a hair dresser
~ loads of shops that sell weird and wonderful second hand stuff, from antiques to hippy hats, belts to military uniforms....

plus and loads of other brilliant things! This place is crammed to the brim with cool to look at - its interior is packed with novel bits and pieces - and brilliant things to buy!

I really like how the four storey building is decorated as well and will attempt to upload some pictures to show you! In case I don't, well, the building has elaborate type huge black flower lamps that loom over and surround the building, with huge colourful mosaics depicting many wonderful aspects of Manchester.

- Summary of Affleck’s -
Shopping experience - Alternative
Distance from market street - 2 minutes walk (if that)
Pricing - can range from really cheap, to quite expensive, but there are choices within the whole building and different prices for the same thing so shop around
Accessibility - Probably not advisable for disabled people (sorry guys) but I don't think they have any room to fit a lift into the already cluttered building, although having said that, there's probably a lift that I haven't discovered yet cos the building is so cluttered...
Things to look out for - the Dr Who phone box, the big yeti type monster....
Time required – you can easily use up 2 hours in here! :)

~ Oklahoma ~
I discovered this one day when I got off my bus a bit little too early with my friend Lee. The neon flashing Oklahoma sign was a curiosity, and enticed us to go in a have a gander. It turns out it sells absolutely everything, and is brilliant for a personal gift to a friend. I have since been in and managed to acquire:
~ a watering can in the shape of a teapot
~ an inflatable Dalek
~ chocolate cigarettes
~ a wind up penguin
~ rainbow Rizlas (I don't smoke by the way, I just have a lot of friends that do)
I see something new every time I go in there, and it's really unexpected and exciting too! Actually, I have a clock made from a Spam can right next to me, and it's really good! :)

Oklahoma has a concept called "walk in, hang out", or something like that but it basically means you can go and just wander around for ages without any purpose. To aid this, they also have a cafe, where it has lots of Fair Trade and organic beverages to consume whilst you hang out. You can park yourself one of the millions of random chairs and seats, and then just chat and stuff. You can even do your own Oklahoma artwork whilst you're there! Do a bit of drawing with the pens and things they give you, and if they're nice they'll put it up for you! :)

If all that isn't brilliant enough, Oklahoma's also attached onto a music shop, which sells loads of CDs and all that sort of stuff. Not bought anything from there, but I'm told it has a good variety of music at decent prices

And it doesn't stop there, if you go downstairs, there's actually a gallery of one of the people who owns the shop. It's really good there, very dark, and atmospheric, and it's a nice to take your organic cuppa, and chill out for a bit. The artwork is brilliant - modern patterns and pictures of bright colours with perhaps a sinister undertone. The seats are brilliant too! Again there is an extraordinary array of seats to match the upstairs cafe.

- Summary of Oklahoma -
Shopping experience - alternative
Distance from market street - less than 10 minute walk. You could just get off the 135 bus which has a stop right outside Oklahoma
Pricing - well, I'm afraid the stuff can sometimes get a bit pricey, but that's cos I've never seen any of the stuff elsewhere! The cafe's definitely a little bit on the expensive side, but it's cos the stuff's all organic. The gallery is free though, so that's good.
Accessibility - well, the shop can get a little cluttered sometimes, so wheelchair access might be a bit of a squeeze sometimes. The gallery will be a no no, since I almost fell down there the other day and I was walking quite sensibly. Honest! :)
Time required – if you stay for a drink then a little longer, otherwise maybe less than an hour unless you want to just sit and chill til they chuck you out.

~ Pop Cafe ~
The Pop Cafe has recently been done up, and it looks spectacular now. Okay, so I haven't got the old version to compare to cos I only discovered it about 6 months ago, but I've got to say that it does look brilliant now!

The Pop Cafe consists of the shop which is upstairs, the cafe, which is downstairs, and it's also stuck to a music shop! The shop is brilliant and mainly sells clothes. There's a huge selection of t-shirts, hoodies, tops and pants, all arranged in colour order, making the shop feel very bright and cheery when you walk in. They also sell some cool antiques as well, and a few alternative gifts and gift wrap.

Downstairs, they have done a good job in creating a very fresh and calm area for eating or chilling out. It's great here, with a predominantly white decor, but with lots of splashes of colour from the interesting stuff that they have adorned the walls with. The lamp shades are very exciting! :) The tables to dine at are of a variety of shape and sizes to accommodate varying amounts of people, and have different coloured chairs for each table, which I thought was very cool. The menu's pretty much normal, and may feel pricey at first, but once you actually receive your food, it'll be worth the price cos it's delicious! They the normal sandwiches, paninis, jacket potatoes and stuff like that. Drinks wise - normal, but the brilliant thing is.....THEY HAVE VIMTO! Fantastic stuff! I have never EVER found a place that sold Vimto! I was so proud! :)

The CD shop is pretty cool, and is basically the shop next door that decided to work together with the Pop Cafe to make it brilliant! Lots of good music in there as well, and at decent prices. it spans the same two floors as the pop cafe, and also looks fresh and feels very relaxed.

- Pop Cafe -
Shopping experience - Alternative/cool
Distance from Market Street - erm, may take about 10 minutes, but it depends how confused you get when finding the place, not that it's confusing, but all exteriors of the shops round there look the same so it's a little disconcerting
Pricing - I've never bought anything from here, and I'm not entirely sure why, but it might be cos of the price, so it must be quite expensive. Food wise, you definitely get your money's worth, cos it is lots of very very nice food for your amount of money.
Accessibility - aww, I don't think disabled people would be able to go to the cafe cos it's all stairs and stuff, but the shop is pretty good and spaced out! :)
Time required – for food as well, maybe about 30 to 45 minutes.

~ Manchester Craft and Design Centre ~
This is my favourite part of the world! Yay!

Manchester Craft and Design Centre is situated in the old Smithfield Fish and Poultry Market on the corner of Copperas Street and Oak Street in the northern quarter. It's very well hidden away, but once you find it, it's like finding a gem, cos it's really nice, and very pretty! :)

Okay, so I don’t' really come here to shop, cos it basically consists of loads of studios where artists and designers do their work and sell them. These people are fantastic and do lots of good work, and then sell their hard work for what they are truly worth. The reason why I wouldn't shop here: I can't afford anything. Most of these artists are either commissioned to make things, or they are working for a living, so the stuff does get quite expensive. They are very pretty though! :)

The building itself is beautiful - the roof is made of glass so it's always really bright and airy feeling in there, and the front of the building is also just made of glass. You get a real sense of freedom inside, as well as quietly controlled artistic creations. Once you walk inside, there's a really old piano and some pieces of artwork or designs spilling out of the shops and in display cabinets. Looking upwards, you will see the second floor, also full of delights and creativity.

I can't quite remember every single studio name in this extraordinary building, but I can remember a few:
~ Sarah and Simon - these two work together and have created a studio specialising in contemporary wooden vessels and bowls, as well as handcrafted textiles, bags and paintings. This fresh feeling studio is definitely inspiring, and full of fun! :)
~ Silverlode - this is a jewellery shop made up of 4 independent jewellery designers/makers. it houses a great array of handcrafted jewellery from gem-studded bracelets, to intricate silver rings. As the longest running studio at the centre, it really has done a good job! The display cabinets really show off the jewellery, and gives an air of mysterious excitement. I really like visiting this studio! :)
~ Studio 4 - this specialises in ceramics and metals. There's loads of really weird looking bowls and stuff there. Famous for the jewellery using steel cable and fuses, this studio is very representative of the variety of stuff found within the Craft and Design centre.

As well as the studios, the centre also has a cafe right in the middle of the lower floor. This is a really open and friendly feeling cafe, that has heaters for winter days. It feels really nice there, and it's a good place to catch up with a good friend there too! Cos the place is pretty quiet as well, it's nice to chill out there.

- Summary of the Manchester Craft and Design Centre -
Shopping experience - art and design/commissioned art
Distance from Market Street - hmm, it's a good 10 minute walk from Market Street, but there are lots of things to see on the way there. Like the huge Dustpan and Broom statue, and the tile display outside the car park.
Pricing - expensive. Well for a student anyway. I'm sure the prices are negotiable though cos the artists own their own companies, and commissioned pieces are definitely subject to discussion! :)
Accessibility - Now I'm pretty sure there's a lift in this building! Pretty sure. It's next to one of the two set of stairs. Yes! :)
Time required – I’m saying an hour, but I’d spend ages in here looking at all the cool stuff! :)

~ Chinese Arts Centre ~
The Chinese Arts Centre was set up to promote contemporary Chinese art and interpretation of Chinese culture. This place is brilliant cos I’d never really been to a modern Chinese arts centre before, and it really does depict the essence of Chinese culture, but in the modern sense.

There’s a gift shop, selling all sorts of Chinese-y stuff, as well as perceived Chinese stuff which we don’t really own at all, but it’s all good. The tea shop – ha! What hilarity! Basically, it’s a self service tea shop where you select a tea from a wide variety of teas in the big apothecary type shelving unit, and then pay £2.50 for some hot water. Okay, I’m looking at this from a Chinese point of view so I’m a little bias, but it is very good though – I very ingenious idea to educate people in the way of the Chinese tea! :)

Every so often I get stuff in the post about the new exhibition in the Arts Centre. When I went, there was a film showing people from different cultures switching from their stereotyped mother tongue English to the proper English language in a murder mystery. It was really weird, but really interesting at the same time. Downstairs there is an education suite, presumably for large groups or school trips. And this place is also a resource centre. Quite handy I reckon.

- Summary of the Chinese Arts Centre –
Shopping Experience – not really shopping, but I guess cultural if anything
Distance from Market Street – this one’s quite far away, probably just over 10 minute walk. It’s near Oklahoma though so the 135 will do the trick.
Pricing – didn’t really pay attention to the prices in the shop, but the tea’s quite expensive. The gallery however is free, so it’s all bargainous. :)
Accessibility – fantastic! Lifts and stuff, and lots of space! Even a ramp instead of a step up unto the centre! :)
Time required – I’d go for an hour, maybe under. Depends how long you take over your tea! :)

~ Other weird and wonderful shops ~
There are loads of them round here that I know of, have visited or just had a glance inside, so let me give you a brief overview of some of the interesting ones:

~ House of Haynes ~
This is a fancy dress hire shop. So if you want to hire a Santa Costume, Bunny suit, or a Gorilla Outfit, I reckon you’d find it here.

~ Anything Theatrical~
Haha, this place seriously sells all the stuff you need to be theatrical. Masks, costumes, stage makeup, everything! You can also push to getting a nurses outfit here as well….! :)

~ Forbidden Planet ~
Ooh this shop is great! Sells loads of figurines, memorabilia and stuff, like the Simpsons' figures, Lord of the Rings posters, Buffy DVDs, your very own Star Trek outfit, Dr Who books, all sorts! And that’s just on the first floor! Downstairs there’s loads and loads of comics, magazines and imported goodies like manga and anime DVDs. Superhero figurines are found down here as well, plus loads of postcards, posters and collectable stickers. I really like this shop! :)

~ Little Book of Furniture ~
Curiosity brought me into this shop, and it turns out that it sells lots of modern furniture at pretty high prices, but it’s really nice though! :)

~ Magma ~
This is essentially a cool bookshop that sells lots of cool notebooks, postcards and imported goodies too. You’ll find loads of Emily Lestrange stuff here, as well as guides to films and artworks and lovingly bound books.

~ Westworld ~
Clothes shop! Ah, the first one proper one I’ve mentioned. This sells loads of cool clothes like Bench and Repubik, but it’s quite expensive. Nonetheless, I go in there to drool over the lovely clothes, and try to find a lower priced equivalent elsewhere! :)

~ The Market ~
For some reason (I’ve never worked out why) there’s a street market opposite Affleck’s Palace! There’s only a few stalls there, but they sell all sorts of fruit and veg at proper market prices! It really good though, very handy! Good for students, and very handy if you want to buy fresh stuff on the way home from town.

~ The Window Display Shop/The Shop Display Shop/The Bag Shop ~
I don’t properly know what these three shops are really called, but they sell all the aforementioned things! I’ve been in! If you ever need a mannequin head, or a “Sale” sign, these are the places to look! I have actually bought things from all these shops, and they are at low prices, and lower if you buy them in bulk, but I suppose people don’t really need 100 paper bags unless you’re opening a shop. (I have a mannequin head, a “come inside there’s so much more to see” sign, and 100 paper bags…) I couldn’t believe they had real shops for things like that though! I was quite impressed! :) Just goes to show that the Northern Quarter sells absolutely everything! :)

The Northern Quarter is a magnet to the strange and beautiful I love this area cos there’s so many things to see! It’s getting better as well, cos there’s more and more artwork being put up as well as developments underway! I’d easily spend a whole day here, and I’m sure you would as well! :)

Okay, so I’m thinking I should stop now. I’ve been typing for 2 hours solid, and I appear to have got down the main things that are floating around in my head. Hope it was a good read, and hope you come and see the wonderfulness known as Manchester’s Northern Quarter. 

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