A recent study from Betway has named Manchester the second most alternative city in the UK, with northern cities dominating the top 10 ranking.
All things retro have seen a massive resurgence in recent years. From fashion trends and interior design to cars and technology, the driving demand for vintage products is undeniable. But where are the best spots in the UK for the hipster crowd?
After analysing metrics such as the number of record shops, retro and vintage listings on Etsy, vintage events, as well as searches for retro-related terms, Betway has curated a list of the top 10 most hipster UK cities.
As can be expected, the capital was crowned the most alternative city in the UK, being host to over 3,020 ‘retro’ events from vintage fashion fairs to antique fairs.
Manchester takes second place with the most amount of monthly Google searches per 100,000 capita for retro-related terms like “retro games”, “retro clothes” and “retro furniture”.
The area continues to be a vintage hotspot, being host to many vintage fairs and flea market events this year including Manchester Vintage Fashion Market (taking place on the 3rd Saturday of every month), M4 Flea, and Lou Lou’s Vintage Market (the UK’s largest touring vintage fair).
Michelle Barratt, Event Manager for So Retro Vintage Fair in Prestwich said: “Sustainability and the environment are at the forefront of everyone’s minds these days.
“Vintage pieces have a uniqueness, style, and history that can’t be found with modern stuff. I also think that people love that sense of nostalgia.”
Manchester was also joint third with Glasgow in the number of record shops (1.5 per 100,000 people). In third place was Edinburgh with 1.3 record stores in the city per 100,000 people.
Also featuring were Bradford and Leeds, coming in fourth and fifth respectively. Bradford ranks as the best place for shopping for vinyl records, with the highest number of record shops per capita (2.7) despite reportedly holding no retro/vintage events.
Sunderland is revealed to be the worst place for retro lovers, followed by Luton and Plymouth.
Featured Image by StockSnap from Pixabay
