Turkey's Charm Rivaling Europe: A Complete Guide to Vintage and Thrift Shopping in Istanbul

📍 Istanbul · 👁 6801 reads · ❤️ 21 likes

Since I have some free time now, I want to organize my vintage shopping guide from Istanbul, Turkey, along with the interesting stories I encountered.

My first impression of Turkey came from history textbooks in school—a country that straddles Europe and Asia. Besides that, as a child, I was obsessed with the shōjo manga "The Red River" (Sora wa Akai Kawa no Hotori), and the ancient Hittite kingdom was located in modern-day Turkey.

Before my trip, I revisited "The Cats of Istanbul" and "Murder on the Orient Express," which only deepened my curiosity and longing for Istanbul. What would a country that loves cats, has warm-hearted people, and a multi-religious historical culture really be like?

Because of my love for vintage, whenever I visit a new city or country, I always try to check out the local vintage shops.

This retro obsession extends to many aspects of my life. "Old-fashioned is the new." Truly good quality clothing can withstand the test of time, and I hope to gradually refine my wardrobe to be simple yet exquisite, while slowly adding my own label.

During my previous work trip, I managed to visit some shops in my spare time and have compiled them here. Feel free to pick and choose :)

The next three shops are all located on İstiklal Avenue, known as the "Champs-Élysées" of Istanbul. Famous spots like the century-old dessert shop 1864, Galata Tower, and others are all concentrated here. At the end of the article, I recommend Turkey's weekend flea market.

**Address:** Şahkulu, Kumbaracı İş Hanı, Kumbaracı Ykş. 57 / A, 34420 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Turkey

**Hours:** 12:00-21:00, open every day

**Price:** On the lower end for vintage stores; sweaters and shirts are generally 90-100 lira, great value for money.

🔺Grandma Vintage has two stores, not far apart; I visited this new one.

Owner Gizem Saluvan worked as a visual buyer at Mavi Jeans for many years. She found that there wasn't a single clothing store on İstiklal Avenue that she truly liked, so she decided to open Grandma Vintage herself. The store is named after her grandmother, who was meticulous about cleanliness and hygiene. At the old store, Saluvan displays various photos of grandmothers to fit the theme.

By the way, Mavi is a Turkish denim brand founded in Istanbul in 1991, considered a national brand. If you're in Istanbul, it's worth visiting.

Grandma Vintage has been operating since 2014 and now has two stores—the old and the new—both on the same street, just a short walk apart.

They have jewelry, clothing, accessories, shoes—everything sourced from various places.

Hawaiian shirts, pop-art sweaters, one-piece swimsuits… a wide variety, reasonably priced, and excellent value. All items are hand-picked by the owner and team from local markets and other cities/countries. And Saluvan never buys anything she wouldn't wear herself, haha.

The style is not limited; it's whatever she likes, including gender-neutral clothing and color-block dresses.

In fact, every vintage store's selection largely reflects the owner's preferences. Saluvan's Grandma Vintage leans toward colorful and floral patterns, and she emphasizes these elements in her curation.

In comparison, the old store feels smaller and cozier. Because of work, I couldn't go back in the evening—it was already closed. Both stores are open until 9 PM. Next time, I definitely want to chat at the old store.

The new store is more suited for small groups of friends to hang out, with retro disco balls, neon lights… When I visited, it was around Halloween, and the staff were still discussing the party from a few days before.

Additionally, the store has a retro arcade machine, instantly taking me back to playing King of Fighters in game arcades as a kid. The staff often play a round when they're free. Interestingly, the second floor of the new store even has a sliding pole to slide down to the first floor, adding a fun element to shopping. After hesitating for a while and making several attempts, I finally slid down—it was pretty fun!

The staff are all unique individuals with great taste in clothing. Besides managing the store, they also handle photographing the vintage pieces. Grandma Vintage has its own system, from sourcing to lookbooks, all done in-house.

I tried on a shirt similar to one a staff member was wearing, pretending to be a model. The sunglasses are also from Grandma Vintage.

**Hours:** 10:00-22:00 every day, also open every day.

**Phone:** +90 212 245 64 20

**By Retro** is hidden in a basement on a street corner and is the largest second-hand clothing store in Turkey.

This reminds me of Uptown in Shanghai, hidden in the basement of an old residential building, with a vinyl record shop next to the vintage store. When I went last time, there happened to be a power outage, and I waited in the dark for about ten minutes—quite a unique experience.

Inside, there are vintage televisions, radios, typewriters. Besides that, the store is filled with wedding dresses from the last century, hunting outfits, various military uniforms from wartime… all kinds of clothing.

A local Turkish girl was trying on a wedding dress when I was there, so I took a photo. PS: Many items here are for rent only, not for sale. If you're looking for a special vintage wedding dress from the last century, By Retro is worth a visit.

I was told that even local Turkish film crews rent costumes from them, which shows the owner's extensive collection.

This store mostly has clothing you often see on TV, so everyday wear is relatively scarce.

www.unionandco.store

**Address:** Kumbaracı yokuşu No:63B Istanbul, Turkey

**Hours:** Open until 9 PM as well.

**Phone:** +90 534 960 16 95

This store is truly a paradise for vintage workwear enthusiasts—and a personal recommendation of mine. Levis, Lee, Wrangler, Carhartt, Red Wings… everything you can think of, including the LVC line. The prices are also very reasonable.

Union and Co. was founded in late 2016. Classic 501 jeans and Worker jackets are essential. It embodies the spirit of American labor culture. The clothing collection includes 1940s work jackets, 1950s T-shirts and sweatshirts, 1920s chambray shirts, and other iconic garments produced in the first half of the 1900s, overalls, selvedge denim…

I visited this store twice in a row.

They also have a handmade leather goods line with a lifetime warranty.

**Hours:** Every Sunday 09:00-18:00

**Ferikoy Flea Market:** On weekdays, this is a parking lot, but on Sundays it transforms into Istanbul's largest flea market. Here, you can find posters and tea sets from Europe and America, small Ottoman-era artifacts, and old cameras and toys from unknown origins.

"Grandmother-grade" antique jewelry tells stories spanning centuries; Arabic perfume bottles and Mediterranean handmade soaps fill the air with fragrance… There are also everyday secondhand items, vinyl records, vintage dolls, silk scarves, accessories…

The items range from ancient times to the end of the last century. The most interesting thing I saw this time was that the flea market even had bricks from various historical periods for sale—truly eye-opening. But remember, if you find something you like, be sure to ask carefully and bargain. Also, go early because good items might be taken by others if you arrive late.

This time, I scored a small Casio keyboard. It can play music and has multiple sounds, including violin, bagpipes, guitar, and more. It feels like "small but complete." It's a Casio product from the 1980s designed for children, but it also has a composition function.

**My social media:** Weibo / Douban / Xiami / NetEase: @是514阿 Bilibili / WeChat Official Account: SoulFood

**Travelogue Directory:**

1) İstiklal Avenue: Grandma Vintage

2) İstiklal Avenue: By Retro

3) İstiklal Avenue: Union and Co.

4) Weekend Flea Market—Ferikoy Flea Market