I've owned this shop in Afflecks for 43 years and even met Lady Gaga - the oldest and newest shops
Afflecks is known for the weird and wonderful items that you can buy, with everything from alternative beauty to a drink from an Oasis themed bar. However, we went to speak to one of the oldest business’s in Afflecks and one of newest to see what they were about.
Vanessa Cawley has owned the store American Graffiti for a whopping 43 years!
She said: “It started off as a tiny unit and just progressed to what it is now. It's just good for Manchester, it brings people in and tourists come they absolutely love it. It's just always been here, it's bit of an icon. Probably my most famous celebrity was Lady Gaga about 10 years ago, but it's the people who aren't famous who is our bread and butter.”
Adding: “We have like students who've been here years ago in the 80s they've gone away they love to come back and reminisce they bring the family so it's like Afflecks is a must.”
From one of the oldest stores to one of the latest, JH Kicks is a shoe shop which has only been open for two months and includes recycled and refurbished shoes for under £65.
The owner, Joseph Haggerty said: “It's not just a general fashion store it's a sustainable footwear store. So, what we do is we acquire used footwear and the same with the jackets, but it’s obviously predominantly footwear and from all over the place or wherever we can and we fully restore shoes that we get. We get a lot of beach shoes and restore them to make them look brand new and we get them in our shop and we sell every pair for under £65.”
Joseph is a born and bred Mancunian and feels right at home here in Afflecks, he said: “ I got my first piercing in Afflecks when I was like 16 from school, so when I’ve got a space in Afflecks it's like a full circle moment man.”
Adding: “This kind of has everything for everyone so like there's so many wide varieties of shops and some of them are weird and wacky but they're so cool because it brings a variety of different people in. I'm sat here even on a quiet day when I'm not making sales the people I met is like mad, I'm always chatting to different types of people. In Afflecks it's just mad, it's everyone can be who they want to be it's a kind of a place that embraces everyone, all types of you know, whatever gender whatever sexuality it's just everyone. I feel like when they come in here, they just know there's no judgment.”