Afflecks Palace: We explore the quirky, independent stores and small businesses in the Northern Quarter

An ‘Aladdin’s cave’ of quirky, independent stores has been offering a low-cost option for small businesses to grow in the heart of Manchester.

Afflecks Palace is an edgy retail space sits on the outskirts of Manchester's Piccadilly gardens, and has been the focal point for Manchester's counter-culture for decades. The building currently offers retail space to around 70 independent businesses selling items ranging from candles, to crystals, to band t-shirts, to bucket hats.

Sitting comfortably in Manchester’s trendy neighbourhood, the Northern Quarter is a retail space full of quirky stores, piercing shops, Raki healing, tarot card reading, an Anime cafe and more.

The building has been around for decades and has been home to dozens of independent retail traders for 40 years. We went down to check out a few of the stores - including Panic Posters, Beanie Box and Hundred Tags - in this eclectic mix of businesses right in the heart of Manchester.