There’s something magical about Birmingham’s Great Western Arcade. It is so grand, with arches, tiled floors and fancy light fittings. It reminds me of the scene in Francois Truffaut’s Jules et Jim (OK, the Sixpence None the Richer video for Kiss Me that was based on Jules et Jim) where Jules, Jim and Catherine run through the beautiful Parisian arcade, all bohemian, androgynous and chic:

That’s enough of the artsy-fartsy French film and middle-of-the-road ‘90s Christian soft rock references. I visited Great Western Arcade on Saturday to check out Birmingham’s first vintage charity shop: Forgotten Vintage.

The shop opened back in November and it is a natural fit amongst the old world charm of the arcade. Proceeds from the shop support Trident Reach the People Charity and SIFA Fireside, both of which help homeless people in Birmingham.

Forgotten Vintage stocks garments and accessories from ‘60s through to the ‘90s, ideal for folk seeking something unique with a charitable twist. All proceeds will be split between the two charities and will be invested into work to tackle  homelessness in the city.

The shop is initially open for a six-month trial period, but there are high hopes to make it a permanent fixture in Birmingham’s growing collection of vintage retailers.

Shop Manager, Carl Franklin, believes that Forgotten Vintage fills a gap.He said: “There are very few vintage shops in Birmingham compared with other cities in the UK and this certainly  is the city’s first vintage charity shop.

“I am convinced the demand is out there and the vintage market will grow and grow in Birmingham once there is somewhere like this for people to go.”

Having paid the shop a visit and rummaged through the rails, I can report that there’s some nice stock and the shop looks great. The charity angle is what I find really appealing. I’ve seen it work in cities like London and Edinburgh and browsing the Oxfam online vintage store can fill many a lazy lunch hour. People love vintage and they also love helping good causes. I really hope that this is big success.

Good luck to Forgotten Vintage!

BBxx

Visit Forgotten Vintage at:
Unit 9,
Great Western Arcade,
Colmore Row,
Birmingham,
B2 5HU.