What's big and yellow and full of vintage?

The big yellow vintage store in Digbeth seems to have gained iconic status in Birmingham. From the first day of opening when I ran there in my Sutton College lunch break, it's been amazingly aclaimed and has maintained a constant high status.

The old tyre and exhaust garage is the first stop for vintage, not only for the vast amount of stock. The bricked, white-washed wall and curtained off store room causes any pretentious tags to be dropped. Often when vintage shopping, it's very select and polished. Shopping in little boutiques is alot like shopping in an expensive designer store, even if instead you are buying items that are decades old and have been worn many times. Pieces have to be treated delicately as the owner has picked them out; there is no grabbing and quickly trying on. Also there is the knowledge that you are paying lots extra for an item that may have been found for 50p in a charity shop or straight out of a bin bag from Russia, all to gain a certain look. There is the other end of the scale too, where the clothes are so old and musty, you worry about getting the plague. I could name a few places in Manchester where I dare not go...

But the yellow vintage store is the perfect middle ground. The amount to browse through is incredible. At first there were too many polyester dresses but now they range from '80s prom to '50s floral, and they have branched out to rarer items to choose from, such as kid's clothes. Half the store is male clothes so there is no girly vibe. Prices are realistic yet still cheaper than the highstreet, with most dresses being around £10-15. It's easy to get lost and dig deep, then try on a million things without a sales person even noticing. As always, expect the unexpected. You may walk in on the hunt for a floral skirt and come out with a sequinned cocktail dress. Next time you're in the Bullring, take a wander into Digbeth and discover something original and ethical.