Inside the vintage charity shop in Birmingham city centre selling iconic sportswear & helping the homeless

A renowned shopping arcade in Birmingham city centre is hosting a pop up vintage charity shop stacked with awesome gear.

From sportswear brand classics from Adidas and Nike to English Football League shirts along with Brazil, Poland and Mexico - it’s not to be missed. There’s also an extensive collection of American sports clothing from ice hockey through to baseball, basketball, and American football.

All this alongside T-shirts of 90s icons including The Simpsons and an array of Disney characters. You’ll find them all at the newly opened store in the Great Western Arcade situated between Colmore Row and Temple Row.

The items and use of the store have been donated by Great Western Arcade owners, Ashtrom Properties to help raise funds for Birmingham homeless charity St Basils, which supports young people aged 16 to 25 from its base in Digbeth.

The clothes and sportswear were left by a business that vacated the arcade and they would normally be disposed of. But Alstrom Properties have gifted the times to the charity to sell, with 50 per cent of the profits retained by the charity. The company has also waived the cost of rent of the store.

As well as selling vintage items, the space will be used as a drop in for residents and businesspeople to find out more about what the charity does and how they can support them and young people experiencing homelessness in the region. 

Barrie Hodge, head of fundraising and communications for St Basils said “We are delighted that Great Western Arcade has allowed St Basils to open a pop-up vintage shop there. As a charity we don’t have any charity shops, which is a bit unusual, so this is a new experience for us all. But being right in the heart of the business and shopping areas of the city means we can let more people know about the great work we do.”

Yvonne Moulton, general manager at the Great Western Arcade said “We couldn't be happier to host St Basils' vintage pop-up shop here in the Great Western Arcade. It's fantastic to see unused space transformed into something vibrant and meaningful, especially when it supports such a worthy cause.

“By providing St Basils with a platform to showcase their work, we hope to raise awareness about youth homelessness and encourage more people to get involved in tackling this issue.”

The shop will initially open Monday to Friday, 11am – 5pm, with plans for special events and weekend opening being announced soon. Let’s take a look inside here: