Shopping and coffee: The perfect mix

9^th March 2012

Annika Ranga

Annika Ranga

9 March 2012

Ever wanted to shop and have a coffee at the same time? Well now you can, as I discover a range of vintage clothing boutiques integrated with coffee shops across London.

The Vintage Emporium and Café situated on Brick Lane is inspired by the Victorian era: it has large tearooms filled with classic lampshades and antique chairs on the ground floor. Downstairs has a collection of vintage clothing and accessories from the nineteenth century up until the 1950s. It is the perfect place to be transformed back to the times of Queen Victoria, where elegance and class rule all over, you can enjoy a cup of tea and explore the fashion of a time of prudish moralities.

Paper Dress Vintage is located in Shoreditch and is wonderfully, quirky shop selling old aged clothing. Think pop art and the 80s. It sells everything from shoes and belts to knitted cardigans. This shop has an alterations team on site, so any garment can be altered to suit your need. They also offer a personal-shopper service providing help for you to find the clothing you want. As if that wasn’t enough, the boutique can be hired out for events and parties and so can the garments and accessories. Their coffee shop, which is also part of the shop has cute outdoor and indoor areas to suit your day. Paper Dress also offer free Wi-Fi for their customers – bonus. It’s the perfect place to enjoy a cuppa, whilst shopping for various pieces to suit your taste.

Rose Bakery took Paris by storm when it opened its first store in 2002, and it still has people queuing outside. London has now its own hidden café. French food-lovers and fashionistas will become addicted to this one. It is located in Dover Street Market and to get to it, you must rummage through stalls selling glad rags and handbags. This café is minimalistic and chic; it has the perfect discreet location in Soho. If you’re lucky enough to find this coffee shop, be sure to try the infamous carrot cake, which you’re sure to want more of.

Hurwundeki is located on Commercial Street in Shoreditch and is the perfect place to relax and enjoy a coffee, and maybe have a little gander amongst the mass amounts of antiques that include vintage clogs and bow ties in this café. Korean hairdresser turned boutique owner Ki-Chul Lee, who became enchanted with the vintage scene, owns Hurwundeki. This coffee shop offers simple sandwiches and rich brownies. This is a great hideout to getaway from the London traffic and busy scene. It has an antiquated look to, which is like a playground for adults, with so many things to look through and to sit.

Annika Ranga