A first-time visitor to Afflecks in Manchester has described the iconic market as a vibrant, multi-floor haven for music, fashion and pop culture, saying he left with a huge smile after arriving feeling low.
The writer, who had previously explored Piccadilly Gardens and The Trafford Centre as part of a personal quest to visit new places, was directed to Afflecks by a colleague. He admitted his initial thought, as an Irishman with limited knowledge of the city, was that Ben Affleck might have a restaurant chain like Wahlburgers. He was quickly corrected and told it was a market and extremely easy to find.
A Surprising Multi-Storey Market
Expecting a community-centre style market, he was stunned to find a giant building with more than one floor. From the logo alone, he could tell it was a place that prizes authenticity. After reading a sign that said 'Welcome To The Jungle', he went inside.
His first stop was The Manchester Shop, where he felt a wave of Manchester pride looking at t-shirts, posters and stickers featuring Oasis, pigeons and 'MCR'. He noted the market was full of different characters, describing it as having something punk about it, with every style of fashion represented.
Music, Posters and Unique Stalls
He spent 40 minutes scanning Panic Posters for a new addition to his home office, picking up a print of the Gorillaz The Mountain Tour for just £8. He also visited Mars Tapes Cafe, which he said is the only cassette shop operating in the UK since 2019, and considered buying a tape of The Last Waltz by The Band.
On the second floor, he found American Graffiti, a stall located in Afflecks since 1982 offering vibrant, vintage, retro and fancy dress clothing. It was the busiest stall he visited, even in the middle of the afternoon.
A Hub for Every Interest
He described the market as 'boujee', with stallers such as Becky Kayll Designs, Tokyo Go and Thunder Egg offering outfits at prices that won't break the bank. He was struck by the number of gothic stalls, including Outkasts Clothing, Nevermore Taxidermy, Kawaii Killmonster, Punk'd Image, Occult and Elysia.
Other stalls he mentioned included Relic and Roll for boardgame fans, Tokyo Go for anime fans, Beanie Box for hat lovers, Beg, Steal & Borrow for thrift shoppers, Vinyl Resting Place for music fans, Interference Films for horror buffs, and R'Kid, which fuses football and rock music.
On the third floor, he found Star Wars Man a safe haven, spending 20 minutes looking at Simpsons and WWE merchandise alongside collectables from countless franchises.
Established in 1982, Afflecks has been described to him by friends as their favourite place Manchester has to offer. Having entered the day depressed and left with a huge smile, he said he is more than willing to join them in that assertion.
