The first piece of clothing I had ever thrifted was a suede jacket I bought in Istanbul. Since then, I have become a patron of thrift shopping in this city. Istanbul offers a wide variety of options for clothes shopping, from high-end brands to fast fashion ones, but as you explore the city thoroughly, many other alternatives will be divulged to you. Thrifting in Istanbul is one of the thousands of ways that Istanbul will reward you with if you distance yourself from touristic areas.
That is exactly what I did; I was wandering around the streets of Kadıköy when I stumbled upon a mom and pop secondhand shop. A tiny store in the middle of a quiet street in Caferağa neighborhood.
There was no storefront design or any other signs with which you could recognize that place as a clothes shop, and honestly, the only thing that drew my attention to it was this old man with his quaint style sitting on a little stool in front of the store, smoking. First, I was hesitant to enter the shop. Even from outside, I could see a huge mountain of clothes piled up on a table, no rack or anything, but never judge a book by its cover, right? The place was an absolute paradise for vintage lovers.
Right after the pandemic, this shop was closed, but since Kadıköy is home to hipsters, thrift stores have mushroomed around the neighborhood over the years. So, if you are interested in old-school style, you are eco-conscious, or simply your budget is tight, here are a couple of thrift shops in Istanbul where you might find what you are looking for.
Sentetik Sezar
This store is a renowned one among 80 and 90s lovers. As you step into the shop, you’ll find out why; even the shop’s design takes you back to those decades. Another noticeable feature of this store is being very well-organized. If you are new to thrifting or don’t have the patience to search, this shop is a great place to start since all clothes are categorized.
Each rack is allocated for specific clothing items. They even sorted the shirts based on their colors which made shopping much more effortless. Most clothes here don’t have any significant problems, including stains or cuts, but they are secondhand, and you’d always be better to inspect any clothing piece you choose.
Prices are approximately between 180 to 600 TL. There is also a second floor to this shop where they sell items with some issues at a very fair price.
Sentetik Sezar has two branches, one in Kadıköy and another in Beşiktaş. You can also shop from their website if you live in Turkey.
www.sentetiksezar.com
Kadıköy
Osmanağa Mah. Süleymanpaşa Sok. No:16/A Kadıköy/İstanbul
Beşiktaş
Ihlamurdere Cad. Yeniyol sok. no:1/A Beşiktaş/İstanbul
Tel: 0530 775 16 48
Instagram account: @sentetiksezarkadikoy, @sentetiksezarbesiktas
Büyükannemin Sandığı
As the name suggests, this tiny store is like a grandma’s chest, where you can plunge into the past and wander through memories. Each clothing item here is meticulously chosen.
So, if you are looking for vintage clothes with special designs, far from trendy styles, you should definitely check out this store. In addition to secondhand items, Büyükannemin Sandığı offers brand-new clothing with old-fashion designs, which is an excellent opportunity for those who don’t like thrifting yet enjoy vintage looks.
The price of secondhand clothes here is slightly higher than in other shops, some pieces, such as winter coats, might go up to 2000 TL, but the reason, as mentioned above, is the uniqueness of the clothes.
Büyükannemin Sandığı has two branches in Kadıköy and Beyoğlu. Online shopping is available on their website within Turkey.
www.buyukanneminsandigi.com
Kadıköy
Caferağa, Şair Latifi Sk. 28b, 34710 Kadikoy/Istanbul
Beyoğlu
Kumbaracı Yokusu, Sokak No:23/A, 34425 Beyoğlu
Tel: 0535 408 64 86
Instagram account: @buyukanneminsandigi
Madam Mare Vintage
If you asked me what intrigued me the most about this store, I would say first the scent of freshness and the design of this shop. These two elements make thrifting in Madam Mare an enjoyable experience, mainly if you are not accustomed to thrifting.
The common characteristics of thrift shops are this specific clutter and aroma, which are quite delightful to most thrifters but might not be satisfactory to people who have just started thrifting. So, if you are a thrifting newbie, Madam Mare will bring you this feeling that you are shopping in a store with brand new clothes rather than secondhand ones.
What makes this shop even more charming is that besides clothing items, there are various accessories, from old-school sunglasses to vintage earrings. The pricing, contrary to my expectations, was absolutely reasonable, between 200 to 700 TL.
Madam Mare has three branches in Istanbul: Taksim, Galata, and Kadıköy.
They also have a platform for online shopping in Turkey.
www.madammare.com
Taksim:
Cihangir Mh. Kazancı Yokusu No:26/A Beyoğlu/Istanbul
Galata:
Şahkulu Mh. Küçük Hendek Cd. No:15A Beyoglu/Istanbul
Kadıköy:
Caferağa Mh.Soner Sk. 2D Kadıköy/Istanbul
Tel: 0212 418 99 74
Instagram account: @madammarevintage
Nostvintage Moda
What is better than an old building becoming home to a thrift store? That’s where Nostvintage is located. This shop is the real deal for both beginner and experienced thrifters.
It surprises you with various choices, especially if you are a fan of vintage jackets.
Believe me, no matter what type of jacket you like, chances are high you’ll find it here. They are all over this store; leather jackets, denim ones, 90s-style sports jackets, and even raincoats. This humble thrift shop offers you many vintage sweaters and shirts in different styles as well. The prices here are roughly between 200 to 600 TL.
Nostvintage has two branches which are both located in Kadıköy: In Rasimpaşa and Moda. There is no website for online shopping, but you can shop from their Instagram account.
Rasimpaşa
Rasimpaşa Mah., Misak-ı Milli Sok., No:75/A, Kadıköy, Istanbul, Turkey
Moda
Caferağa, Dalga Sk. No:20, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul
Tel: +90 532 378 20 29
Instagram account: @nostvintage, @nostvintagemoda
Ayşe’s Wintage
I found this store when I was strolling around Kadıköy, and as a flaneur, you always get a reward during your saunter; Ayşe’s Wintage was my reward for that day. It’s an actual mom and pop shop owned by this cheerful lady named Ayşe, of course. This store is not a fancy one, but they are super friendly. So much so that the owner answered all of my questions even though we didn’t speak the same language.
In front of the store and inside it, there are racks full of all kinds of clothes, shirts, dresses, coats, etc. Books piled up on rounded tables, many pairs of shoes fill the shelves, and bags hung on the wall. There is no categorization or anything, and that’s the clutter of the thrift store I spoke of earlier. Here, in this store, you should search for what you are looking for, and that is the beauty and authenticity of Ayşe’s Wintage.
The prices in this shop are incredibly low, but you need to inspect the item you pick because there might be some cuts or stains on it.
As you might guess, there is no website for online shopping from this store, but Mrs. Ayşe has an Instagram account where she sometimes shares some of the items available in her shop.
Address
General Asım Gündüz Caddesi Kuzu Kestanesi sokak No :4, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul
Instagram account: @ayseswintage
Thrift Moda
This shop is suitable for thrifters seeking unique items from famous brands. While walking through the shop, you will notice that most clothing pieces were handpicked from around the world.
In this thrift shop, I discovered a few sweaters from limited edition lines of brands such as Adidas and Champion, and that is not all; I found a Christian Dior coat, isn’t that amazing? I’m sure all thrifters agree with me. So, Thrift Moda is for those who are brand-conscious and care about the sustainability of their closet.
As expected, prices here are higher than in regular thrift stores, which might go up to 5000 TL.
Thrift Moda has a magnificent website for online shopping, so if you don’t live in Istanbul but are in Turkey, you can check their platform.
www.thriftmoda.com
Address
Caferaga Mah, Şinasi Efendi Sk. No: 1 D:C, 34710 Kadıköy/İstanbul
Tel: 0545 945 66 32
Instagram account: @thriftmoda
Did we miss any thrifting in Istanbul gems? Let us know in the comments! Images courtesy of the author.
Love this! Thank you so much sharing will
Be checking some of these out for sure!
This was such a fun and interesting read! Istanbul thrifting sounds like a cool experience. Also, lots of great deals are to be had if you know where to look!