21 lost Manchester shops from the smallest independents to high street giants

It's easy to look at the past with rose tinted glasses, but before the days of online shopping the high street was king. And, from small independent shops to department stores, we all remember our favourite places to spend our money.

Whether you were shopping for clothes, groceries, toys or tech, Saturday afternoons on the high street were thronged with day trippers and bargain hunters. Shopping in town was an event. Of course, there are still great stores and busy shopping streets in Greater Manchester, but retail habits have changed, and many of our favourite stores from the past have since disappeared.

To reminisce on some of our favourites, we've compiled a list of 21 lost shops we loved in Manchester. Many will have been found in the city centre, while some of the larger chains would have had stores across Greater Manchester and beyond.

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These are the classic shops that are bound to stir fond memories of buying our favourite outfits, gadgets and more. Of course, this isn't a complete list - and we've purposely left out a few of the city centre department stores which often make these lists. But if there are any shops you loved that we haven't mentioned, let us know in the comments.

The first Stolen From Ivor shop opened on trendy King Street West in the city centre in 1965. For generations it was a staple of the city’s fashion scene, with fashion conscious Mancunians happy to be spotted carrying their iconic yellow plastic bags.

Brentford Nylons had a large store in Piccadilly in the 1970s. A purveyor of electro-statically