Shopping in Glasgow, the 10 best stores for streetwear

You don’t realize how good shopping is in Glasgow until you spend a day walking its streets, if you’ve come from anywhere outside of London you’ll love what Glasgow has to offer, more shops than anywhere else and a lots of good street clothes. blinds, good 3, but still good.

I have decided to make a list of my top 11 stores, the ones I would visit when shopping, mentioning my competition. I hear you say, yes I do, the more people realize Glasgow is the #1 shopping destination the better.

1. TK Maxx on Sauchiehall St (top end) is where you’ll find bargains if you’re lucky, if not you won’t find anything of interest, I bought a great pair of Brown Leather Air Max’s for £25 18 months ago, only now starting to fall apart, but the most comfortable shoes of all. I also got a great case for when I’m on the go, a neat little thing at a very low price.

2. Next on Bath Street is the urban legend that is Fat Buddha, Vinyl Toys, Graffiti Supplies, Lifestyle and Clothing from brands like Carhartt, The Hundreds, Kikstyo, Recon, Penfield, Zoo York, Volcom, Nike, Dc’s, Reebok . Voted best shop in Glasgow by an independent panel of my family, but worth a visit, just to see Maisie the shop dog.

3. Goodlife is across the road from Fat Buddha and super expensive, but after all it’s Glasgow’s only high-end streetwear boutique, selling Original Fake & Alife, a nice mix of brands in a Such a small place, but the store has a following, coming from afar for its mix of brands.

I’m not sure of the exact story, but it seems that Goodlife has closed its doors.

4 Buchanan street you will find this corporate whore that is Urban Outfitters, at sales time there are great deals, a real mix of brands here, and some of the homewares you can’t smell, well worth a visit.

If you are American or visited one of these stores in America you will be shocked at how poor the UK version is compared to the US, different mix of brands, terrible staff and no atmosphere.

5. Further down Buchanan street you will find Hugo Boss, I love this store, for years I still like to visit it, great design and some good products, wonderful suits and boy do they fit me as they should. Glasgow’s first real designer name on Buchanan St, go visit.

I almost got the manager job here many, many moons ago, but I didn’t, still a lovely shop.

6. Around the corner you’ll find Aspect, this boys’ store, only place for Stussy, and good for Adidas, Carhartt, North Face & Camper, Y3, Evisu and the like. Great store, looked great at the time so worth a visit.

7. You want sneakers, where else to go than Size on Union Street, great store with a good range of clothes, best shoe store in Glasgow, unless the shoes are weird then the staff are first to shout them out This is the place for footwear, the 2 Chris’s always have a smile for you.

8. Always a fan of department stores, and House of Frasers always hits the spot, the cookware department is great, menswear has now moved to the first floor and a ton of money was spent on it, now its the BEST menswear area in Glasgow by a mile the paul smith section is lovely and again the paul smith section is lovely great wallets and saving up for the scarf right now. Frasers is worth an hour or so of your time, it’s right on Argyle St.

9. Footlocker, right on Argyle St is where your Jordan cravings will be satisfied, a good selection of Nikes, especially Air Stabs, a good range of clothing and a separate women’s floor make this a destination not to be missed. Footlocker is always a must-see for sneaker lovers.

10. Focus is on Argyle St and Glasgow’s only Nike SB dealer, other brands include Diamond, Supra, Krew, Cliche. Skateboards are Focus’s forte and they serve the Glasgow market well, now they have a good reputation and visit just for an Obey T-shirt. Good staff and a friendly atmosphere make this a worthy addition to my list.

11. Finally, you’ll walk around the corner from Focus and find Cruise on Ingram St, a Glasgow legend still doing what he does best – bringing brands to the masses, CP Company, Stone Island, Y3, BBC make a visit essential. Lovely Shopfit too, grab a Paul Smith wallet while you’re there.

That concludes Glasgow for shopping, top 11 stores, there are hundreds more not on the list, you have St Enoch Shopping Ctr, Buchanan Galleries Shopping Ctr in the city, walk further and you will come to Braehead Shopping Ctr and Silverburn Shopping CONNECTICUT.

The more you leave Glasgow the more you appreciate it, so come eat, shop and be merry.

Updated April 2010