Curiouser & Curiouser

Where is it?
Curiouser & Curiouser
70 Tib Street
Northern Quarter
Manchester
M4 1LG

Despite its boutique look and feel, prices are much more affordable than you’d think. A lovely long dark grey knit costs £40 with several dresses costing around £60.

History:
Having quit her job in HR six months ago, shop owner Laura Cork made the radical decision to pursue her love of fashion by opening this boutique in the Northern Quarter. She opened Curiouser & Curiouser the week before Christmas with the name reflecting her childhood obsession with Alice in Wonderland.

What do they sell?
The shop stocks brands from across the globe including LA based Collective Concept and the Japanese label Relax Garden. Public Beware, a London-based label makes up the majority of the current stock with the brand being sold outside the capital for the first time.

Despite its boutique look and feel, prices are much more affordable than you’d think. A lovely long dark grey knit costs £40 with several dresses costing around £60. The clothes are predominantly casualwear with a few pieces that could definitely be carried over to an evening out.

Who shops there?
As it is situated in the Northern Quarter, you can expect to see the usual variety of customers in the shop. Laura tells me that she’s had shoppers of all ages and backgrounds who have been impressed by the prices and quality of the garments.

Why go there?
The prices are definitely a lure. And being a womenswear shop in amongst a sea of menswear (the building itself is the former home of Oi Polloi) it definitely offers something new to N4.

It’s an opportunity to buy clothes that your friends won’t have – many of the pieces are limited editions and several labels aren’t available anywhere else in the North at all. And of course, being in N4, it’s a chance to support an individual retailer as opposed to investing all you clothes budget in the high street.

Future:
Currently the shop is Laura’s own labour of love. She runs the business single-handedly Monday-Saturday with friends on stand-by to help out if she needs it. With a basement beneath the shop floor Laura hopes that expansion downstairs in the long run is inevitable, with plans of branching into footwear and leather goods.

Verdict:
If you’re looking to have a wardrobe full of clothes that you won’t see anyone else wearing then definitely pay a visit to this Tib Street gem. It really is the epitome of an affordable boutique.