I travelled back up North recently, and when I discovered that there was a fresh, new Classic Football Shirts Manchester store, my itinerary was basically decided for me.
Previously here at Hobby FC, I wrote about the Classic Football Shirts (‘CFS’) store in London.
It’s easily one of my favourite rest stops in all of London, and being based right next to the likes of Liverpool St, Broadgate Circle and Brick Lane, it can easily form a huge part of your day.
Then once you get there, the endless line of inventory is enough to keep you occupied for hours, as is the in-house (and very reasonably priced) cafe/bar with their selection of coffees and beers. But also their retro gaming section with old-school PlayStations and incredible games to play.
I walked in there just yesterday and saw a few kids playing PES 6, and you know how we feel about that game by our article here. It’s great that their keeping that additional bit of nostalgia alive.
After visiting there, it took me a few months before I could get on a train to visit the old Classic Football Shirts Manchester store, and it was a little more cramped and smaller than I’d expected.
That being said, the selection was great as was their room dedicated to particular legends which I’m told was updated on a regular basis, so it’s great to have that little shrine there to specific figures to help break up the overall customer experience. But it did need a bit of a renovation to keep up with the splendour of the London store, but instead of that – they moved!
Still within the ‘M1‘ postcode, the new Classic Football Shirts Manchester store is a stone’s throw away from the old one, but much easier to locate directly from Manchester Piccadilly train station.
From the outside, it looks nothing short of brilliant.
A really nice, slick facade with a 4D sign immediately draws the eyes of the punters who are en route to find the treasures which lie within. Once inside, the layout is relatively similar to the London store, with different collections splattered (a little randomly at first glance) around the shop floor.
For me, the best part is once you walk through the doors, make a sharp left turn and go downstairs into their little treasure trove underneath the main floor.
Walking past a wall garnered with embroidered Champions League club offerings and the occasional newspaper article to show how far CFS have come in such a short space of time, there’s then a table ladened with a bunch of classic newspapers to really get the nostalgia juices flowing.
This is where a little mini-bar can be found along with a couple of screens which (you’d think) would be perfect to host a few live shows and games throughout the course of the season.
Honestly, some of the inclusions within the Classic Football Shirts Manchester store is absolutely outrageous, and what I like is that they’re following in the mould set by London in making it a place where people can spend more time beyond just perusing different old football jerseys.
Over time, I suspect that they’re only going to improve things even further to include a few more interactive pieces to make up for some of the space left with a bigger retail offering, and when they do that, it will really give the London store a run for its money.
I would absolutely recommend fans to visit the CFS Manchester store whenever you get yourself down to that part of the country and check out those newspapers I loved so much.
As ever, you could always check their online inventory here.
Have you been to the new Classic Football Shirts Manchester store yet?