The Best Boutique and Vintage Stores in Ponsonby, Auckland

If you’re looking to kit out your home in some of the best mid-century furniture that Auckland has to offer, then you should make your way straight to the good folk at Mr. Bigglesworthy. Now, you might be thinking that second-hand furniture can be a bit grotty? Well, maybe so, in some cases. Not here though. This is proper vintage furniture. The sort that men and women all over Ponsonby and Auckland want to get their hands on and kit out their newly renovated homes in. We’re talking second-hand sofas for $2,500 NZD here. Perhaps, you’re after an industrial-looking but nonetheless snazzy baked enamel vintage scissor light? That’ll be $550 NZD, thank you very much. This is proper vintage, and it is lovely stuff. If you’re in the market for a new (new to you, anyway) $700 NZD-coffee table then pop on down to Mr. Bigglesworthy.

Is there any finer way to while away a lazy weekend afternoon than by combing through some second-hand clothing stores? Tatty’s brings vintage designer items to the fashion-forward Ponsonby crowds. An assortment of pre-loved clothing is just waiting to find the right home. And if you need to refurbish your wardrobe, you can actually sell your old favourites to this boutique — they’ll give you 50% of the selling price if someone falls in love with your stylish staples. This is vintage clothes shopping at its finest. Hey, you might find an absolute winner, and then again you might not. It’s like life in that respect – it’s not the destination, man, it’s the journey.

Once you get past that mouthful of a title, you’ll realise that Encore is actually a pretty simple place. It’s one of these fantastic recycled clothing stores that take a commission on the items that they sell on your behalf – exactly like Recycled Boutique in Wellington. There are three payment options for those who want to bring their old clothes to be sold. The first is that you can receive 45% of the net price (exclusive of GST). You may collect the money as cash if below $80. All payments over $80 will be paid via bank deposit at your request. Any unsold items will be returned to you. The second option is to receive 50% of the net price on the condition that any items unsold after further reduction will go straight to charity. And lastly, you can elect to receive 55% of the net price. The money will remain in your account to purchase items from the store. It’s a good, hassle-free way to free up some wardrobe space and get a little money in return.

Going into Flotsam and Jetsam is a real experience the first time you do it. Up until you walk through the door you don’t realise just how cool your house would be if you were to purchase a laundry trolley – the kind people use to escape out of prisons in the movies with some bloke who is poorly disguised as the washerwoman. And how brilliant would it be to have a fruit bowl that is actually an old peach basket? Then there are all the miscellaneous light-fittings that you could do something with. Then it hits us. What Flotsam and Jetsam are selling are possibilities, not just great vintage items. What’s not to love about that? What’s particularly good is the pricing. It’s not exorbitant – an American, wooden cocktail muddler is $45 NZD, for instance – but items cost enough for you to feel like you’ve purchased something special, like you’ve treated yourself. This is probably our favourite Ponsonby vintage shopping experience.

You can’t go vintage shopping without at least popping into one musty second-hand book shop. Formerly known as Classics and Suchlike, The Open Book is a beautifully refurbished second-hand bookshop in the heart of Ponsonby. The property was recently bought by Hayden Glass and Julie Fry, who are passionate about sustaining those bookish traditions that we cherish the most. A Victorian-style house is the venue of choice for this establishment, which is lined with paper lanterns on the outside, and adorned with literary wonders on the inside.