By Julius Hendricks
Do you ever walk down the street and pass a vintage store with beautiful displays and eye-catching clothes? Those stores where the mannequins are decked out in different eccentric outfits, seemingly beckoning any onlooker into the store? Well, this is your sign to go in and take a look around because the vintage stores I am going to be talking about in this article have had just that effect on my friends and me.
On a breezy autumn stroll down Dohány utca (street) one day after class, I stumbled upon a true one-of-a-kind store. Maybe there are tons like it, but that was the only one I had seen in Budapest. When you walk through the doors of Komondors Vintage (on Wesselényi utca 21), you’re met with the steady beat of house music filling the large rooms. To your left, there is a cafe and a bar with tables to relax between trying on vintage trench coats and deciding between a pair of True Religion or classic Levis. I grabbed an espresso and made my way through the store. I can’t recall a single rack that I looked at and walked off uninterested–everything was so eye-catching. Their selection of high-quality clothing by good brands covers the walls and splits the back room in half, running all the way to the back of the store. On top of their incredible selection of carefully curated pieces, the staff is incredibly helpful and always happy to take any questions. I mean, I’d be happy too if my job was to listen to house music and sip espressos all day in a vintage store like Komondors. If you ever need something to do after class, or if you’re looking for a nice leather jacket, Komondors Vintage is the place to go.
I bet you’ve seen Cream second-hand stores scattered across Budapest, and I’m not saying that Cream is a bad chain of second-hand stores, but if you’re looking for a similarly pervasive chain of second-hand clothing that is a little more curated, I would recommend Humana. With their bright yellow logo and HUMANA in big bold text, you’ve likely seen them around town. The one I would personally recommend is the Humana on the corner of Tompa utca and József krt (Boulevard). While this store doesn’t have house music or mojitos like Komondors Vintage, it still has a variety of curated clothing that keeps you interested while you riffle through the racks. The thing I like about Humana is the discounts they’re constantly pushing. Just yesterday, they were selling individual pieces for Ft 400. Unfortunately, I didn’t see the sign until it was closed, but with Humana, you can always expect good deals, discounts, and sales. So, if you’re looking for a chill second-hand store you can rely on and expect to have decent clothes, I’d highly recommend Humana.
I’ve noticed that in Budapest, if you want to find stores with primarily street wear, you’re out of luck. That was until I was walking down Dohány utca (again) and stumbled across Judas, a clean, put-together store that had exclusively streetwear. While going through the racks, I noticed that every article of clothing was from a good and high-quality brand. In addition to that, the selection of unique clothing extends throughout the store. While this store has primarily men’s clothing, there is a smaller but just as interesting women’s section in the back. So, if streetwear’s your style and you’re looking for a relaxing environment where R&B pumps through the speakers all day long, Judas might just be the place for you.
As you know by now, I was walking down Dohány utca (once again) and I came across a pretty cool-looking store on the corner of Síp and Dohány. Szputnyik (Dohány utca 20) is an eclectic vintage store that is well curated, multi-level, and holds some truly interesting pieces. The first floor is all women’s clothes, and from what I saw walking by, it had a vast collection of nice pieces, especially the jackets. If you’re a guy or a girl and you’re looking for a warm jacket that will elevate your look, check out Szputnyik. Fur, leather, suede, denim, the options at Szputnyik seem truly endless. Once you climb the stairs to the men’s section, you’ll be met with an incredibly vast collection. On your left, you’ll have some retail pieces from Fjällräven, Carhartt, and Dickies. But once you walk straight, you’ll see a sea of jackets. Honestly, the jackets at Szputnyik are the reason I keep going back, even if it is just to look. They are expertly organized into a variety of categories. Mostly, they have leather, but there’s a good amount of denim, fur, and parkas. Something interesting about Szputnyik is that they repurpose shreds of clothing into new pieces. If you poke around a little, you’ll see that they have unique polos made from denim scraps, crewnecks with graphics from a variety of shirts, and jackets made from different materials. So, if you’re looking for a great store with a huge selection of jackets (which you’ll need for the winter), I recommend Szputnyik.
Overall, Budapest is full of vintage stores if you know where to look. Once you have a keen eye for pieces that seem interesting, push you out of your comfort zone, or are simply your style, you will find some incredible pieces of clothing at these stores. Of course, I couldn’t talk about all the great vintage stores in this city; I merely scratched the surface. But, if you ever find yourself walking down the street, take a look at the stores you’re passing and if one of them seems interesting, go in. Find a new jacket, a new scarf, or anything, and at the very least, maybe you can have some nice small talk with the employees there.
Photos by Julius Hendricks
