A local’s guide to the weirdest, creepiest, and strangest curiosity shops in London, vintage and antiques for souvenirs, oddities and unusual gifts from London!
London’s beautiful, magnificent, historical, avant-garde – but before anything, London is the strangest city I’ve been given to live in.
I’ve been meaning to share with you some strange places in the city for some time, and if you’re quite the shopping fiend like yours truly, you’ll love these curiosity shops I’ve gathered for you.
Whether you’re visiting London in autumn (the perfect season for creepy spots!) or looking for unique shops for gifts and souvenirs, you’ll be well-served here – it feels like a mix of Halloween, the Addams family, and Alice in Wonderland in these stores.
London’s 8 Strangest Curiosity Shops for Oddities and Gifts
London’s taught me that anything weird can be fashion – I guess that’s by dint of seeing many different styles and people that I learned how to truly be myself.
I don’t want to put out there that I’m a November baby too much, but curiosity shops and other vintage stores are definitely my jam; my heart oscillates between the strange and melancholy all the time.
Over the years, I’ve found lots of creepy London spots that are well-worth a visit: these little-bit-weird shops are part of them.
Best Curiosity Shops in London: Second Nature, Muswell Hill, North London
Second Nature is undeniably one of Muswell Hill’s best shops.
We’re in the heart of a village-like area I hold near and dear to my heart; ever since I was living in nearby North Finchley and used to pass by Muswell Hill by bus every day to go to Central London.
Located on Fortis Green Road, Second Nature was founded in 2004 and faces Cheeses of Muswell Hill, an artisan shop with a wonderful vintage shopfront.
Second Nature specializes in absurd, rare, unusual items.
It’s not only a plant shop, but also a museum where every piece can be purchased, a treasure trove of sorts that includes antiques, stationery, gifts and curios with an emphasis on nature and history.
Where? 79 Fortis Green Rd, Muswell Hill, London N10 3HP
Best Curiosity Shops in London: Hoxton Street Monster Supplies, East London
Located on Hoxton Street, minutes away from the Museum of the Home (formerly Geffrye Museum, one of the most secret and free museums of London), Hoxton Street Monster Supplies is filled with mythical lore pieces.
The shop’s not only one of the strangest shops in London; it’s tied to the Ministry of Stories charity, and all its profits go to said charity, which runs free creatives writing, mentoring and workshop programs for the young.
You’ll find all sorts of weird, creepy stuff inside Hoxton Street Monster Supplies: tins labeled Cockroach Soap, Werewolf Biscuits, Petrified Mice…
The stationery is super unique; they might not be the cheapest things to buy in London, but are quirky bits that make for great souvenirs and gifts – as do the bath and body, food, and sweets selections.
Where? 159 Hoxton St, London N1 6PJ
Best Curiosity Shops in London: The Junk Shop, Greenwich, South East London
The Junk Shop, also called Junk Shop & Spread Eagle Antiques, is one of the many reasons to visit Greenwich in South East London – it’s not too far from the station, nor from the wonderful view on the Canary Wharf skyscrapers at Cutty Sark.
Established in 1952, the Junk Shop offers a large selection of curios, Victorian and Edwardian furniture, china, lamps, nauticalia, taxidermy and old signage, amongst the many, many unique items they carry.
Lovers of cafes hidden inside London’s shops, you’ll find there’s a really cute tea room at the back of the shop where homemade cakes are served in vintage china – perfect to take a break when you’re walking around London all day.
Where? 9 Greenwich S St, London SE10 8NW
Best Curiosity Shops in London: Aladdin’s, Islington, North London
Aladdin’s Vintage Furniture & Cafe is one of the most unique shops to visit when you’re in the Islington/Hornsey Road area – and proves, once again, that North London is a zone you shouldn’t miss when in the city.
Located on Hazellville Road, Aladdin’s, like Greenwich’s Junk Shop, is a shop with a secret cafe inside.
Aside from handmade cakes and an amazing selection of teas and coffees, it is filled with antique and secondhand furniture, home decor pieces and other quirky gifts.
Vintage cafes are far and few between in London; Aladdin’s an it-spot if you’re looking to catch up with friends in a quirky coffee shop, but also amazing to journal solo with a fresh slice of cake.
Where? 1 Hazellville Rd, London N19 3LW
Best Curiosity Shops in London: The Green Room, North Finchley, North London
Back when I lived in North Finchley, I’d often walk to the High Road for shopping – mostly charity shopping, since North Finchley has around ten stores with anything from high-street to secondhand designer clothes.
The Green Room, nestled in the Grand Arcade at Tally Ho Corner, is the most unique charity shop I’ve found there; something of a treasure trove that mixes jewelry, art pieces, cheap homeware, antiques, books, and much more.
It’s open every single day, and makes for a top destination when you’re visiting North Finchley – especially if you’re on the lookout for jewelry, frames, or art.
Plus, the Green Room is located inside a beautiful 1930s shopping arcade: it’s not only a great shopping spot, but also nestled in a historical site: what could be better for lovers of London’s past?
Where? 7 Grand Arcade, London N12 0EH
Curiosity Shops in London: Maltpress Trading, Crystal Palace
Located in Crystal Palace, South East London, Maltpress Trading is an antiques, curios and vintage shop I can’t stop raving about.
I’d be hard-pressed to find better when it comes to unique clothing and home decor bits.
Items like old photographs, retro billboards, old tins and pots, vintage tights, scarves and dresses mix with childhood books, mannequins, and trinkets.
I still remember the first time I visited Maltpress Trading, and the feeling of being brought back to a time I have never lived in.
In addition to clothes, jewelry, and other fashion bits, Maltpress Trading also sells indoor plants, vintage dolls and more quirky bits I’ve ever found in London.
Where? 3, Hollybush Terrace, Westow St, London SE19 3SD
Best Vintage Shops in London: Bambino, Crystal Palace
Also located in Crystal Palace, Bambino Vintage Shop is more spacious than Maltpress Trading, a stone’s throw away, but also feels much smaller: this is to say just how many curious items are stacked inside.
Established over 20 years ago by Andy Stem, Bambino is one of the best curiosity shops you’ll find in the whole of London: clothing, collectibles, homeware, and even a secret coffee shop are to be found there.
If you’re a lover of vintage makeup, I’ve found quite a few old pans, lipstick cases and other mascara brushes while in there, and you’ll also come across retro apparel, vinyl records, and even pharmacy vials at Bambino.
Where? 32 Church Rd, London SE19 2ET
Strange Curiosity Shops in London: Vintage Heaven, Columbia Road, East London
The last of the curiosity shops I wanted to share with you is yet another vintage shop with a coffee shop hidden inside; Vintage Heaven on Columbia Road, between Hoxton and Bethnal Green.
Established over a decade ago by Margaret Willis, Vintage Heaven offers a curated selection of vintage homeware, textiles, kitchenalia and china, plus a good handful of home decor pieces.
Now, is it a strange shop per se?
It’s rather a vintage shop, but the arrangement of the items, the beautiful shopfront, and the fact that the Cake Hole Cafe at the back of the shop is one of the least-advertised cafes in London still make it a gorgeous shop to visit.
Where? 82 Columbia Rd, London E2 7QB
London’s 8 Strangest Curiosity Shops for Oddities and Gifts
This is probably one of the most magical guides to London I’ve ever written; I can’t express just how excited I’ve been, wondering how to bring about the topic of strange/weird/curiosity shops.
Should you happen to visit London in the fall, you might be interested in coming across creepy places; just in time before the Christmas lights come on.
If you want to keep going with a visit of the strange London, why not visit beautiful cemeteries, or quirky cafes that almost no one talks about?
London’s filled with hidden gems; from Soho to Oxford Street, and even at the end of the Tube lines, you’ll find so many things to do – even if you’re on a super tight budget!