A STUDENT who bought an England Italia 90 shirt from a charity shop now runs the UK’s leading vintage football shirt business.
Doug Bierton bought an England Italia 90 away shirt from a charity shop for £5 before selling it online. He made a £45 profit.
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Doug and his student mate Matthew Dale , both obsessed with vintage shirts, launched business Classic Football Shirts in 2006.
The flourishing business has just taken over a unit in Manchester’s trendy Northern Quarter, which features more than 2,000 vintage and new football shirts.
The shop has designated zones for Manchester United and Manchester City shirts, and tops named after some of the world’s coolest players.
Doug’s brother Gary Bierton, speaking to the Manchester Evening News, said: “We started the business in Withington, so Manchester for us, really, is where the whole journey began.
“It’s got Manchester in its DNA and it’s a proud moment to be here opening this store.”
The business recently moved out Barton Arcade into their new space in the Northern Quarter.
The new unit centre features rows of vintage football clobber and break-out areas where shoppers can relax with a coffee or beer.
Gary added: “The Barton Arcade shop was originally set up as a pop-up we turned into physical retail by accident but we had such a good positive reaction to it that it just kept on going but we reached the point where we wanted to take things to the next level.
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“When the opportunity with this amazing building came up, it just felt too good for us to miss.
“I remember walking past this building when it was an absolute shell of itself, so it’s crazy to see how far everything has come since then.
“We’re privileged to be here in such an instantly recognisable building that has been referenced already as a place that has been authentically restored.”
Gary said that Doug and Matt appear to have tapped into a massive international community that shared their obsession with vintage football shirts.
He said: “When we first started, we felt it was quite niche – it was never the intention for it to be such a big community-driven back then but we’ve realised over the years just how big the community is.”
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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
