'The beginning of the end of the authentic Northern Quarter?' The Oi Polloi story
manchestereveningnews.co.ukIn the wake of news that Manchester's Oi Polloi is closing, the M.E.N's Damon Wilkinson tells the story of how the Northern Quarter menswear boutique became an institution. Some time around 2004 I started noticing lads in town wearing these really smart, very plain white canvas pumps.
I looked round all the usual shops, but couldn’t find a pair anywhere. Eventually I stopped a fella outside the Arndale and asked where he'd got them. "A shop on Tib Street," he said. "They're in a basket by the counter." READ MORE: The Mancunian Way: From punk to the pandemic About 10 minutes later I walked into Oi Polloi for the first time.
It looked more like a specialist field sports or hiking store than a menswear shop. There was loads of stuff I recognised, Lee Jeans, Lacoste polos, Ralph Lauren shirts, but there were also lots of things I didn't, such as very expensive cagoules from Scandinavian brands I'd never heard of, fishermen's jumpers, bulbous German orthopaedic shoes and quilted Barbour body warmers.
In the basement there was a barber's chair and the walls were lined with second-hand Adidas trainers. It was cool but a bit odd and somehow that only added to its charm.
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