Wandering into Cool Stuff Vintage feels a bit like stepping into the attic of the most interesting person you know. There are treasures tucked into every corner of the former Butcher and Catch restaurant on Whitham Road, now home to Broomhill’s newest vintage destination.
Even our notoriously hard-to-please photographer had to admit – within minutes of walking through the doors – that this was his new favourite shop in Sheffield. High praise, indeed, and it’s no surprise as the shop is bursting with curated collections of vintage homewares, art, clothes, books, handmade goods and ephemera you didn’t know you needed until you spotted it in one of the vintage kitchen nooks or art-filled alcoves.
Owners Taylor and Samuel Ogle-Timson have transformed the space – along with Taylor’s dad, Eric, who flew in from Florida to help launch the venture – into a warm, welcoming curiosity shop where everything feels like it’s had a life before.
“We do have loads of vintage clothes,” Taylor explains, “but essentially, we’re kind of a one-stop vintage shop. We don’t specialise in one thing. It’s curated, yeah – but fun. There’s a bit of everything.” She’s not joking. One room leads to another, and another, and suddenly you’ve gone from flicking through fashion to leafing through old paperbacks, eyeing up reworked art prints, and wondering whether you need an old typewriter or a 1980s jigsaw (the answer is probably yes).
But this isn’t a random jumble of bits. “We are incredibly picky,” says Sam. “We’ve got several sources, from local contacts to house clearances. But it all gets filtered. Every single piece is chosen.” That curation includes creativity too – there are handmade tote bags stitched from salvaged fabrics, collage kits made from discarded books, and vintage artwork reimagined with new overlays and graphic details.
At the heart of it all is a focus on sustainability and second-hand culture. “It’s about keeping everything in circulation,” says Taylor, “but with a fun new twist.” Eric agrees: “It’s about repurposing – giving things new life. There’s a whole world of collage, craft and creative reuse that can grow from this.”
That ethos was born in Jacksonville, Florida, where Taylor’s parents run the original Cool Stuff Vintage from a converted Pepsi bottling warehouse. When the couple caught wind that Butcher and Catch was relocating, they jumped on the opportunity. “A space like this in Broomhill? You don’t pass it up,” says Sam. “It’s rare.”
The transformation has been a family affair. “My dad flew over for a long weekend to help us look at a few potential spots,” says Taylor. “But this one stood out straight away. He loved it.” Eric’s decades of vintage-hunting experience shaped the new shop’s layout and stock. “There’s always someone for everything,” he laughs, recalling a Sheffield customer who picked up vintage handkerchiefs for wedding decor and another who snapped up a 1965 boiler manual for her plumber husband. “You never know what people are looking for. That’s the joy.”
Taylor and Sam both studied archaeology in Sheffield and stuck around long after their degrees finished. “It’s a sticky city,” Sam jokes. “You just can’t seem to leave.” Before opening Cool Stuff Vintage, Sam launched Trixie’s Pantry, a zero-waste refill shop just around the corner. It’s still running, and yes – Trixie the dog is also the unofficial mascot at Cool Stuff, occasionally shouting at customers when she’s had enough of shop life.
Though the shop has only been open a month, the response has already been overwhelmingly positive. “We’ve got regulars already,” says Taylor. “People come in, check out the new stock, hang around, have a chat. It’s great.” New stock comes in every day, with the layout constantly changing. “If a piece sells,” explains Sam, “the whole area might need rearranging. You’ve got to keep the space feeling alive.”
Looking ahead to autumn, they’re planning to bring out “a massive collection of vintage jumpers” and have big hopes for community workshops and art events, many inspired by what Eric and Cristina already run in Florida. “We did a back-to-school collage event at the Jacksonville shop,” says Eric. “Kids could decorate their composition books with old papers and ephemera. Free, fun and totally unique. We want to bring that here too.”
It’s clear Cool Stuff Vintage is more than a shop. It’s a creative space, a community hub, a treasure trove of stories – and a love letter to second-hand life, told in fabric scraps and retro prints. As Sam puts it, “There’s something new to discover every time. Even for us.”
And if you happen to spot a frog figurine or a tea chest that speaks to you? Best to grab it while you can. Because in a place like this, nothing stays on the shelf for long.
Check out their instagram for information on opening hours, new stock, and more.
