2026 Has St John's Steps, the 90s had Quiggins
Destined Magazine writer, Laura Hughes, explores the cultural significance of Liverpool's legendary indoor market.
Image: Google / Wikipedia
From Doc martens to vintage vinyls and incense Quiggins was an iconic setting for a
number of generations growing up in Liverpool.
For so many Liverpudlians this was the location of their first ear piercing, and for
many more their first, underage, tattoos.
Images: Flickr
Featuring a selection of clothing and vintage t-shirts, handmade jewellery and
artwork, it was a community for creatives from the city to get their designs and their
names out there, as selling in a High street shop wasn’t something available to them.
It was a place to meet up on a Saturday with friends, especially with students within
the city, maybe even the alternative to meeting at the big steps in Liverpool one and
just being with friends.
Image: BBC
Being alternative was such a huge movement in the 1990s as a rejection of the
bright neon colours and shoulder pads of the 1980s. This decade also saw the
introduction of grunge music from bands like Nirvana, the unkempt flannel shirts,
ripped jeans and band t-shirts that people saw on stage and in magazines impacted
what many wanted to wear and look like, the same way that it does now.
Image: Quiggins Facebook
The idea of ‘individualism’ is also something that was coming to the fore in the 90s
through body piercings and tattoos, Quiggins was all about “the freedom of being
different”
Images: Flickr
Nowadays for so many people who still resonate with being alternative there isn’t
one single place that they can go to for communities to come together like there was
20 years ago, but there are a few different places for people to go. But like more and
more people today vintage fashion is taking priority over ‘fast fashion’ the same way
it did over 20 years ago.
Quiggins was so much more than just somewhere to go shopping for the people of
the city, the atmosphere was just as important. The Brook café inside of Quiggins
was known for its live music and ‘Fraggle radio’.
Based on Renshaw Street from its beginning and originally setting out to be an
antiques business in 1986, Quiggins was at the heart of Liverpool’s fashion scene
until its closure in 2018.
Image: Flikr
The indoor alternative market began to expand including a mix of independent stalls
during its Hayday from the late 1980s.
In 1988 Quiggins moved from Renshaw Street to School Lane and Peter’s Lane, into
the iconic building many will recognise.
The business moved for a final time before its closure and relaunches as ‘Quiggins
at Grand Central’, ending its operations for good in 2018.
Image: Quiggins Facebook page
This closure was so impactful for so many communities in Liverpool as it was a
meeting space for people, and a lot of people felt that they had nowhere to feel truly
like themselves with the increasing amount of high street stores, and the further
development of Liverpool One.
But Quiggins has been the inspiration for another retailer ‘Resurrection’. It started as
a small vintage stall within Quiggins from 1991 and now occupies a two-story
building on Bold Street. Many say that this shop has retained the alternative and
quirky vibe that Quiggins introduced into the city. The shop does now stock newer
brands but does its best to keep the individuality alive with its retro section of band t-
shirts and vintage wear.
For people who are still searching for places with a similar vibe to Quiggins inside of
today’s Liverpool, there are still a few places that fit the criteria. From the Hippie Hole
to the Ropewalks district of Bold Street. But almost every say that Red Brick market,
which features a mix of stalls such as Sharky’s for band merch, and a huge
collection of artist stalls and vintage jewellery, is the closest modern equivalent to the
vintage maze of the 1990s icon in Liverpool.
Written by Laura Hughes
