The best finds from Wollongong's coolest vintage stores revealed

But social media can never replace the satisfaction and serendipity of rifling through old wares for that perfect find.

We've compiled a list of some of the coolest vintage stores in Wollongong for you to visit next time you're in the mood for a treasure hunt.

Bonus: the super-friendly and approachable owners/store managers won't ghost you when you ask if something's still available.

Easily the grooviest shop in the region, Retrospectrum is the decade-old passion project of Danielle Fletcher.

She started in Petersham, before opening in Fairy Meadow almost seven years ago, where she's specialised in all things 60s and 70s.

"Not that I don't often get things from other eras," Danielle said.

"It's just I'm always attracted to the 60s and 70s and I've got to kind of like it for it to come in the shop.

"It's got to be interesting, groovy, vibrant and out-there - and that could be anything from clothing to furniture."

The store is filled with retro glassware, lamps, pottery, fabric, men and women's clothing, as well as tea towels and sheets.

"Lots of scouring," Danielle says is the secret to her ever-evolving collection.

"Real estate sales, people come to me and offer their family items, op shops, markets, garage sales, everything."

Describe the shop: "Customers get excited to find things that might be a little reminder of something from their past," Danielle said. "A lot of people that come in say, 'oh, I remember having this when I was a kid' or 'this reminds me of grandma or whoever'. But people just get excited about anything that's in the shop because it's all so cool."

Recent finds? "People are always excited when I get a good modular lounge."

What you'll love: "My favorite things in the shop are the cushions that my mum makes. I've collected fabric for years and then my mum, when she gets time, will make cushions. They're made with love and they've been sent all around the world."

RetroSpectrum, 114-116 Princes Highway and Elliotts Road, Fairy Meadow. Open Friday and Saturday

Anglicare Dapto's a favourite of in-the-know op-shoppers for a reason.

It's the charming vignettes, the arty installations - and the secondhand treasures sprinkled throughout.

The creative visual merchandising is the work of store manager Ryan Xuereb, an experienced retail worker who's set out to create "an experience" for thrift shoppers.

"My passion's homewares and creating these beautiful stories for people to wander through," he said.

"It's not just all chucked together. If you generally have a favourite colour, you're drawn to it, and so it pulls you into the space and hopefully you'll find a few things that you like within that space."

The moody grey of the warehouse, the friendly customer service and the catchy background music are all designed to make the visit a pleasurable one.

"We have customers come in all the time and be like, 'I was having such a bad day and came in just because of the atmosphere and the feel of the shop'," Ryan said.

"And they're able to purchase something or just have a chat, and leave different than what they came.

"So that's a real joy of mine to see that people just enjoy being in here. If they buy something even better."

Describe the store: "It's a weird and wonderful space to work. I always say to people we're an 'anything and everything store'," Ryan said. "So there kind of needs to be an element of creativity with organising the stuff to bring structure and cohesion and make it shoppable, so it speaks to people."

Recent finds? "A lot of the good stuff generally comes from Sydney. There was a really cool jacket that was worth $800 retail. I think it's like a really high-end brand, so a customer was able to pick that up for a quarter of the price."

What you'll love: "The change rooms. That was a bit of a COVID project; people always compliment it. Recycled jeans and old magazines and graphics create a bit of a fun instead of some boring box to get changed in. We're all about recycling and using rather than putting those jeans and garments into landfill."

Anglicare, 16 Marshall Street, Dapto. Open Monday to Saturday.

The first time Russell Hall walked into Wombat in Thirroul, he knew he wanted to work there.

"I just thought, 'man, this is so cool,' he said.

When the previous owner put it on the market, Russell jumped at the chance to take the reins at the vintage and antique shop.

He and co-owner Lindsay Mudge have spent the past nine years clearing out any trash to make room for more treasures, opening up previously unused spaces and organising the place.

"People come in and say, 'oh, wow, it's really looking good," Russell said.

Customers are known to travel down from Sydney to pop in, snapping up tools, material, lead-light lamps, crocheted blankets, a vintage jacket, old door handles, doors. And that was just last Saturday.

Describe the store: There's an indie vibe to Wombat, with anything from the Le Tigre or the B-52's playing in the background, cool collectables lining rows and rows of shelves, and a backyard full of what the pair describe as "rusty gold".

Recent finds? The pinball machines.

What you'll love: "Its uniqueness", Russell said. "People are thrilled when they come in here and ask 'have you got such and such?' and often we'll say, 'yeah, we've got one sitting over here waiting for you.' They'll say, 'wow, I've been looking for this for the last five years or something'."

Wombat, 228 Lawrence Hargrave Drive, Thirroul. Open seven days.

She has an eye for the weird and wonderful; he's a tinkerer able to fix just about anything.

Together Alison Mulholland and husband Richard Ainsworth have created a little-known vintage wonderland in Bulli.

"You could just about say we're the best hidden gem in the world because no-one knows we're there," Alison said.

The couple moved Dreams and Memories from Robertson into the Timber Mill Studios nearly four years ago, filling it with curios from deceased estates, their travels and "the good people who bring us interesting things".

A herbalist by trade, Alison also stocks "witchy things" like crystals and jewellery, while Richard makes the store's funky lampshades and repairs the turntables, amps and other electrics.

"I look for whether it's unusual," Alison said of the second-hand goods she chooses to put in the store.

"If it's something that has meaning to a lot of people, we get stuff that could be 1940s and the thought of throwing it away ... I'd rather find someone else to love it."

Describe the store: "I think most people are blown away when they come in the shop because they can't believe we've got so much stuff in such a small space," Alison said. "But it's very organised - that's my 45 years in pharmacy. Everything had to be put next to something for a reason."

Recent finds? "I had a lady in last week who found her own record. Her sister had given away all the family records 20 years ago and she was still really dirty on her. She came into the shop on a Saturday, goes down and picks up this Muppet album and it's got her name on it. And she looked at me and said, 'That's incredible, oh my God, look at this: Melissa. That's me!' She was very excited and for a whole $5 she got a record back."

What you'll love: "We do large collections of vintage vinyl. And the lady who creates the gift cards is an ex-English school teacher and she's got a wicked sense of humor. So all the cards are very irreverent and very funny."

Dreams and Memories, Timber Mill Studios, 2/6 Molloy Street, Bulli. Open Thursday to Sunday.

"We are everything all at once."

That's how free-spirited Vicki Davies describes her eclectic gift and homewares shop, a fixture of Bulli's main strip for the past 18 years.

While she's moved away from second-hand goods, the tightly-packed store still has the rummage factor of a good thrift store.

Just when you think you've seen it all, the shop takes you through to a second room filled to the brim with everything from Christmas and Easter decorations to quirky door handles, linen and ceramics.

"I like to think my customers like that sense of adventure and discovery," she said.

"I kind of wave a magic wand and scatter it all around. It's the Sagittarian way - free range.

"I have my music on and you can have a singalong you know and just lose themselves.

"It'll stimulate the sensors and when people walk out the door, they have a smile on their face and I ask if they had a happy time. And they go, 'Yeah, this is great' and I feel like my job here is done."

Describe the store: "I like to cater to everybody," Vicki said. "You know, a four-year-old little boy can come in with a dollar of pocket money and find something. It's interesting to see what people go to and what they match up to, and I'll tell the story of where it's going or what's happening there.

Recent finds? "I've got lots of planter pots. I have lots of the young kids coming in that are all earnest in trying to grow bits and pieces, and they'll find little pots to match their plant. People even come in here with the plant they've been bought at Bunnings, and they'd be talking to someone like a staff member, and they go, 'Oh, if you want a nice pot then go to that shop in Bulli."

What you'll love: "I don't put my prices up. The people that keep coming back know to come here for good value."

Victoria Street Restorations, 245 Princes Highway, Bulli. Open Wednesday to Saturday.