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It's a sign of the times. Vintage and second-hand shops are vamping up their looks and attracting a new breed of customer. Gone are the jumbled rails and stuffed baskets. As the cost of designer and boutique clothes tumble, there's a rising trend of nearly-new shops with stylish finds.

WHEN KAREN KAVANAGH and Tracy Briggs lost their jobs in a shop in Malahide after it changed hands, the friends decided to take the plunge and open their own. All About Eve, a second-hand clothes shop with a difference, opened in June on a shoestring budget of €2,000 – the pair’s last month’s pay – and has been an instant success. The shop offers nearly-new designer clothes at a fraction of their original price in a shopper-friendly environment with items colour coordinated and well presented. “Most of our customers are a result of word of mouth and many knew us from our old job,” says Tracy. “Many people come in here looking for the second-hand shop!”