Batumi Vintage & Second-Hand Shops

A cluster of second-hand and vintage clothing shops trades along Parnavaz Mepe Street in Batumi, with several independently run stores within a short stretch. They form part of Georgia's wider second-hand clothing trade, known locally as sekond khendi, in which shops sell used clothing imported in bulk from western Europe and Turkey and then sorted for resale. Stock runs to jackets, coats, jeans, shoes and hats, with fur coats and hats common, and occasional oddities including second-hand wedding dresses and ski wear. Prices are low by western European standards, reflecting both the sourcing model and local incomes. The shops are independently owned rather than part of a chain or a formal market, so stock, hours and even which units are occupied change as businesses turn over; several are cash-only. Similar shops exist elsewhere in Batumi and along the Georgian Black Sea coast, but the concentration on Parnavaz Mepe is the highest. The street is walkable from the seafront and the city centre.