Fred Aldous

Lizzie Wood

Visit now

Fred Aldous

37 Lever Street, Manchester, M1 1LW
0161 236 4224
  • Monday9:00am - 5:30pm
  • Tuesday9:00am - 5:30pm
  • Wednesday9:00am - 5:30pm
  • Thursday9:00am - 5:30pm
  • Friday9:00am - 5:30pm
  • Saturday9:00am - 5:30pm
  • Sunday11:00am - 5:00pm

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

© Fred Aldous
Book now

Nearly 130 years old and still going strong, the Northern Quarter art store stocks much more than just the odd paintbrush.

The worker bee has long been synonymous with Manchester’s industrious ethos, and for good reason: the textiles industry was born in this former “Cottonopolis.” Established in 1886, arts and crafts store Fred Aldous is very much a slice of that history, proving that our worker bee nature and penchant for crafting is still thriving.

Fred Aldous came into existence when a mill worker of the same name realised that the way cotton was being carried around in bulky baskets was inefficient. He soon set about importing cane, willow and yeast and started his own basket-selling business. When the family trade was passed on to Fred’s son (Fred the second), he began selling handicrafts, turning Fred Aldous into the shop we know today. Still a family run business (the shop is in its fifth generation), the store now sells over 25,000 products catering to the complete arts and crafts spectrum.

Located on the corner of Lever Street in the Northern Quarter, Fred Aldous remains true to its nineteenth century roots but with a modern edge. You can make just about anything with the products on sale here, from glass crafting and lampshade assembly to more of the run-of-the-mill hobbies including painting, tie dye and stencilling.

The store also boasts a slightly intimidating metal work section that features an array of mallets, punches and saw blades. The space itself is light and airy, bucking the “shabby chic” trend so popular with the surrounding vintage shops.

A black-and-white photo booth in the corner lets customers make their own retro photo strips, and there are plenty of unusual gift ideas and “back to school” essentials alongside the art and craft materials.

Plus, the staff are super friendly (and some have been there for over 40 years) and more than willing to help you out with getting the right materials for whatever it is you want to make – even if it’s still in the concept phase. Fred Aldous is always an appealing visit, whether you want to make paper chains or craft something a bit more sophisticated.

What's on near Fred Aldous

LiteratureManchester
Nikita Gill at Feel Good Club

Enter the Underworld with internationally bestselling poet Nikita Gill as she discusses her “propulsive, electrifying and enraging” new book Hekate.

From £18.99
Rock and Goal
Until
ActivityManchester
Rock and Goal Tour

Join Joe Feeley a Mancunian through and through, who guides you into Manchester’s two pillars of cultural excellence with his Rock and Goal tour.

From £9.99
Bloom Chameleon Dancers
Ancoats
Bloom at Hallé St Peter’s

Bloom fuses Manchester and Japan’s creative energies in music, dance and fashion, imagining bold futures for shared histories.

Free entry
Craft Beer Tour Around Manchester
Until
ActivityManchester
Craft Beer Tour Manchester

Join Craft Beer Tour Manchester for a journey through some of the cities best local breweries and artisanal beer serving bars. Discover the personality of Manchester’s beer through a diverse

From £45

Where to go near Fred Aldous

Foundation Coffee House Manchester
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Foundation Coffee House

An echoey, spacious coffee house in the northern quarter, filled with designer furniture, a meeting room on wheels and carefully-crafted brews.

Stevenson Square
Manchester
Stevenson Square

Stevenson Square, the central hub of bars and cafes in Northern Quarter. Home to some of the best bars in the city.

Image of Night and Day Cafe in Manchester
Manchester
Music venue
Night & Day Cafe

Opened in 1991, Night & Day Cafe on Oldham Street plays host to an exhausting array of gigs throughout the year.

Slice Pizzeria in Stevenson Square Manchester.
Manchester
Restaurant
Slice

When was the last time you stumbled out of a bar and into a takeaway that served up food as fresh as Mama made? If your answer is “never”, we’re guessing you haven’t yet found new Manchester pizza parlour, Slice.

Manchester
Shop
Barbarella

Barbarella is a barber shop and part of the long-standing Pop Boutique vintage shop.

Manchester
Restaurant
Nibble

Independent cafe in Manchester’s bustling Northern Quarter. Perfect if you’re looking for high-quality homemade produce.

Culture Guides

Cinema in the North

This month we recommend a season of Film noir, cult Australian movies and a huge celebration of DIY community cinema.

Author portrait
Literature Events in the North

Our latest round-up features plenty of one-off live literature events to wrap your ears about, so get those diaries ticking over...

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

This season’s theatre is gloriously eclectic: from radical cabaret and reinvented classics to new musicals and boundary-pushing performance.

Sprints
Music in the North

10 fresh shows across Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool, threading together noise, ritual, euphoria and release in all their messy, beautiful forms.

Detail of an abstract sculpture, with burned materials and rusty chicken wire at the centre, with rusted metal bars bent around it.
Exhibitions in the North

Chocolate fountains, beautiful batiks and medieval marginalia - this month's supersized Exhibitions Guide has it all.