A fixture in the city centre for two generations, it was initially opened by the late Irvin Grant in 1990 on St Ann's Square under the name Zico.
With a glut of new luxury menswear stores opening in Manchester city it’s easy to overlook what we already have.
In the past few years, Manchester’s welcomed the likes of KershKicks, KickGame, Sneaker63, Yards Store, Clints Inc and, more recently, END. Clothing, significantly upping its premium menswear game.
Whilst it’s been a long time coming, right now it feels like there are endless options for male shoppers looking for some luxury. But for those who knew where to look, there have always been a few reliable gems.
We’re talking about Intro, a local family-run clothing store that’s been dressing well-heeled Mancs ever since the nineties.
A fixture in the city centre for two generations, it was initially opened by the late Irvin Grant in 1990 on St Ann’s Square under the name Zico.
Named after the famous 80s Brazilian footballer Arthur Antunes Coimbra, better known as Zico, the store became something of a go-to in the eighties and early nineties for fashionable gents – until the bomb hit it, anyway.
After many happy years, the storefront was forced to relocate after it was nearly destroyed by the devastating 1996 IRA Bomb, which famously left little more than a bright red Market Street post box standing in its wake.
Fortunately, Irvin had already opened a second store, Intro, with the same philosophy six years earlier. This meant that when disaster struck his sought after collections of exclusive, premium menswear were able to relocate to Intro, which remains in the same spot today.
Sadly Irvin passed away from cancer earlier this year, so now the family legacy is being carried on by his son, Oliver Grant.
Oliver tells us: “Basically dad originally started from my grandma. My grandma owned a leather company in Portugal, she had a factory, making leather shoes and jackets, and my dad learnt everything from [her].
“My dad Irvin opened up a shop in the seventies called Just In Fashion, men’s fashion, all menswear, with his mum, my grandma, Joan.
“In the eighties, he opened his own store called Zico, and Zico was famous from the Brazilian footballer, a famous 80s footballer, anyway he opened the shop and it was a big hit.
“A lot of people from Manchester from the older generation all know Zico from the eighties. Always the same philosophy: different, funky, exclusive and premium.
“We’ve always done that, and that’s what he’s always stuck by and the philosophy continues this day from the original is keeping it different, keeping it exclusive, and that’s what we’ll always be like.
“We’re not going to do commercial labels, we’re about being different a bit European […] We do things differently.
“So from the 80s he had a shop called Zico then he opened a shop called Intro in 1990, because Zico was at the Royal Exchange.
“We had two shops at the time, Intro and Zico, and 1996 when the bomb went off Zico got hit hard and it affected business so Zico was written off, so that was the end of that in 96. But Intro continued, yeah. and like I say 1990 established and hopefully we’ll continue.”
Read more: The hidden Manchester sneaker store selling £10k Air Jordans and rare Yeezys
Today you’ll find Intro on Deansgate inside the Barton Arcade. Thirty-two years on, it’s still going strong and stocking some of the most sought-after luxury menswear brands on the market.
Inside, you’ll find clothing and accessories from Manchester’s own Off The Rails, Transit, Kangol, Cote & Ciel, Anthony Morato and many, many more.
Split across two floors, a quick dig into the rails reveals graphic t-shirts, branded coach and varsity jackets, hoodies, luxury trainers and rows upon rows of designer jeans.
Elsewhere, for those after more business-appropriate attire, you’ll find a mix of smart suit jackets and tailored but casual sports coats, jackets and overshirts, perfect for taking busy city lads from day to night.
As well as having a physical shop on Deansgate, Intro also has an online store where shoppers can browse at leisure online. To find out more and visit Intro’s website, click here.
Feature image – The Manc Group
Manchester music store Forsyth is giving away a host of free music lessons next month in a bid to inspire people to learn a new instrument, or pick up an old one.
The store is giving new and returning musicians a chance to receive a 10–15-minute free music taster session as part of its Music for All Learn to Play ’22 event.
Taking place across 8 and 9 October between 10am-5pm (8 October) and 1130am-30pm (9 October),short taster music lessons will allow all ages and abilities to have a musical experience that could turn into a lifetime of enjoyment, or even a new career.
Speaking on the free music lesson initiative, Emma from Forsyths said: “The past two years have shown how important music is to all our lives and how it can bring people together even in the most difficult of circumstances.
“We aim to help as many people as possible understand the unique joys and benefits of learning an instrument (or taking part in a choir).
“Anyone interested in learning to play an instrument or looking to pick it up again, should come and join us for this two-day celebration of music making.
“We’re delighted to be part of Music for All’s Learn to Play ’22 event, and we can’t wait to get started.”
OBE Jools Holland, Patron of Music for All, said: “Making music is very important to me. It’s my work, my pleasure, my friend, companion and therapist.
The charity Music for All believes passionately in the unique power of music to change lives and that is why it runs Learn to Play.
Music for All believes everyone should have equal access to music making.
The charity supports disadvantaged music makers by providing cash grants for tuition and instruments and by donating instruments directly.
Read more: The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 26 September – 2 October 2022
The Learn to Play ’22 event is generously supported by the NAMM Foundation and other partners include Music Industries Association, Musicians Union, Making Music, Music Mark and Black Lives in Music.
Those interested in joining Forsyths for a free music lesson simply need to email [email protected] or pop into the Sheet Music department on the ground floor to register interest.
When Siam Smiles was still a little cafe in a Chinatown supermarket it received serious rave reviews. Since moving up to Deansgate Mews, however, it seems to have been forgotten about a little.
Most famously described as “the most exciting thing to happen since the days of the Hacienda” by Marina O’Loughlin in a 2014 review for The Guardian, owner May also made headlines for teaching herself to cook on Youtube after her chef left the business one month after opening.
National critics, like O’Loughin and others, were seemingly drawn in by the cafe’s novelty – not one review missed the opportunity to mention the supermarket, or tell you how the ingredients in the dishes were often the same as the ones on the shelves.
But since it has moved over to The Mews, an oft-forgotten back street within the Great Northern Warehouse complex, the reviews have gone suspiciously quiet – so we thought we’d pop in to see if it’s all still up to scratch.
Spoiler alert, it definitely is.
Two years after that rave review from O’Loughlin, rising bills forced the cafe to close – but with a little help, May reopened in 2016 at the Great Northern Warehouse. It’s here that you’ll still find her cooking up a storm today.
With bills firmly on the rise once again, we thought we’d pop in to shine a light on this longstanding Mancunian gem and are happy to report her food hasn’t faltered one iota.
We went for stir fried chicken Pad Ka Paow with jasmine rice and a fried egg, and a steaming bowl of KuiiTiwe Moo Nam Tok with fresh egg noodles and roasted duck breast, with two glasses of Singha on the side.
Read more: The swanky new Manchester cocktail bar housed in an old bank vault
We also couldn’t help but opt for a hearty portion of green papaya salad with dried shrimps, a dish that’s hard to find but something of a speciality here, as well as a second glass noodle salad with plump prawns and minced pork.
The dressings, always made by May herself, completely hit the spot with their balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet.
Read more: ‘We are facing extreme economical pain’ – District suggests it could be closing
We strongly recommend you pop in and show Siam Smiles some love. It’s not all just about the shiny new restaurants, after all. We need to treasure the veterans too – and this is one we need to protect at all costs.
Find the cafe on Deansgate Mews Unit G Upper Level ,Great Northern, 253, Deansgate, Manchester M3 4EN.
Feature image – The Manc Eats
The people's voice of Greater Manchester. Our aim? To make sure you’re in the know, entertained and educated on what’s happened, or what’s happening, in our great city.
39 Princess Street, M2 4FN [email protected]
Copyright © 2022 The Manc The Manc is a trademark of The Manc Creative Ltd