There’s something about Manchester in slow motion that doesn’t come through in photos. It’s in the way the city sounds a little gentler mid-afternoon, in the quiet aisles of a shop you didn’t plan to visit, and in the simple satisfaction of a coffee that isn’t rushed.

That’s what this video is — a day in Manchester where nothing explosive happens, and that’s exactly the point. 📽 Watch the full vlog here .

Pop Mart: New Collectibles, Familiar Smiles

We started the day at Pop Mart — not because it was new, but because it finally wasn’t.

We’ve been buying Pop Mart figures for years, back when finding them in the UK involved effort, timing, and the mild satisfaction of having looked a little harder than most. Back then, it felt closer to a small pursuit than a purchase. Walking into a Manchester store now feels less like discovery and more like arrival — not ours, but theirs.

Pop Mart is often reduced to Labubu, but that shorthand misses the point. What makes it interesting is the range: artist-led series and collaborations that pull from fashion, illustration, and pop culture rather than traditional toy culture. Characters like Molly, Dimoo, Skullpanda, and Hirono all carry distinct visual languages — some playful, some melancholic, some deliberately strange. It’s less about mascots and more about mood.

At its core, Pop Mart trades in blind boxes and controlled surprise. You don’t know exactly what you’ll get, but the stakes are low and the pleasure is contained. It’s uncertainty without risk — indulgent rather than exhausting. The same quality we look for in travel: curiosity without pressure, interest without performance.

We moved through the shelves at an unhurried pace, picking up a figure here and another there. It was a reminder that enjoyment doesn’t need to announce itself. Sometimes it’s small. Sometimes it’s strange. Sometimes it’s plastic-wrapped and fits neatly in the palm of your hand.

And sometimes, it’s the quiet satisfaction of recognising something you liked long before it became widely available.

The figure, still sealed, held briefly between shelf and ownership. Denim details, soft textures, a small stitched flower — designed to look casual, but anything but accidental. Part object, part mood. Something made to be collected, and then quietly lived with.

We’ve bought Pop Mart figures for years — long before they were widely available in the UK — and we still dip in and out when something catches our eye.

If you’re curious, you can browse Pop Mart releases online here:
🔗 Pop Mart official store

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Inside Pop Mart, the displays sit somewhere between toy shop and gallery. Oversized figures are arranged like characters paused mid-scene — soft, plush, and slightly uncanny. It’s playful, but not childish. The kind of retail space that borrows its language from fashion and design, asking you to look before you buy.

Selfridges & Manchester Shopping

From Pop Mart we drifted — not with a map, but with curiosity — toward Selfridges Manchester. The city’s flagship department store is as much a destination as somewhere to browse clothes and shoes. The light inside tends to slow conversations; it feels like a place where time bends just enough to pause.

And because you’re in the city centre, this kind of shopping stop feels like living in Manchester, not just passing through it.

M&S and the Small Joys of Everyday Stops

We ended up in M&S, not because we needed anything important, but because sometimes the evaluative calm of choosing a snack or a drink is its own kind of pleasure. There’s an art to wandering through aisles with no rush, no agenda, no check-list of must-sees.

These are the moments that often end up in playlists, in favourites lists, in pictures, and in memory.

Coffee That Didn’t Ask for a Review

The final chapter — coffee.

Not coffee for the ‘gram. Not coffee with a lined-up shot.

Just coffee. Warm. Slow. Sipped.

It’s the contrast that sticks: the contrast between city energy and personal quiet. Manchester doesn’t have to entertain you. Sometimes it simply holds space — and that’s a gift.

The Quiet Value of a Slower City Day

This isn’t travel content made for scrolling. It’s travel content made for lingering. A day like this doesn’t make strong headlines — but it makes strong memories.

And in a world where life is often measured by how much you did, let’s celebrate the days where you simply were.

Fun & Shopping

🧸 Collectibles

POP MART Manchester
130 Market Street, Manchester M60 1AY, United Kingdom

🛍 Department Stores

Selfridges Manchester Exchange
1 Exchange Square, Central, Manchester M3 1BD, United Kingdom — a landmark department store in the city’s main shopping district.
Marks & Spencer
7 Market Street, Manchester M1 1WT, United Kingdom — classic UK store on Market Street.

Coffee

Bold Street Coffee Manchester
53 Cross Street, Manchester M2 4JN, United Kingdom — a classic city centre location.

A Cozy Day in Manchester — Pop Mart, Selfridges & Slow Moments