A NEW vintage shop will open shortly in a city centre area blighted by vacant units - and it is hoped the store will add to Bradford's growing independent quarter.

New To You Lifestyle, which will sell vintage clothing, furniture, homeware and other quirky items, is actually an RSPCA charity shop, but the organisation has designed the store to be as different from the public opinion of charity shops as possible, with designer fashions and higher quality items on sale.

The store will open next month on the junction of Darley Street and Godwin Street, in an empty listed building formerly occupied by Milletts.

It is being partly funded through Bradford Council's Growth Zone funding.

Similar styles of high end charity shop have been trialled by the RSPCA in London, but this is the first of its kind in the region. There will be two floors of stock, with a coffee area in the basement.

Several stores in Darley Street have recently closed due to businesses re-locating to the Broadway Shopping Centre. However with the underground Sunbridge Wells development of independent shops, restaurants and bars due to open in March, and the city's thriving North Parade based independent quarter still expanding, there is hope that that the area of the city centre will enjoy a resurgence.

The charity's existing two shops in the city centre will remain open, and the new store will create three new jobs. They will also take on a retail apprentice from a local college.

The Grade II listed building had been empty since Millets shut in 2013. The outdoor clothing business has since re-opened in a unit on Kirkgate.

The upper floors of the building are being converted into flats.

An RSPCA spokesman said: "We wanted to go with a totally different type of shop than a usual charity shop. We're trying to set ourselves apart. We looked at the city and there weren't many vintage shops here.

"There are some really good businesses on North Parade attracting young professionals and we wanted to tap into that. We think we've got a good market for a shop like this. We're going to have a coffee area so customers can grab a book and have a drink.

"We're hoping that this shop and the other businesses here will be able to drag people to this end of town, we're not just trying to get people who are walking past. I think this is the new shop to open up around here since the new shopping centre opened.

"We won't be selling things like tops for £3, there will be quite a bit of designer vintage."

The amount of funding the store will get will be finalised when the refurbishment is completed.

Bradford Council leader David Green said: "The purpose of the growth zone fund is not only to bring empty units back into use, but also to bring in a new vibrancy and difference to the city centre.

"I've always said that while the Broadway centre was essential to the future of Bradford, we need to develop independents and different types of shops to give Bradford a unique selling point."

The store is due to open on February 1. It is accepting donations of vintage clothing, furniture and books either at the new store or at the other RSPCA stores in the city.