The ultimate guide to vintage shopping in Montréal

Where to shop curated vintage in Montréal

It is generally understood that it would be better for us all (especially the planet) if we all resolved to buy less from fast fashion retailers, but the siren's song of seasonal trends can be hard to resist. 

Find pieces for your latest fit du jour at a number of Montréal's vintage boutiques that keep pace with contemporary looks, such as Mile End's Annex x LOCAL (5364 Saint-Laurent Boulevard), with its sweet and soft colour-coded selections, or Little Italy's Ex-Voto (6534 Saint-Laurent Boulevard), where both vintage and hand-selected indie designer pieces sit alongside a dreamy display of local, hand-thrown ceramics. Further down on the Main is Lau B (4292 Saint-Laurent Boulevard), with a large selection of contemporary vintage. If you were already on your way to some bagels, do yourself the favour of popping into Bohème Vintage (206 Saint-Viateur West) en route and see why it has earned its place as a neighbourhood staple for over three decades. Friperie Secondli (1556 Mont-Royal Avenue East) is a standout East Plateau thrifting spot, and if you find yourself in Hochelaga, don’t miss Raymond IV (3201 Ontario Street East). Try your hand at the consignment game at Shwap Club (5027 Wellington Street), Common Sort (3667 Saint-Laurent Boulevard), or Empire Exchange (5225 and 6796 Saint-Laurent Boulevard), where you yourself are welcome to add to their curated racks by exchanging your own vintage threads for store credit (and lo, a cyclical addiction is born). 

Sustainable and upcycled vintage in Montréal

Another way to approach sustainable fashion is through reworked vintage clothing and textiles, where secondhand pieces and repurposed fabrics are transformed into more contemporary cuts. 

Citizen Vintage (5330 Saint-Laurent Boulevard) wows with its hand-picked secondhand selections, reimagined vintage duds, and slow fashion offerings—notably all made within 5km of the store from recycled materials. Neighbouring La Pompadour Boutique (5358 Saint-Laurent Boulevard) also offers a combination of vintage frivolity and novel creations from Québec makers. A little further up the boulevard at Take Three (5594 Saint-Laurent Boulevard), the hand-selected vintage garments sold in store are crafted and altered onsite. Plateau boutique Turquoise Treasures (68 Rachel East) carries both found and upcycled vintage from a variety of different local vendors. Old Montréal's ERA Vintage Wear (999 Du College Street, #41) displays present-day runway fashions juxtaposed against a selection of beautiful, refurbished vintage garments—from the 1920s through to the 1980s—from which their modern counterparts were inspired. Cul-de-Sac (3794 Saint-Laurent Boulevard) on the Main is a vintage depot offering a combo of upcycled retro and plenty unaltered original pieces; with most of its goods dating from the 80s onward, this is the place to hit for an authentic ugly holiday sweater or a loud, floral, summer BBQ shirt.

Where to find designer vintage in Montréal

If you're looking to invest in luxe labels, it’s best to start with boutiques that specialize in sourcing vintage couture. 

A number of luxury vintage resellers can be found in Montréal’s Westmount neighbourhood, including Charlotte & Gabrielle (353 Prince Albert Avenue) for contemporary high-end vintage, Relove Vintage (4259 Sainte-Catherine Street West) for designer names at deep discounts, and nearby Vintage Musts (1 Westmount Square, Suite CK-05), a leader in Montréal’s couture consignment.  Over in the Plateau, coveted runway brands are common at both Le Dressing (3854 Saint-Denis Street) and Le Department (80 Laurier Avenue West), while recognizable luxe labels can be seen under sneaky garment bags hanging kitty-corner to authentic 50s cocktail dresses at Les Folles Alliées (371 Mont-Royal Avenue East). Mile End's Seconde (5274 Saint-Laurent Boulevard) serves up an array of irreverent and distinctly rebellious upscale vintage, while neighbouring store RUSE (5141 Saint-Laurent Boulevard) is every bit as sleek and chic as the garments it sells. Similarly minimalist and airy is Inedit.e (6370 Saint-Laurent Boulevard) in Little Italy, where you can feel the intention behind every piece on display. If luxury vintage accessories are what you’re after, head to RETYCHE (2305 Rockland Road, Rockland Centre) for designer bags, shoes, and more, or St-Henri’s Vintage Frames Company (4873 Notre-Dame Street West), known for its standout selection of premium eyewear.

The largest thrift stores in Montréal

Looking to get lost? There's nothing quite like devoting an afternoon lost among the racks, on the hunt for a hidden gem. 

Firstly, the prize for the largest independent thrift store in Montréal has to go to Friperie Déjà Vu (6910 Saint-Jacques Street), an absolute Leviathan of a space in Notre-Dâme-de-Grace. Over in the lower Plateau, Boutique Eva B (2015 Saint-Laurent Boulevard) is a now-iconic frip emporium and Montréal landmark, first opening its doors in 1987 (albeit initially as a used bookstore). A few storefronts down you'll find sister location Eva D (1611 Saint-Laurent Boulevard), with a slightly more curated selection of bygone-era threads, including rentable gowns for special occasions that call for old glamour. Dominating both the t-shirt and jean jacket game with seemingly infinite stock is Hadio (314 Mont-Royal Avenue East). Nearby on Saint-Denis, multi-tiered, pop-up-turned-permanent success story Marché Floh (4301 Saint-Denis Street) is a thrilling thrifting experience catering to a variety of aesthetic sensibilities. Further uptown, blink and you'll miss The Little Shop (1002 Ogilvy Avenue). What it lacks in square footage it makes up for in density, its two floors packed floor-to-ceiling with unparalleled finds.  Finally, if you’re up to more of a rag-house experience, we invite you to get lost in the racks of the Lau B Entrepôt (9600 Saint-Laurent Boulevard).

Where to find niche vintage in Montréal

As thrifting continues to rise in popularity, so too has the market for extremely specific vintage goods; enough, in fact, for purveyors of such niche items to open brick-and-mortar locations. 

Vintage workwear is the name of the game at Palmo Goods (263 Mont-Royal Avenue East), where rancher duds, boiler suits, and French railway jackets reign supreme. Slinging similarly Western fare but with a more 70s rock twist is La Caravane Vintage (4116 Saint-Laurent Boulevard) on the Main, with its bolo ties and biker jackets, but real motorbike enthusiasts can't miss Boutique Le 63 (63 Mont-Royal Avenue East), a place of pure garage and motorcycle culture with vintage pieces to match. Whether you are grunge or velour-jumpsuit inclined, both Cyber Vintage (4329 Saint-Denis Street) and Club 777 Vintage (793 Mont-Royal Avenue East and 4339 Saint-Denis Street) are where it's Y2K all the way. Then there is Ribotti Vintage (5149 Saint-Laurent Boulevard), whose primary focus is old school sports outerwear, be it for a day on the slopes or a night at Igloofest. Pioneering much-needed sizing inclusivity in the vintage space is Montréal’s plus-sized vintage boutique Mala MTL (4665 Saint-Laurent).  And while not technically a thrift store, a special trip should be made to Kitsch'n Swell (4065 Saint-Laurent Boulevard) on the Main for their stunning vintage recreations that capture that 1950s sock-hop magic. 

Where are the best men’s vintage stores in Montréal 

By a large margin, most of Montréal’s vintage scene is unisex. However, there are some thrift boutiques that have a larger representation of men’s vintage than others, such as Chez Claude (257 Saint Viateur Street West), LNF Shop (5319 Park Avenue), Carole (4321 Saint-Denis Street), and Feu Hochelaga (3215, Ontario Street Est). Outremont's Mervmatsui (1025 Avenue Van Horne) is a menswear thrift boutique with a focus on both workwear and normcore (a little L.L. Bean, a little Danny Tanner), while  the selection of predominantly men's/unisex clothing at Club Theos Montréal Inc (1134A Mont-Royal Avenue East) is strictly 90s streetwear—vintage for hypebeasts. The Plateau location of Le Ninety (4361 Saint-Denis Street, with a sister boutique at 5460 Boul. Saint-Laurent Boulevard) is a multidisciplinary space showcasing predominately 90s men’s vintage alongside excellent coffee courtesy of Café Croissound).

Where to shop for vintage home goods in Montréal

Lastly, should you be looking and able to expand your collection of secondhand and vintage items beyond your closet and into your home, Montréal has some truly incredible vendors of furniture and home goods, be they gently used or fully upcycled and refurbished. The vintage furniture and lamp selection at Style Labo (5595 Saint-Laurent Boulevard) leans more stylishly industrial, while Spazio Architectural Antiques (8405 Saint-Laurent Boulevard) boasts an incredible collection of antique stained glass amid more structural elements. The focus at both Espace Vintage (169 Atateken Street) and Boutique Spoutnik (2120 Atateken Street) is colourful, mid-century decor, but if it's carved Flemish scrolls and Tiffany lamps you're on the hunt for, check out the guide on how to antique by the Lachine Canal. Happy thrifting!