Secondhand Shopping In and Around Montréal's Mile End 

click to enlarge

• Alison Novak ©️ Seven Days
• Entrance to Eva B

Thrifting is in my blood. When I was growing up, my mom — a frugal Midwesterner and art school graduate — scoured Goodwill and other secondhand stores for unique clothing at bargain prices. I vividly remember the white jeans, printed with sketches of different dinosaur species, she brought home for me when I was in fifth grade. I got a few skeptical looks at school, but I mostly remember feeling cool, proud to be sporting an item no one else had.

I've passed down the love of thrifting to my own kids. My 17-year-old daughter, Mira, fills her wardrobe with previously loved items — she even did a school project about the environmental harm done by the fast-fashion industry. Theo, my 14-year-old son, is a sucker for a perfectly broken-in pair of Levi's.

We have our favorite Vermont haunts, Dirt Chic in Burlington and Bristol's Silkworm Studio among them. But the Green Mountain State, land of flannel shirts and seasonally appropriate shoes, isn't exactly known for its cutting-edge style. That's what spurred us to head to Montréal recently to see what a more cosmopolitan, culturally diverse environment had to offer.

I made a list of stores in or near the city's Mile End neighborhood, an artsy enclave filled with chic cafés and restaurants, vibrant murals, and tons of small shops. Then my family spent four hours on a summer Saturday visiting a dozen or so spots on the parallel thoroughfares of rue Saint-Denis and boulevard Saint-Laurent. The sheer quantity of goods was overwhelming. By the end of the outing, our feet ached and we were in major need of hydration. But each of us scored a couple of fun, original pieces, and we found oodles of fashion inspiration. Read on for info on some of our best stops.

If you want to snack and shop

Boutique Eva B, 2015 boulevard Saint-Laurent, boutiqueevab.com

click to enlarge

• Alison Novak ©️ Seven Days
• Menu at Eva B

The heavily graffitied façade of Boutique Eva B is an apt introduction to the visually stimulating, slightly overwhelming environment inside. The 40-year-old, two-story shop is a Montréal institution — as well as the most affordable and least curated place we visited. Upstairs racks are packed with sweaters, skirts, button-downs and pants averaging around 5 Canadian dollars. Downstairs, prices creep up and style skews vintage — think leather jackets, band T-shirts and sequined dresses. Women's clothing outweighs men's, but there's plenty for the guys. Theo scored a sweet pair of Hawaiian shorts for CA$15, perfect for his role as Patrick Star in a late-summer rendition of The SpongeBob Musical.

I'd recommend hitting Eva B when you have the energy and wherewithal to really sift through the racks. (Quality varies widely, so inspect pieces for stains and holes.) A bonus is the in-house café, with vegetarian samosas for CA$1.50, espresso drinks, and an assortment of baked goods and sandwiches. Indoor and outdoor seating areas offer a comfortable place for weary shoppers to nosh.

The more polished, sophisticated sister of Eva B is nearby Eva D (1611 boulevard Saint-Laurent). In addition to casual styles, it has a large assortment of formal wear, from trendy fast-fashion staples such as Zara and H&M to higher-end brands like Diane von Furstenberg. Need a caffeine jolt? The store's café serves CA$1 espressos.

If you're shopping with teens

Marché Floh, 4301 rue Saint-Denis, marchefloh.com

click to enlarge

• Alison Novak ©️ Seven Days
• Marché Floh

Brightly lit and well organized, this pop-up turned emporium specializes in casual men's and women's apparel with major youth appeal. First- and second-floor items are grouped by category: peasant skirts, novelty tees (CA$20-40), army pants, Hawaiian shirts and moto jackets (CA$150-175) included. There's also an impressive selection of denim in all forms: pants, shorts, skirts and jackets.

In the subterranean level, a smattering of furniture and kitschy home décor sits beside clothing from small, local brands, such as artfully spray-painted shirts and trucker hats by Toronto-born designer Zephyr Christakos-Gee.

Pop and hip-hop music pumps through the high-ceilinged space, and clientele skews young. Sales associates Harold and Sebastian told me that shoppers typically range in age from 15 to 25. Theo zeroed in on a button-down from high-end British designer Paul Smith with the wildest print I've ever seen, featuring baby deer, clowns and succulents. He found the style online for US$339, but we snagged it for around CA$50. It wasn't until we got home that us middle-aged parents realized the shirt's motif includes a few marijuana leaves. Sadly, we might have to pass it on to a more mature fashion connoisseur.

Still looking? The similarly youthful ThriftStop (4261 rue Saint-Denis) is just a block away, with a more concise inventory of casual styles spanning soccer jerseys to Dickies work pants.

If you prefer a mix of old and new

Annex Vintage, 5364 boulevard Saint-Laurent, annexvintage.com

click to enlarge

• Alison Novak ©️ Seven Days
• Annex Vintage

An eye-catching tableau of shiny novelty candles in the shape of baguettes, cannoli, fried eggs and espresso martinis draws shoppers into this trendy mélange of secondhand and new items. The back of the store is lined with several racks of vintage women's clothing that the store website describes as Y2K-inspired. As someone who was 22 in the year 2000, I hadn't quite realized that the polarizing fashions of the era — midriff-baring tops, bucket hats, velour sweatsuits and bootcut jeans — are now considered vintage, but I guess it's just another sign that I'm getting old.

The shop also boasts a large selection of very cutesy, very demure accessories including candy-colored sunglasses, butterfly clips and water bottles; patterned BAGGU reusable bags; and fun makeup like lip oils and roll-on glitter. It would be a great place to do some holiday shopping for the tweens and teens in your life.

Mira picked up a decidedly non-Y2K white cotton dress with a lace overlay, well suited to a steamy summer day. At CA$18, it was a major steal. Empire Exchange, the sister store of Annex Vintage, is located nearby at 5225 boulevard Saint-Laurent; there's a second branch in Little Italy at 6796 boulevard Saint-Laurent. As the name suggests, those shops offer consignment by appointment for store credit or cash.

If you're into bold patterns and prints

Citizen Vintage, 5330 boulevard Saint-Laurent, citizenvintage.com

click to enlarge

• Courtesy Of Madeleine Plamondon ©️ Seven Days
• Citizen Vintage

My favorite place on our Montréal thrifting tour was this quirky, fun boutique with a mix of vintage clothes and original designs made using deadstock (surplus) fabric in unusual prints and materials. Opened more than a decade ago by two Montréal transplants (see sidebar), the store's small Studio Citizen label includes dainty sundresses and tanks made from floral-print tablecloths and bedsheets, as well as boxy tees in white lace and black mesh. For Seven Days' annual Seven Daysies party — which had an "Old Las Vegas" theme — I snagged a slightly sheer black tee patterned with white shapes that looked like playing cards for CA$64.

The selection of vintage was equally fun and featured lots of prints and colors. Mira picked up a cheerful plaid dress, and for CA$42 I bought an '80s animal-print maxi skirt with camouflaged faces of lions and cheetahs that I'll throw on when I want to make a statement.

The store also sells colorful T-shirts emblazoned with designs by local artists. I convinced my husband, Jeff, a sixth-grade teacher, to get a bright orange number with wavy aqua lettering spelling out "Do Care" (CA$42). It's the perfect rebuttal to that sassy middle school refrain: "I don't care."

A Local Perspective

click to enlarge

• Courtesy Of Madeleine Plamondon ©️ Seven Days
• Lara Kaluza and Becky Emlaw

Since meeting through mutual friends, Becky Emlaw and Lara Kaluza have sold vintage clothes together for 16 years. The pair hosted pop-up clothing sales in empty boulevard Saint-Laurent storefronts before opening Citizen Vintage in 2011.

Kaluza, who was born in London, and Emlaw, who grew up in London and Ontario, remember when Mile End was grittier and apartments rented for $200 or $300 a month. In recent years, they said, the cost of living has spiked, and some artists have been pushed out. Still, the neighborhood remains a haven for vintage clothing and small brands. The pair chatted with Seven Days about their store, Montréal style and thrifting tips.

How would you describe the Montréal aesthetic?

LARA KALUZA: It's more of an individual approach. When I visit other cities, I notice that it's a little bit more generic. Montréal is a little bit more creative. Upcycling is really huge here, so there are a lot of other brands apart from us who are taking clothing that already exists and remaking it. The biggest population outside of Canadians in Québec is French people, so that definitely plays into the aesthetic.

What's trending right now in Montréal?

LK: Definitely a more feminine twist on clothing. More frills and embellishments, harkening back to the '50s with dainty prints, which is nice because I feel like the last 10 years has been kind of minimalist.

BECKY EMLAW: [Our style is] colorful, joyful, maximalist. So, we feel right at home right now.

Are there stores the two of you like in Montréal for thrifting?

BE: One of our neighbors, Seconde [5274 boulevard Saint-Laurent], I think they do a great job. They're really beautifully curated.

LK: Dodo Bazaar [68 rue Rachel Est], as well. They're kind of a similar aesthetic but a bit different than what we do — a little bit more high-end with special designer pieces.

What do you look for when procuring vintage pieces to sell in your store?

LK: Now that we're a little bit older, we go for more quality. We like to find things that are natural fibers, like cotton, silk, wool, linen — a little bit more classic but with a twist, like color and pattern. Things that are kind of playful and more unique than just jeans and streetwear.

You also have your own brand of clothing called Studio Citizen. How does the whole design and manufacturing process work for that line?

BE: We work with a seamstress, and she does the whole process of the cutting, patternmaking and sewing, but we have meetings where we decide how everything's going to turn out. Lara and I run the store, so we don't have time to do the sewing anymore, which we both used to do.

LK: When we started, we used vintage fabric that we would find. But now it's grown into a more developed brand. Montréal was the manufacturing hub of Canada before fast fashion kind of took over and everything got shipped overseas, so there are a lot of big Canadian brands that still exist that were all made here originally. The sewing/manufacturing district is called the Chabanel District. It definitely died pretty hard for a while, but now it's kind of being revitalized by smaller brands like us. There was a lot of fabric left in Montréal, and there are businesses now that have that fabric and resell it. Most fabric [is now] made in China. We're getting all of our fabric local in Montréal.

There are so many vintage stores in Montréal that it can feel overwhelming. Do you have any tips for a successful thrifting experience?

BE: When we're shopping and picking things out, we're looking at seams; we're looking at stains; we're looking at holes. We turn things inside out. So, make sure you have a quality garment. We wash and steam everything that we sell, but there are a lot of places that don't do that. The curated places, you're paying for good quality and something that's been laundered and something that's been pressed and something that's probably been mended, as well. We do a lot of mending.

Also, just make sure it fits you. Like, really. Don't buy something that doesn't fit you. You're just gonna re-donate it. I literally don't let people walk out the door without trying something on.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.