Local 23 recently moved to a new location a couple of blocks from the original, and while I will…read morealways mourn the never-ending charm of the Bernard spot, what with the fitting rooms made from a bathroom and a coat closet, the ceiling falling down and the floor coming up.... it was clearly necessary! The new space on Boulevard Saint-Laurent is gorgeous, and much easier to shop (as in no squatting down to look at racks) and has much more room in general. They've kept a few small elements of the old place (hilarious vintage decor) which I'm very happy about, because honestly, it was the second best part of the store! The quality of the vintage stock seems to have improved, in that the less interesting flimsy modern pieces are pretty much gone. Not much else has changed other than the name/branding ( Local x annex) -- they still do their 30% and 50% markdowns, and the pricing seems about the same. Hopefully the new store will have air conditioning in the summer!!

The store is well-curated (smallish). I visited several embarrassment of riches (and rags)…read moreestablishments in Montreal and this is not one of them. I left the store after purchasing two awesome, reasonably priced items. But then I had problems with my bixi (there's a station outside the store.) I went back into the store and the store clerk kindly let me use her phone to call bixi. (Thanks again!)

I love this store!! The staff are so friendly and they stock very well cared for vintage clothes…read morealongside brands like Damson Madder. They also freeze and wash all the vintage clothes, so you don't have to worry about any bugs, stains, or smells. Highly recommend checking it out!

Updating this to reflect how awesome their online store is!! It took me a second to find the link…read moreon the side (just three straight lines) that opens up the full online boutique navigation, but from there it's a treasure trove of great design, and sweet little things that are easy to ship. En plus, they offer a service where you can buy one of their rad, hilarious, beautiful locally designed cards and send them the message you want inscribed and they'll take care of the whole thing for you. There's sweet pottery, lovely jewelry, skin care and some sweet sustainable items too. Definitely a nice local option for birthday gifts or Mother's day during these crazy times!

This is an incredibly special place that's difficult to put into words. Kept carefully secret for…read moredecades, and now only open few hours a day on a few days a week, when you come here please move carefully and slow and know that you are on some sacred old school Montreal hallowed ground. The Little Shop is tucked in an old Parc Ex residential duplex, the only sign there is a wonder world in here is the demurely open door a few afternoons a week. The collections fill every single room of the mainfloor, basement and second floor apartments. And I do mean collections: there is material behind this quiet, gritty, working class frontage for a massive fashion, fibres and collectibles history museum. A room devoted to antique lace? Midlength cocktail dresses? Picture frames? Crates of hundreds of vintage eyeglasses, bowties, bakelite, turn of the century hats, 100 year old Spanish hand embroidery? Yes, all of this and more. Though it's overwhelming, like every secondhand and vintage store you've seen has sucked and tucked the best of themselves into tight corners of this one building out of a sheer undeniable desire to be together, there is order. For example, a wall of carefully folded quilts greets you when you walk in, including beautiful historic pieces usually only seen in museums and in movies... Because the secret of the Little Shop is this: it's the private, professional renters that are it's original appointment-only clientele. The Cirque du Soleil comes here to rent costumes and set dressings, the McCord and other museums borrow from here to fill out exhibits, the Spiderwick Chronicles created rich fantasy worlds out of the goods hidden in the Little Shop. And they are often hidden: apparently props people are notorious for hiding their finds amidst the dusty bounty... and the staff laugh tolerantly when they find a room that's been tossed, as they begin the Sysiphian work of re-establishing order. The owner is kind, and incredibly wise about the history and value of her goods, generous in spirit with the young vintage kids who come find her these days, even the couture kids who dig and dig and leave with the same old brand name things. She is carrying on a tradition inherited from a generation before: truly brave, creative, inspiring parents who carefully opened their vast hearts to artists and cultures and taught generations of Montrealers about the stories and true blood and sweat values in these goods. Take a minute to have tea with the cool people hanging out there, if you're lucky enough to be offered one, and you'll be overwhelmed with stories of great Montrealers like Hugh MacLennan, you'll find out you're sitting next to a master laceworker, and you'll get a glimpse of a special beating heart that belongs only to this town.

THE LITTLE SHOP Open WedThursSat 2-5pm and sun noon-3pm…read more1002 Ogilvy (one street east of L'Acadie,one street north of JeanTalon) I first started shopping at The Little Shop over 30 years ago. It was a treasure trove during my rockabilly time: crinolines, bustiers, polka dot scarves, pointy kitten heels. Working in the fashion industry, it was a great place to buy inspirational pieces in design, and fabrication. My house has gone thru many changes with buys from the shop: lace tablecloths, chintz curtains, mid-century prints, tiny bedside tables. The big draw was the owner Ann Silverstone. A warm and curious woman she always made you feel welcome. And she always had a story about a piece or about someone who had come into the shop. She knew everyone in theatre and film ( renting out clothing and housewares) and had a tear sheet at the ready to share with those she knew "in the business". When she passed it was hard to go to the shop. One always expected to see her in her chair sorting thru her latest finds. But I did go back. I couldn't pass up those great items she had found. I am happy to say that the shop is thriving under the management of her daughter, Jill. And Ann's constant aid and companion, Phyllis, is also still "in the house'. You are still treated to tea and cookies in the afternoon. And you get stories on the old and new acquisitions. The clothes and hats and house linens have a little more organization. It was daunting to some on where to start. And the prices are still good (The prices are fair for their provenance ). There are kids clothes and dolls, sequinned jackets and vests, a room filled with lace and crochet, vintage ski sweaters and tweed jackets, shoes and hats and gloves, boxes and vases and books, buttons and pins and glasses, and friendly people with interesting stories to tell. It's still the best adventure in the city!

I ordered masks online from Citizen Vintage last Sunday and chose pick-up expecting the masks to be…read moreready in a few days, or at least not on the following day which was a National Holiday. The next morning, I received a text message. The masks were indeed ready the very next day, on Victoria Day. Furthermore, they even included a hand-written Thank You note to express their appreciation of supporting their small business during these hard times. Oh and to add to it all, the designs of these masks are cool, the masks are quite affordable ($15) and they're made of quality fabric. I have nothing but positive to say about Citizen Vintage and I will make it a point to shop on their website again. Thank you for your great products, service and overall experience!

Citizen Vintage is a vintage clothing boutique located in the Mile End shopping district. Owned by…read moreRebecca and Lara, this independently-owned store has a limited selection in tops, dresses, and even their own line of clothing wear. There's also a very humble selection of men's pieces, but not too much and forgettable. I saw an Editorial Magazine canvas tote bag in the window, and I had to get my hands on it - it featured Clay Hickson's illustration, hand-screened right here in Montreal. I also found a cute pink sweatshirt to match (because, everyone knows I'm all about the hoodies/sweatshirts), so I purchased that as well. I was slightly annoyed, as the same canvas bag was found in another store a few blocks away that was $5 less T___T The female employee was super friendly and helpful, and you are more than welcome to have your items be put on hold while you shop some more. CCs are accepted. +Editorial Magazine with Clay Hickson's illustration pieces available +some items marked up more than other stores in the area T___T +friendly staff

Carmen the manager was rude and argumentative when I simply questioned the pricing on an item. She…read moreis unprofessional lacking any sense of customer service. Above all I mentioned that many people in town are low income and she could not seem to care less. Prices are far too high for a 'thrift' store.

I heard about these West Island thrift shops a little while ago and was so excited to go check them…read moreout (this is a review for the Beaconsfield one but there is one in Ste Annes and one on St Charles as well.) The NOVA thrift shops are stocked by donations from all over the West Island. They are non-profit organizations run by the Order of Nurses and all the money raised goes to their charitable activities: "The primary mandate is to provide specialized care and support in the home to cancer and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) clients during the course of the illness and particularly in the palliative stage. Other programs include bereavement support for children and adults, adult day centers, home support services and foot care clinics. ALS and Alzheimer Caregivers Support Groups are also available." So that's wonderful and merits all the stars. This NOVA location has furniture, some really gorgeous old tables, chairs and lamps at super reasonable prices. There's also a great collection of books, clothes, kitchen ware and other treasures. The other two NOVAs don't have the furniture, and the one in Ste Anne's had the most exciting dishes and ceramics and fur coats. If you love looking for secondhand treasures these are sweet spots in beautiful neighbourhoods that feel like old villages, a surprising break from the city just a 20ish minute drive from downtown. The staff are as friendly and dedicated as you might imagine and everything they have for sale is clean and high quality. Lovely spot to donate your goods as well! All the love for NOVA.

As a self-defined thrifter, one who takes pride in finding great clothes for great prices.. this…read moreisn't the place for me. It was hard to find anything under $20 (even used T-shirts!!!) so that was a little disappointing. The selection of denim jackets was exceptionally impressive though. But this is definitely a high end pricey shop. If you're looking for good bargains, I wouldn't recommend coming here. However, if you're looking to find unique items at any cost, this would be the place for you!

Bought a pair of high-waist jeans that fit me like a dream! Thrifting can always be hit or miss,…read moreand I happened to get lucky this time around. The employees are friendly, and I was able to easily try on clothing.

Annex Vintage is a vintage clothing shop in the Mile End shopping neighborhood. A nice selection…read moreof Montreal-based designers are housed here, such as clothing, leather bags, shoes, jewelry, accessories, as well as small gifts. I pretty much bought all of their Stay Home Club tops and canvas bags, as well as the Anabel Roy sweaters, as I just love the designs and the quality of the material. Prices are listed at the MSRP, so you won't see any obvious marked up prices on any of the items - yay! I also picked up some greeting cards and stickers that I fell in love with, which were also Montreal-based. They also had a little corner of cute pins that you can decorate your clothes and/or bags with. The staff here were super friendly and were all knowledgeable in terms of the information on the designers. Annex Vintage was definitely one of my favorite shopping stops :D +a great collection of Montreal-based designer clothing +unique Montreal-based greeting cards and stickers +adheres to the MSRP on all of their items +friendly staff

Out of the several boutiques I visited in the area, their selection particularly stood out to me…read more Many of the glassware and earrings were works of art and very different from the re-occurring styles that I had grown used seeing throughout my itinerary of vintage/indie boutiques. For whatever reason, the artists they carried just appealed to me the most - personal aesthetics I guess. I visited some of their websites later and was not surprised to see many of them working in other mediums and having professional portfolios. It's not cheap, but it's worth a look if you're in the area. There were a fair number of accessories and other home goods I could pass on, but the hits are worth the trip again. You can tell the owners spent a lot of time curating their collection thoughtfully. I will definitely be back for more fantastic finds on my next trip to Montreal.

Beatrice from Uruguay is the shopkeeper and she has collected treasures from other places, and some…read moreeveryday cool Things to add to your abode. She is friendly and warm and you can find cool gifts, unique finds for your space, and some used furniture. At the time I was there they had a fun lavender chesterfield Like Sofa in the window.

This shop, while advertised as an antiques shop is largely a shop of newer furniture, lighting, and…read moreaccessories made from re-claimed boards and metal. There are also some large metal letters, succulents and other random items. Prices here are reasonable, though not inexpensive.