I heard a story recently that MEC and REI were started by the same group of friends, who wanted to…read morebring a European model of coop for outdoor gear to North America. Apparently when setting it up, they agreed to limit themselves each to their country (Canada and the US) in order to stay out of competition and to simplify things for the people who make this kind of specialty equipment. Whether true or not, they have certainly stuck to their corners and MEC remains a one stop shop for all kinds of specific outdoor gear at an always fair price. Plus, I love the people who work here. Gear nerds with none of the gear snobbery, totally happy to help you with whatever level you're at. In these Covid times, I took advantage of their website to order some baby outdoor gear (I am that mama, and I'm ok with it.) The website doesn't have everything you can find in store, or a ton of options in any category, but if you spend hours looking at life jackets online like I did, you'll come back here when you realize they have the only one you need.

Très pauvre service à la clientèle depuis que ce n'est plus une COOP…read more J'ai tenté d'échanger un thermarest qui s'est délaminé. Le directeur de MEC Montréal n'a pas voulu reconnaître que c'était un défaut de fabrication, même si j'en avais un deuxième identique, utilisé selon les mêmes conditions optimales. Très peu de jugement par rapport à la situation. J'ai décidé, après 40 ans, de ne plus être cliente étant donné le mauvais jugement à cet effet.

There are a few Army Navy surplus stores in this area. This is a good one and has a lot of unique…read morestuff. Definitely take a look if you want to buy your Army , Navy surplus supplies

I've been in here a couple of times now to buy items ranging from props for video projects to…read moreclothes to be used for paintball. Every time I have gone in I have been greeted by friendly and helpful staff and I have never failed to find the item(s) I had been looking for.

I saw this Miniso store while heading over to Biiru for dinner. I made a mental note of it and…read morechecked it out before heading to the Just For Laughs comedy festival. This store is the first Miniso that I have ever visited that is not in a mall. It was different seeing a standalone store. You can get cool items at cheap prices. I stumbled on the sunglasses section first. I tried on a few pairs. They felt cheap, but stylish. I like the merchandise in Miniso, although I have yet to buy anything from the store! For instance, I liked the bear USB 4-port hub. It was adorable. It would look great with the bear trash can. I do love the computer and phone accessories. I could look at the USB fans and charging cables all day. There are tons of snacks. If you like Pocky, you can find practically every flavour imaginable. The stuffed animals and water bottles were at the back. I liked the varieties and colours. There were a fair number of folks shopping when I was there. The sales folks were trying to help a person with a question as I walked out. It's a nice addition to the area. Maybe when I'm back, I'll get something and break my browsing streak! (325)

I recommend going to this place. This place has many stuff, animals and plushy that you can cuddle…read morewith when you sleep. They have accessories like charging ports and much more. After all, I write this place at five stars and for all of them all around the world.

This store is fun, but a hit and miss for me sometimes…read more The quality is suspect on some items (I bought a sweater there and it pilled on its FIRST wash), and since some of the pieces are done in Montreal, they're not really checked for wearability (another sweater had sleeves so short they should have been 3/4 sleeves instead of this weird in between thing). The prices are okay. I wouldn't say affordable, but you can probably find something special here once in a while.

Blu-berry is a great little treasure! I can't tell you how unique and colorful the pieces are...not…read moreto mention comfortable too! The owner has mainly Montreal designers, and it really is as good as it gets. You can find anything from casual-semiformal business wear to beachwear in the spring or summer! There is almost always a sale...and they receive new items every week so stock is booming!

Low prices and awesome selection! Owner was very nice and willing to negotiate prices.read more

Middle of the road thrift store…read more On one hand they have really great selection. But, am I interested to pay 150$ for a vintage dress because it's vintage silk...Maybe not. If you are grossed out by places like "village des valeurs" and renaissances. It's a great place for you since all the good stuff is already skimmed out. In fact, there is a few stores like this one almost neighbouring each other so if you want the full experience. Look around on Saint-Laurent. This is a great place for a stop.

Somewhat big. Good clothes but don't specify items. Half the…read morestore has only women section tho

I heard a rumor that different Fripe-Prix Renaissance locations receives their goods from areas…read morevery close to them and that the one on Wellington Avenue in Verdun gets a lot of their goods from things are are dropped off in Westmount. I can believe it. Here's a quick list of cool, vintage and even designer items I have found at this Fripe-Prix Renaissance. Le Creuset Enameled Dutch Oven, new, brown, unused with the sticker still on it. Retail price: $250 FPR price: $5 Le Creuset enameled cast iron frying pan, white, in near mint condition Retail price: $150 FPR price: $5 Azzedine Alaia sweater, navy blue, slightly used, no holes, no stains, Made in Italy, 100% wool Retail Price: $2000+ FPR price: $7 Aquascutum navy blue trench coat, never worn and still had the tags attached Made in Great Britain, 100% wool Retail price: $2000+ FPR price: $35 1960s/70s era Chrome General Electric, round tea kettle On ebay: $100 FPR price: $7 I have also found Italian Merino wool sweaters for $7, large heavy, metal decorative mirror in sunburst design $12, ceramic clay plant pots for 50 cents, 1970's Viking Blender for $7 with metal machine parts, not the stupid breakable plastic kind they have nowadays, home yogurt making machine, Depression-era glass goblets in ruby or cobalt blue, Calvin Klein and Banana Republic hoodies, giant snap-top jars for keeping dried foodstuffs for $1, complete book series of Harry Potter and A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones), foldable IKEA garden table $5 and a whole slew of other stuff. You get the idea. Mind you I didn't just stop in here once or twice and happen to get all this cool stuff. I walk by this place practically everyday on my way to the metro so I usually get in a chance to duck in and have a quick look around. That and having a trained eye towards quality goods will eventually land you something if you're persistent enough. I really dislike the disposable, throw-away aspect of our culture and there really is truth that one person's junk can be another person's treasure. Plus Fripe-Prix Renaissance's mission is about helping persons who are usually disadvantaged get some skills and build up the confidence to stand on their own. Shopping here is just a win-win situation for everybody.

Lovely store off the beaten track, lovely selection of vintage silk kimono jackets, and full length…read morecotton kimonos. The sales clerk was fabulous, friendly, knowledgeable and kindly answered all our questions. Prices are very reasonable.

What a delightful little find this place was! Situated on a quiet side street, in the heart of the…read morePlateau, this charming business is chock full of extremely high quality Japanese goods. The main selection of the products available in the store are textile items, including brightly coloured kimonos in painted silk, kimono cover jackets in *exquisite* and finely detailed shibori patterns, all also silk. There are tabi socks, tamari balls made with finely wrapped string patterns, amazing traditional firemen's jackets, so many kinds of sculptural scarves, woven scarves, and many other types of cloth. There are select housewares as well, such as cast iron teapots, ceramics, traditional wooden dolls and masks, a few garden ornaments, and jewelry. The store owner and her one staff person were extremely informative about all of the items in the store, and it was easy to see that the owner of this store takes a great deal of pride in offering very choice, high quality Japanese goods. Now, perhaps you, dear reader are wondering about prices, with all that high quality. Surprisingly, things are very fairly and reasonably priced! I am very, very tempted to go for one of those shibori jackets, as I have never seen anything like them anywhere in Montreal, and being a textile artist, I can deeply appreciate the extreme labour and craftsmanship that has gone into making them. I'm pretty sure I need those cute tabi socks, too. Definitely worth dropping in for a visit, to meet the people behind the counter, and learn a few things about Japanese culture! Something beautiful might just steal your heart, too. Or, next time you need a *nice* gift for someone, I say get it here.