Marché Floh's shop in Montreal stocks a wide selection of secondhand items.Supplied
When Alexandra Mondry first opened Marché Floh in 2019, it was the only curated vintage store of its kind on St. Denis Street in the Plateau.
Just six years later, there are at least 10 similar businesses within walking distance in the Montreal neighbourhood – all selling vintage and secondhand pieces that have been carefully selected based on quality, brand, style and trendiness.
Within less than a year of opening, Marché Floh upgraded to a larger location on the same street and has since become one of the most popular vintage shops in the city. The colourful three-level store stocks a wide selection of secondhand graphic tees, oversized jean jackets, silk slips and one-of-a-kind pieces such as custom selvedge denim.
“We had lineups at the door, our sales were booming, and the support was so good that we knew it was a good idea to grow bigger,” said Mondry.
And grow they have: In September, the opening of Marché Floh’s second location in downtown Montreal – an area typically reserved for big box stores – was met with long lines of eager shoppers.
Six years after Marché Floh first opened, there are at least 10 similar businesses within walking distance in the Plateau.Marche Floh/Supplied
While curated vintage stores have existed in the city for decades, new locations have been popping up more frequently in recent years, particularly in the Plateau and Mile End neighbourhoods, where fashion-forward residents and tourists regularly spend hours sifting through secondhand fashion.
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Unlike at thrift stores, which seem to stock whatever they can get, items at these shops have been carefully selected (and marked up), usually by the owner. They offer a shopping experience that’s similar to local boutiques while being a more eco-conscious option that also supports small businesses.
Genevieve Heistek opened her first vintage store, Local 23, in 2002. That store no longer exists, but she now owns Annex Vintage and Empire Exchange, both on St. Laurent Boulevard in the Mile End. She also owns a second Empire Exchange location in nearby Little Italy.
Heistek said she’s been hearing about the vintage store “boom” in Montreal for about a decade now, though she has observed that the trend has grown exponentially in the last few years.
“The boom has gotten bigger than I ever thought it really would,” she said.
An emphasis on authenticity
It’s not surprising vintage stores are so popular in Montreal, a city that emphasizes authenticity, uniqueness and creativity, especially when it comes to fashion.
“People want something interesting, new, unique and the best way to get that is to go and buy pieces that exist in single units,” Heistek said. “You’re not going to walk into a room and have everybody in the same Zara top.”
Many of these stores work to cultivate a shopping experience that feels more authentic than mainstream brands by maintaining a friendly, community-oriented social media presence.
Marché Floh’s Instagram page, for instance, has nearly 30,000 followers and regularly shares styling videos, interviews with customers, street style and funny clips to engage their audience.
Mondry says vintage shop owners tend to connect with clients online: “It feels less like a company putting out ads and more like an even plane.”
Shopping with the environment in mind
Some of the appeal of vintage fashion undoubtedly stems from its reduced impact on the environment, especially compared to fast fashion. This may partially explain why younger consumers, who tend to be the most environmentally conscious, are drawn to this kind of shopping.
“Anything that is newly made, even if it’s on the better end of the green spectrum, has a negative impact on the environment,” said Mondry. “Circular fashion is the most environmentally friendly way you can shop.”
Some stores lean into the eco-conscious aspect more than others. Empire Exchange offers a buy-sell-trade program that has seen a dramatic increase in interest in recent months, for example.
A ‘more the merrier’ attitude
Claudia Gerarduzzi, one of four co-owners of vintage shop Seconde, also on St. Laurent Boulevard, said she’s watched as the Mile End has become a vintage shopping destination, with large groups of friends frequently browsing the many shops lining the neighbourhood’s blocks.
As the overall number of shops has grown, so too has the number of stores catering to specific niches within vintage fashion. There are now businesses that specialize in street style, men’s clothing, Y2K trends, higher-end pieces and those that do a little bit of everything.
And while new stores inevitably mean more competition, all three owners share the sentiment that there’s more than enough room for everyone.
“What’s so interesting about vintage is that, whether there’s one store or a million stores, you’re still going to find special pieces,” Gerarduzzi said. “It’s vintage – we all find different treasures.”