Something for everyone

Walking along Mont-Royal is truly a treat because you really catch quality for your walk in terms of shopping. Take a stroll into Bouquinerie Le Plateau for used and new books and the first CDs circa 1980s and on. The book selections are interesting and relevant per category including cinema, theatre, photography, fine arts and a larger section of anthropology. Don’t be shy with the staff, for they really know their store.

Hopefully you're a sample size, for at Lily Farouche the prices and selections are definitely worth the browse. Carrying labels such as Miss Sixty, Diesel, Energie and other European labels at lowered prices (maybe a season or two behind, but unoticeable to most), you'll find incredible savings and funky styles. Make sure to check out their shoe selection in the back of the store and don't be shy with the staff, for they always keep the goodies on the side.

Hadio defies the unfortunate decline in vintage shopping on Mont-Royal. Whether the name changes or not, Hadio is the number one spot for second hand clothes on street. Vintage cowboy shirts, old school t-shirts and jeans from another era are on all the racks. Finding a wicked hat or zip-up is as easy as whipping out your credit card and getting silly with it. Oh, they also have new stuff too, such as a t-shirt that says in bold “Pharell can’t skate.”

Used vinyl in its most raw form, La Marché takes the cake for music on Mont-Royal. With two floors, all the genres can be found with used albums for a buck and up. Used Stones and Beatles albums range from $3 to $6 while new ones range in the $20s. Impressive jazz selection highlighted with Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker. Comics from the 1980s are along the right wall and are as cheap as they get.

Notable mention with their American Apparel clothing for cheaper than usual, Blo used to be called Retro Rags and their owner sure selects his clothing with care. No longer carrying and vintage, Blo features both men’s and women’s t-shirts and the rest of the usual for cheaper. They can also press any logo you want on a t-shirt, which they can supply or you can provide.

When you want sporty clothing with a urban flare to it, walk into Industrie and marvel at their t-shirts, sneakers and zip-up jackets. Chuck Taylors, Triple Five Soul, G-Starr, and Puma all shine at sale-savvy Industrie. They also have a steady selection of designer trucker hats. But nothing beats their selection of Adidas Original zip-up jackets and other hard-to-find items.

Definitely as easy place to shop, Miss Swiss is the ladies answer to daytime casual wear with labels such as Vero Moda, Fornarina and Mackage. Prices are reasonable and the staff is helpful and willing to practice their English.

A bigger shop than most on the street, Platô screams urban commercial clothing on sale with all the big names: Religion, Citizens of Humanity, Rock and Republic, Seven, G-Starr and many more. Even their accessories are top of the charts with Ed Hardy hats paving the way. Prices are better than anywhere else in the city for these expensive label and liquidation sales are frequent.