My Favourite Second-Hand Clothing Stores!

By popular request, here are some of my favourite stores if you happen to be in Victoria, BC, Canada. 

NEW: 
  • I've added links for my favourite Sidney, BC stores. Scroll down.
  • I've also added links for my favourite Powell River (PR), BC, stores, since I go there and patronize them 1-2 times a year. Scroll down for them. 

Victoria Second-Hand Stores That I Love

Caveats

  • This is not intended to be a comprehensive listing of all second-hand stores in Victoria - just the ones I shop at regularly.
  • All links are 'cause I love - I get nothing but a friendly "hello" when I shop at these stores. There's this thing called "Google" if you want more information.
  • My opinions are purely mine, and you may disagree. Shop at your own risk!


In a hurry? Go to Flavour Upstairs, WIN Pandora, and the Patch.

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Consignment - The seller gets a small percentage of the cost of the item after it sells. Selection tends to be curated based on clientele.

My Sister's Closet (FB link) - Fairfield Plaza, Fairfield Rd across from Ross Bay Cemetary (1/2 hour walk from downtown)
Best prices in town for consignment. A big bright store with lots of natural light, four big fitting rooms with mirrors. Great sale rack, and they regularly have specials. Clothing is grouped by type (i.e. skirts) and sorted by size and colour for easy shopping. Good for shoes/boots. Very few accessories. Sizes range from XS-XL. I shop here about 3 times a year, spending around $200 each time for a bag of stuff. Closed, after 36 years! A sad victim of the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic lock-down.

The Velvet Crease (link) - 1035 Fort St (10 minute walk from town)
A little on the pricey side (due to the location), and tends to skew towards the older lady. Some higher-end designers. I find the store a bit dark, and their high racks are hard to look through. Items are grouped by type and colour, and have size indicators on the hangers. Sizes range from XS-XXL. I shop here 8-10 times a year, buying a couple of nice things. Not open on Sundays.

Rich Rags (FB link) - Harris Green Plaza, Yates at Quadra (near London Drugs)
Cheap consignment; they have an ongoing % off promotion and pretty quick turnover (prices are often negotiable). Not a ton of great quality stuff, but sometimes I find a few gems. The music is terrible, always, but the Russian lady who owns it is really nice. Stock is sorted by type and size, and they have a good plus-size section (I've found things here for my mom). Lots of purses. A small selection of menswear (I have bought L stuff here). I pop in here about twice a month, and usually find 1-2 things - it's a good spot for menswear.

Verve (link) - Government Street (20 minute walk from downtown)
A high-end consignment store with corresponding prices (nothing under $30), but a good half-price rack at the back. All ladies' wear, with a small selection of menswear. Items are sorted by type and size. A good selection of shoes and designer pieces. Two big curtained fitting rooms at the back. Friendly staff is happy to help you. I only go here for L's birthday (in June) and in December (shopping for L), because I always find something for myself - can't afford to shop here more frequently, and it's a bit out of the downtown core. Not open on Sundays.

House of Savoy (link) - Oak Bay Avenue, near the White Heather Tea Room
July 2021: House of Savoy is under new ownership, and Emilie and Zenija have done some minor renovations to made it brighter, and rearranged it so that it feels bigger, and there's even seats opposite the three curtained fitting rooms (much appreciated by husband/mom). You'll find all the 'name' brands here, plus funky styles from BR, J. Crew and even a bit of Zara and H&M (but only the good stuff). A great place to find a treasure. I always scope out the sale rack and the jewelry counter for gems.
April 2022: New flooring, fresh paint, and more seating (the retro cocktail seat is to die for)! Fantastic updates! 

Upcycle (link) - lower Fort Street, corner of Langley Street
A spacious well-lit shop in a heritage building in Victoria's downtown core, this shop is squarely aimed at the newly-woke second-hand consumer, proudly touting their mission of minimizing the impact of fast fashion. A curated mix of men's and women's clothing, with a good selection of shoes, most of the clothing is modern, with some vintage of the 80s and 90s. Prices are moderate, and the 50% discount after an item's been there for 30 days is clear and easy to understand.

MONA (Make Old New Again) (link) - Fort Street, next to the Velvet Crease)
A small narrow shop, with a curated selection of trendy items, mostly a blend of higher-end pieces with some brands like Zara and H&M thrown in. Some new and new-with-tags items. Two good-sized fitting rooms. Target audience is older and more conservative women. 

Vintage After Death (link) - Pandora Ave, on the outside of Market Square
This is a curated vintage store. If you don't enjoy pawing through racks of crap for one nugget of gold, then this is the store for you. Lots of vintage, but mostly from the 60s-90s, priced higher than the Patch, but the curation is worth it. I stop in here about 3-4 times a year. Target audience is the younger crowd just getting into secondhand and vintage. 

Resale - The seller gets cash immediately (less) or a store credit (more) for the things the store wants. I usually call this thrift when I shop because the prices are pretty close to thrift store or cheaper.

Flavour Upstairs (FB link) - Johnson Street below Government
This used to be one of my top stores, but their selection has dwindled post-pandemic, and stock is sparse. Head up the rickety wooden 100+-year-old staircase beside Flavour on trendy lower Johnson Street ("Low Jo"). Stuff is sorted by type (eg. Hawaiian shirts) but not by size (only with jeans). They also do menswear (with a sale rack), and I often find things for L. Fitting rooms are small individual rooms with a mirror. The $5.00 rack is gone and markdowns are few and far between. Disappointing, as I used to love this store! 

Turnabout (link) - Oak Bay Avenue across from House of Savoy
A bright, airy consignment store, specializing in new and trendy designer clothes and luxury items. A great spot to find a one-of-a-kind piece, or to add some new goodies to your current wardrobe. Racks of high-end designer, Aritzia brands, and other "name" brands, with a small jewelry case, and a wall of shoes. A small but good menswear selection, including shoes. Four fitting rooms, and lots of helpful salespeople. They do spot sales (usually on long weekends), and often have rolling in-store mark-downs where you can find deep discounts (30-70% off). A dangerous store - I have to limit how often I visit!


Thrift - Stock is received by donation. Thrift stores are run and staffed by volunteers and proceeds go to registered charities. Totally not curated, although most of them have a "boutique" section for designer brands. Also known as "op-shops" and "charity shops"in other countries.

WIN (Women in Need) - multiple locations, but I shop at only two of them

WIN Resale Store aka "WIN Pandora" - Pandora Ave, between Blanchard and Douglas
Located in a giant former warehouse, this is not just a clothing store; it also carries books, housewares and furniture and toys (and kids' clothes). They have a good size men's section (I often find stuff for L), but at least half the store is women's clothing. Jewelry has be reduced drastically in the past few years, shoes are sorted by size, lots of scarves (often good brands) and bags. Clothing is categorized by type (eg. coats) and then sorted as Vintage (anything from the 90s earlier), Thrift (not a fancy brand) and Boutique (higher-end brands, and some designer). The racks are easy to look at and browse through., They no longer have fitting room, so it's riskier to buy clothing. I can spend 2 hours going through every single item. I buy here a lot - they have a points system (1 per $1 spent) that you can redeem for money off your purchases. Frequent markdowns, and high stock turnover means I visit this store every 2-3 weeks. It's where I take people who need new clothes!

WIN Boutique aka "WIN Cook" - Cook Street, near Royal Athletic Park
Same as the other WIN stores, but this one is a smaller selection and square footage. A small rack of menswear, some children's wear and toys, a few books and housewares. I go here about once every 6 weeks, just because the prices tend to be slightly higher. No fitting rooms post-pandemic. They also have a small housewares/furniture store in the same building. 

St. Vincent de Paul (store locations) - Yates St between Quadra and Blanshard
This is a classic thrift store - I wouldn't recommend it unless you're an experienced thrifter. They carry jewelry, a small selection of accessories (scarves/bags), and a small amount of menswear and kids' clothes in the front of the store, and a large selection of books, housewares and furniture in the back. Clothing is grouped by type, with about half of the front of the store being women's wear. There's a dollar rack, but I never find anything good on it; their tags are colour coded (eg. green, pink, orange) and rotate as 50% off to turn over stock pretty quickly. One dressing room with a curtain for a door (eek). It's hit and miss, but the hits (I've found Dolce & Gabbana, Etro, and Armani, to name a few) are worth it, and the prices are low (although some "names" get artificially marked up higher than they should be). I drop by here every 2 weeks or so. Not open on Sundays. Downtown location has closed.

Vintage/Resale - Stock is sourced by buyers for resale, focusing on trends, deadstock, modern pieces and vintage. 

The Patch (website) - 700-block of Yates St, near Douglas
The Patch carries trendy items (right now, plaids, low-rise and distressed jeans, lumberjack shirts reminiscent of the 90s grunge era) and vintage aimed at a younger crowd. The front of the store is "the" trend, and they often have "buy 1, get 1", 'buy 2, get 1" specials and other deals ($5.00 and $10.00 racks) throughout the year - despite these sales, the stock turns over fairly slowly. They carry new jewelry and body jewelry, funky sunglasses (new) and a selection of new hats. A large menswear section is mostly focused on vintage wear. The women's section varies according to what trend they are promoting. Downstairs (go all the way to the back, then down the stairs) is all vintage, including a massive selection of dresses. You want an 80s prom dress? They have over 100! Quality is mixed, with some fast fashion and mall brands mingled with slightly vintage (early 00s) designer wear. The condition of their vintage is often iffy - inspect things carefully before buying. They have a minuscule collection of gross hard vintage shoes that you should skip; their belts, scarves and purses are usually skipable too. Change rooms are always locked with strict minimums (I suspect they get a lot of shoplifters), but they have lots of young, funky staff. The music is always loud (sometimes off-putting). I have found some great treasures here: Versace, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana and US and Canadian-made designers. Prices are in the consignment range. I browse in here every couple of weeks. Open evenings. Sadly, the Patch went into receivership in April 2022 and closed. 

Special Mentions

I find interesting things in all kinds of places, and you'd be surprise where you can find fashionable items. These are some of my favourite non-clothing second-hand shops. 

Charmaine's Past & Present (website) - Fort Street near Cook Street
Charmaine's carries mostly furniture, including couches and sofas, chairs, dining sets, display cases, clocks, lamps, along with an assortment of knick-knacks, collectibles and paintings. They do a small assortment of jewelry, and I've bought a few pieces from them. L and I have bought 2 couches, a chair, and a couple of stools there (and a ship painting!). Stock changes constantly - they are always busy!

Vanity Fair Antiques & Collectibles (website) - Fort Street near Cook Street
Case after case of local consigned antiques and collectibles. Tons of jewelry and every kind of small collectible you can think of, from kitchen ware, to memorabilia, to records and toys. A very small selection of clothes, purses and scarves. This is my go-to for birthday and Christmas presents, as you can find some amazing things from every era. I've bought clothing, shoes and jewelry here, plus purses and scarves. Stock changes frequently.

Good Things Consignment (website) - Oak Bay Avenue
I always pop in here, as pert of the trifecta of stores on Oak Bay Ave that are within a block of each other (House of Savoy and Turnabout being the other two). Lots of collectibles, housewares, small furniture, books and an excellent selection of jewelry - many Christmas presents and gifts for me have been purchased here. 

Powell River Second-Hand Stores That I Love

Willow Rose Boutique (link), down the stairs off Willingdone Avenue
A packed consignment store, filled with gems. Karen - the owner/operator - has a great eye and has built a clientele who brings her unique and interesting items for re-sale. I find good quality things here - not a lot of vintage or designer - which tend to be the better things from cheaper lines. 

Blue Sky Consignment (link), Marine Ave
A jam-packed little store, filled with a good selection of "middle" brands. No vintage or high-end, but a solid mix of accessories. 

Sidney Second-Hand Stores That I Love
  • Dog's Breath Antiques (FB link here)
  • BC SPCA Thrift Store (SPCA store page here)
  • Beacon Community Services Thrift on Fourth (shop list here)
  • Beacon Community Services Thrift Annex (as above)
  • Connections Consignment (FB link here)
  • House of Lily Koi Consignment (website here)
  • Cameron Rose Gifts (website here) - regular retail, but I like this store
  • Green Door Thrift (FB link here)

22 comments:

  1. Thank you for posting these in one place. I am super excited to say that this June my husband and I are traveling west to attend our son's college graduation in Olympia, WA. Afterwards, with our son (and perhaps his girlfriend) we are traveling to.....drum roll.....VICTORIA and VANCOUVER! I will absolutely check out some of your suggested stores, especially having spent the better part of the past 2.5 years reading about your purchases & experiences at them (and ahhing and ooogling over your purchases).

    And if the timing worked, it would be my pleasure to meet and treat you to a drink/snack (oy, does that show how quaint I am!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laurie, I'd love to meet up with you when you're here! Drop me an email (it's in my profile) and let me know when you're coming - I'd be happy to take you shopping, if you like. :) So glad you enjoyed the list of my favourite stores.

      Delete
  2. OMG!
    Thank you S. This is awesome.
    Does this mean you do not hit Value Village or it is obvious?
    barb

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I never shop there - so rare, I haven't mentioned it. It's too much, too big, and it's icky to me (even more than the StVdeP), and the clientele here is not the nicest.

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  3. https://decadesinc.com/
    My fav online second hand shop.
    So out of my price range!
    barb

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ooh, that looks lovely. I never shop second-hand online, though - but I'll look for that when/if I'm in California, thanks, Barb!

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  4. This is AWESOME! Thanks so much -- my daughter and I are planning a weekend trip to Victoria and we will definitely use your list.

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    Replies
    1. Fantastic, glad it was a help for you, Cynthia! If you're interested in meeting up, drop me an email (it's in my signature).

      Delete
  5. My family is in Victoria for a surprise visit (we were supposed to go to Kelowna but couldn’t land there yesterday). Trying to figure out what we’re actually going to do here, and I realized this is your town. Thanks for this handy list - Now I have some stores to check out.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh! And also, we were trying to figure out where to eat, and one of the options was Floyd’s, so we went there. As I explained it to my family “I read a blog by this woman - she has great clothes — and I’m sure she has written about that place.” It was fun!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha ha! I'm so glad you enjoyed it - it's just a diner, but I love it!

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  7. What are your thoughts on Twice As. Ice and A la Mode consignment?

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    Replies
    1. I've been in Twice as Nice once (was bored by the neutrals) and have been in A La Mode a few times. It's okay. Not much of a selection. I don't shop at either store, really.

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  8. I found your blog as I was searching the net for that particular Spencer and Rutherford handbag which I received as a gift, maybe 2006 and yes the brand is made in Melbourne, Australia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, how funny is that? Yes, I got mine as a gift - it was bought new at Vanity Fair Antique Mall.

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  9. I’ve yet to find a good consignment shop in Victoria.
    Upsycle on Fort street in Victoria BC downtown is clearly the best.
    Decent pricing
    Great merchandising
    Lovely service
    Love the owner friendly and absolutely amazing

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, I hope the list above helps you, then, as I think there are many good ones.

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  10. This list is fantastic! Are there any places you listed above that you can specifically recommend for men's suits?

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    Replies
    1. Turnabout for good quality designer suits, and House of Savoy for tuxedos.

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  11. Would you be willing to sell that dress from scotch and soda? Been looking for that one forever! Lol if you ever get tired of it 😅 Shannasthreads@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not a chance, Shannon, sorry - I don't sell my clothes and I also love that dress!

      Delete

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