Montreal Shopping Guide

Lucky's Favorite stores in Montreal's The Plateau neighborhood!

Incorporating edible ingredients into body and bath products is a big trend in the world of beauty, and Bella Pella expertly does just that. The Montreal-based company blends disparate edibles like olive oil, avocado, and goat's milk into soaps, lotions, and balms. Its chocolate massage bar ($7) is especially decadent (not to mention hunger-inducing).
3933 Rue St-Denis, 514-845-7328, bellapella.com

Products: Beauty
Type of Store: Boutique

Salt-and-pepper-haired brothers André and Lambert Gratton own this welcoming, well-edited temple to midcentury design. Scandinavian and Italian glass, in the form of vases and vessels, along with furniture and home items reminiscent of the '40s through the '70s, gets star billing atop the many teak shelves that line the walls.
3901 Rue St-Denis, 514-282-4141, coulleurs.qc.ca

Products: Decorative/Lighting, Gifts/Design
Type of Store: Boutique

Dex's clothing is best described as sexy urbanwear, and prices rarely top $100. This season, athletically inspired pieces swamp the racks.
3651 Blvd. St-Laurent, 514-286-3883, dexclothing.com

Products: Women's Clothing
Type of Store: Boutique

One of the best stores in Montreal, Lola & Emily represents everything that's special about boutique shopping: an intimate environment and the perfect mix of funky and functional clothing. Don't leave the country without buying a sexy off-the-shoulder top ($49 to $64) by local talent Christie Dyball.
3475 Blvd. St-Laurent, 514-288-7598, lolaandemily.com

Products: Women's Clothing
Type of Store: Boutique

This shop, which makes customized tees (from $10) while you wait, is among the best-kept secrets in town. Peruse the thousands of different images—from cheesy-as-Velveeta metal bands to wonderfully dorky sayings like "Caution: This T-shirt stops at all bars"—and select your design.
3697 Blvd. St-Laurent, 514-843-3055

Products: Denim, Women's Clothing, Shoes, Jewelry
Type of Store: Boutique

Though this Canadian company's leather goods can be found in the States, few people there are familiar with the brand—a shame, since its handbags and jackets are made from such amazingly resilient (yet wafer-thin) leathers, and are so perfectly and sparely designed they would no doubt garner a huge following. The prices are realistic, too: A tote is about $118.
3526 Blvd. St-Laurent, 514-849-9759

Products: Women's Clothing, Bags
Type of Store: Boutique

"Friperie" is French for "secondhand/vintage store"—and it's a good word to know, since Montreal has a reputation for stellar resale shopping. This particular friperie is one of three sister shops, all situated within walking distance of one another. Mont Royal is our favorite, for its selection of excellent-condition '60s and '70s leather jackets (from $35 to 150).
371 Ave. Mont-Royal E, 514-842-7801;
Friperie St-Laurent: 3976 Blvd. St-Laurent, 514-842-3893;
Requin Chagrin: 4430 Rue St-Denis, 514-286-4321

Products: Denim, Women's Clothing, Vintage, Shoes, Bags
Type of Store: Boutique

This line of reconstructed vintage tees and denim is a huge hit all across Canada. Now Montreal has its own branch, and it has been a tremendous success, partially due to the fair pricing: about $35 for an asymmetrically seamed tee, and about $89 for a jacket made from pieced-together old corduroys.
4832 Blvd. St-Laurent, 514-499-9898, preloved.ca

Products: Denim, Women's Clothing, Vintage
Type of Store: Boutique

There's little debate that this minimal, gray-hued shop is the Plateau's most avant-garde retail destination. Experimental denim is big this season, especially jeans and jackets by Levi's. And, as in many stores in Montreal, local designers are well represented.
3650 Blvd. St-Laurent, 514-844-8788

Products: Denim, Women's Clothing
Type of Store: Boutique