3 Thrift Stores To Visit in Ottawa

Cover Photo by Becca McHaffie on Unsplash

While Ottawa  has a smaller thrifting scene than Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver, the second-hand market here in this city is full of hidden gems. Whether you’re looking for everyday wear, the vintage piece of your dreams, or a one stop shop for everything you could think of, this article will help guide you to a few of your new favourite second-hand stores. 

1. Bellwethers Vintage, 9 Florence Street

Located just off of Bank street, Bellwethers Vintage is a carefully curated vintage store with a beautiful interior and lots of fun pieces from the 1960s to the 1990s to check out. Owned by the mother and daughter duo Carol and Madison Kelly, the store is a staple to the vintage/second hand scene in Ottawa. Here you can find blazer sets from the 80s, flare pants from the 70s, vintage shoes, jewellery, and other gorgeous unique pieces from the past. While the store does carry many designer items, it also has off-brand or home made vintage pieces as well. If you like a good bargain, the little box at the front of the store is filled with five dollar goodies. Keep an eye out for October, which is when Bellwethers does their annual blow-out sidewalk sale with insanely discounted prices. 

2. Ragtime Vintage Clothing, 43 Flora Street

A few blocks further up on Bank street from Bellwethers, Ragtime Vintage Clothing is stocked from the floor all the way up to the ceiling with an abundance of vintage goodies. You quite literally cannot move in the store without hitting a piece from another era. The store features an overflowing selection of vintage jeans, blazers, jackets, pants, fur coats, suits, and quite literally whatever else you could think of. You may want to go in with an idea of what you want or ask the shop employees for help as it's almost too easy to be overwhelmed with how many pieces are in the shop. The store also rents out pieces, which is perfect if you’re planning the ultimate costume party or if your production needs a few extra sets. 

3. Value Hunters Corner, 219 Bank Street

Located only a block away from the intersection of Bank and Somerset, Values Hunters Corner truly lives up to its name. If you love digging for hidden gems, a good bargain and a bit of haggling, this is the place for you. Not only does the store have an entire second floor dedicated to second hand clothes, the first floor of the store also has plenty of household items and furniture vintage instagram accounts would turn green for. The store has a unique pricing method: make an offer to Hassan, the store’s owner,  for the items you’d like to purchase. He’ll decide whether the price should be higher or lower using his own extensive knowledge. Make sure you tell him when you’re coming in what you’re looking for so he can direct you to where in the store it’ll be.

If you’re ambitious, you could make an entire day out of shopping at these stores and stop for lunch somewhere in between. Now that you’re armed with more knowledge of Ottawa’s physical second hand stores, make sure to check out pop ups such as 613 Flea Market and Vintage 613 Pop Up market next to explore even more of the Ottawa thrifting scene. Happy hunting!