The place: Since opening a decade ago, this crowded vintage shop has become a top destination for set and costume designers, including those from blockbuster productions Hairspray and Cinderella Man. (Owner Victoria Dinnick stores delicate pieces, like a hand-embroidered Chinese wedding dress, off-site.) The devoted spend hours searching through drawers, cabinets and racks. Every item is a possible Antiques Roadshow jackpot, like a ’70s ruby leather quilted Chanel purse ($750). The store is expanding onto a second floor that will be devoted to menswear, wedding and prom dresses, and kitchen and bath accessories.
It items: Monocles sell out within two days of arrival, and old postcards ($1–$15)—we found an original from the Aquitania—are particularly popular among collectors.
The crowd: Hardcore relic hunters checking out new stock and making item requests, tourists seeking Canadiana, like Hudson’s Bay blankets.
Gadabout, 1300 Queen St. E., 416-463-1254, gadabout.ca. M–Sa 11:30–6:30, Su 11:30–5.