CTS/Vintage Nouveau

Pretty good finds, at good prices.
Staff is kind of rude though. Snobby.

I thought I would like this location as it promised a much better selection and this is supposed to be the boutique location of this chain. What I found instead were way overpriced Siren brand items.
I love the other two locations of this chain I’ve visited but this one is not for me.

Oh CTS, how I love thee!
I came here for the first time a couple of days ago and was blown away by how bright and well-​kept the entire place was! Sure, it has that funny «vintage store smell» that’s a mixture of BO, dust and time, but there were so many great pieces to be had!
The clothes there are in pretty good condition (if you’re looking for a men’s dress shirt that seems as though it’s been lived in for that «I-just-rolled-out-of-bed-and-put-on-my-boyfriend’s-shirt» kinda look, I would say this would be the place to find it). I ended up with a t-​shirt and a really cool gold crocheted shrug — a really unique looking piece. A girl that walked in literally SECONDS before me found the most amazing looking cross-​body bag (I swear I was watching her walk around the store to see if she’d put it down!) and there were a couple of genuine Louis Vuitton bags that just came in that day (trust me, they were snatched up really quickly). This other girl that was in the store also tried on the most amazing looking beaded, backless dress… AMAZING! Oh and there was a guy with a really cute aussie accent manning the cash ;)
To sum it up, this place has everything you could possibly be looking for!

I am a dedicated thrift store shopper, and I generally can’t deal with Toronto thrift/​vintage stores. Most are overpriced for the selection, or the items are so precious I could never wear/​afford them. I’m from a small town and all my best pieces were from the Goodwill in my hometown– until I discovered CTS!
I love their vintage dress selection and purse selection. They have some adorable housewares too.
A word to those who don’t appreciate vintage clothing: don’t buy this stuff as a joke, please? I’ve heard way too many stories from the staff about people who buy rare, amazing items only to laugh at the counter about how they were going to give them as gag gifts. I was able to rescue a forest green handbag with a gold buckle — think Joan Holloway on Mad Men — that a woman was going to buy for a friend as a joke because ‘it was so ugly’. I mean… nothing against capitalism… buy whatever you want! ;) But just because you can’t work something doesn’t mean no one can.

I love shopping here! I try to stop by every time I’m downtown just to see what they have in stock. I don’t get something every visit but I have found some amazing treasures hidden in the racks! Prices are very reasonable as well. Definitely one of my favourite 2^nd hand stores to shop at.

Always find great things in here!
They even have REAL high-​end merchandise!
I went in the other day they had a real Louis Vuitton Scarf behind the counter for sale — 75 $!
They have cute purses too!
Really friendly staff!

What does one wear for crazy hat day at work?
A feathered chapeau?
A sombrero?
A fedora?
A cowboy hat?
A toque (In the summer time)?
All of these possibilities and more were available at CTS but I felt they weren’t EPIC enough. Then I found it… a furry buffalo head hat!
EPIC doesn’t begin to describe this amazing hat and for $ 5 I somehow felt like I was making money! I snatched that baby up and wore it in public all day. Sure I looked crazy, but I had a purpose :-)

Cool AC blasts. Nice and helpful staff can help you find what you seek. This is the Salvation Army/​Goodwill equivalent from the states with a clean demeanor. So happy to find you CTS, see you soon!

I don’t know what happened, but in the last month, CTS seems to have wholly changed its look. It’s gotten more… dark. And I swear I saw a fur coat in the window one day.
The dark colours leads me to believe it’s trying for something more upscale. It definitely makes me pay attention, for sure, what with the neighbouring bong shop and boarded up shawarma building nearby. Even the guy at the counter is a beacon in himself: incredibly lean and stylish. I bet cleans under his fingernails every night.
Still, even though many things get me in the door, I haven’t found anything here besides a cheap winter scarf that I bought for purely practical reasons. I definitely think the mens’ items are a bit better than those for women, but I do like the fact there’s a big room sectioned off for footwear. Could be dangerous.

occupying a large warehouse space on queen street just west of spadina is the Canadian Thrift Stores «Vintage Nouveau» store. Its very simple in its setup with nothing that stands out in any way visually, but it has hundreds of articles of clothing, is organized very well and spacious.
most of their clothes fall below the 40 dollar mark. for example, there was a whole rack of blazers for 10 bucks! they were not ripped, they had no holes in them, they were not any different from any other vintage shop blazers youd see; they were just better priced.
they are also more thorough in their selection than most vintage shops as they had not only mens and womens clothes, but a whole childrens section AND a whole lingerie section. this is a perfect time to clarify that their stock is made up of both new and gently used stock.
they support local charities, like the daily bread food bank, local schools and sports teams and welcome more opportunities if you have any ideas.