location: 2013 St. Laurent
phone number: 514.849.8246
hours: Sun-Wed 12pm-6pm; Thurs-Fri 12pm-9pm; Sat 10am-6pm
payment methods: cash, Visa, MasterCard
directions: South of Sherbrooke at de Maisonneuve; closest metro is Saint Laurent, best to walk noth from there or you could take bus 55, lazy.

“People don’t know beforehand what they want to find here. You have to be ready for everything,” says Julie, the unassuming sales associate at Eva B, Montreal’s staple retro haunt. Here, among the piles of sparkling garments, you are equally likely to pick up a pair of thigh-high, lace-up white leather burlesque boots as a cozy, cashmere scarf for $8.

Frequented by too-cool hipsters and thrifty scavengers alike, Eva B manages to have it all at once: a vast and very affordable vintage collection (don’t be afraid to bargain), an array of richly textured fifties, sixties, and seventies era costumes (for rent or for sale), slightly pricier modern jewellery, and one-of-a-kind fashion pieces courtesy of local Montreal designers.

Reminiscent of your grandmother’s fantasy dress-up box - fused with a jolt of sexy lingerie and gold lame tulle - Eva B has been peddling both mens and womens wear for over twenty years. The unpretentious vibe, warehouse-like décor, and arbitrarily displayed mannequin heads all hint to the undiscovered treasures cramming every nook and cranny. There are shopping carts stuffed haphazardly with winter hats and gloves, rhinestone brooches the size of your fist and the newest Diesel runners. A touch overwhelming at times, Eva B requires your patience and a sense of adventure.
Naomi Lightman