Public Butter

Great vintage shop in Parkdale. Prices are affordable compared to Kensington. Shop is pretty crammed with clothes, furniture, home stuff. Worth checking out if your around Dufferin and Queen St W. Staff has always been helpful.

Weirdly annoying? They have a sign in the change room that says «Smile you’re in camera».
Good for vintage jerseys and sports wear. Good for t shirts and casual sweaters.
Most of the clothes were marked 50% off. But lots seemed overpriced to begin with.

I love Public Butter!!!
It’s one of my favourite stores in Toronto (although I wish it was as cheap as Black Market!)
TODAY I was in Public Butter and walked up to the cash register and waited in line to find a very rude customer (Robert C, just wrote his own review) demanding a refund, although you cannot get refunds. I heard him claim there was a defect in what he was purchasing (to which I say, it’s a second hand store, things may have defects. If you bought it, you should have inspected it first.) In every second hand store I have come across returns and refunds are not accepted. He was very rude to the cashier, although she called the owner and talked about a refund, WHICH she gave to him. $ 100 in store credit. You could tell she was trying her hardest to stay professional, but he was being very rude. She was very upset, and I understand why. As someone who works in customer service, it is very hard to stay professional when someone is being intensely rude to you. She handled the situation accordingly, in my opinion.
She got him the refund, and he was still a huge asshole to her.
I am often in Public Butter, and I have never had a problem with customer service.
Sometimes you just have to play by the rules, Robert.

Sure sure they have good clothes at decent prices, but BUYER BEWARE if there’s any unseen defects, stains or rips that you didn’t see when you bought the garments. YOU CANT BRING ANYTHING BACK! In this age of advanced customer service where most retailers know the value of keeping shoppers happy, the Public Butter is sadly behind the times. The cashier’s attitude went from charming to confrontational to antagonistic when I inquired about trading in a garment I bought a few days earlier (for $ 100). She started the return process by shaking her head ‘no’ before she even looked at the jacket, my tags and the receipt, and then proceeded to find more good reasons why NO was acceptable. But I insisted on getting some satisfaction (reminding her that this is the age of good customer service and this was an opportunity to make a maven out of a mud lark), and so she finally called the owner and together they decided that I had to return home and bring back everything I had purchased the previous day so that the validity of my claim could be appraised. I did as she asked, retuning 2 hrs later to wait again as there was another phone call to the owner. Finally it was decided I could replace the garment but the cashier reminded me loudly in front of patrons that this was highly unusual and such an act of kindness would NEVER happen again to me or anyone. I said ‘Okay I’ll be sure and let readers know your policies on Unilocal when i write my review later today’ to which she said ‘Thank you’… Because what else could she say? the irony is that I’ve probably spent over $ 1500 in that store over the years, as I love cool vintage clothes, But now I will avoid it and warn others away.

Public Butter is a fun thrifting experience.
1) Very reasonably priced. It can’t be compared to a full on thrift store such as Value Village, but it is very reasonably priced in comparison to vintage stores. There are often sales going as well.
2) The staff is very nice and low key. I am the kind of person that likes to be treated nicely (as I always do with others), but left alone. Sometimes I find in vintage store people are hovering and I feel pressured… Public Butter is not like that all. It is so chill… you can go through the racks at your own pace but get some help if you need it.
3) The high point of PB for me is the accessories. The bags, scarves etc. — awesome selection, great prices.
Overall, I love PB. It is one of my favourite vintage stops… it is quite out of the way for me, but I always try to make the trek at least once every couple months.

Pretty good curated selection of vintage with AMAZING prices. Nearly everything is $ 20. Maybe I’m (sadly) used to overpriced vintage from being in NY too long, but I got what I felt like were STEALS here. Among other things, I found a really awesome 1960s/​70s selvage denim wrangler jacket in a small enough size to fit me on the wall for $ 80. In NY would be $ 175 and would never have come home with me. The shop gal was perfectly fine with getting things down off the wall for me too, which is more than can be said for nearly every shop girl that I’ve dealt with in a long time.
The changing rooms are TINY and hot, and you will inevitably get frustrated with people being in your way but it’s the best vintage shop I experienced in Toronto, for sure!

Baby, you’re my favourite waste of time. (Anyone else remember that Bette Midler song?)
Public Butter is a very popular vintage destination but I go for the quirky accessories — jewelry that appears handmade, well-​priced scarves, gloves, hats, sunglasses and t-​shirts that always put a smile on my face.
Admittedly a crowded dark space that could use some light and fresh air, but always full of pleasant surprises and always worth dropping in for a browse.

This shop sells faux vintage tees, and does not pay copyright fees for art they have stolen. They sell low quality silk screen tees, using designs without permission, and therefore take money from small independent artists.

Always something new on the racks and their ongoing cycle of sales make it very easy to spend! Staff is helpful. If you are super picky about condition of your vintage (as I am) then make sure to check each piece well. This place cater more to the ‘rock’n’roll’ look than then well-​dressed gentleman, so items tend to be well worn. That being said, there are real gems to be found!

Good prices, LOTS of stuff. They do the silk screening like a few other vintage/​thrift boutiques but it’s neat. Love the confessional booth changeroom.

The public butter is a decent vintage boutique located on Queen West. The prices are totally reasonable and there are some interesting treasures to be found. Merchandise includes: clothes, accessories, shoes, bikes, records, and furniture. They also have a silk screen shop station in the store. It is a little squalid in there, however, always fun to pop in and take a look see. You never know what you may discover. Maybe not all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island, but perhaps a retro polka dot dress or a mott the hoople album on vinyl.
but make um understand its westside foe life!

If you are hot for Vintage you will like this place… Public Butter is a more Unique and Service Based Store compared to its siblings (Black Market Vintage Stores) and it has some pretty rare but very cool things.
This store is walking distance from my house, and gets me all fired up because they have a T-​shirt screening situation going on there too! I bought my husband a bad-​ass black T-​Shirt of Johnny Cash Flipping off the world for a mere $ 10. NICE! They also have vintage suitcases, bags, Shirts, a HUGE dress selection & bikes… Cheap Good Quality Bikes. Speaking of bikes I got there and realized I didn’t have my lock on me, and the gentleman let me bring it in while I shopped, that was a nice service situation…
I also bought a tacky ass shirt, the colour of psychedelic vomit, I adore it! Also, it was $ 15. I also got a plus sized Corset in Black and Burgundy! I think I found my new fave store… There fitting room is a confessional… A Place you can confess your shopping sins… I bought plenty! It is tight in the fitting room to try on a dress… It is really as good as it gets! Also, Not ULTRA pricey like the Vintage store across the street! This place is classic & has LOTS of stuff! (I will take pictures next time)
A Hint: They are always cleaning up in there, I thought it was close to closing time, but it turns out the employees work… Nice! Also, one really tall guy who works there with dark hair, he gave me such nice service!

I love poking around here. They have sales frequently, so if it’s not 50% off yet, wait another month and check again, because it will be. No guarantees that whatever caught your eye in the first place will still be there, but there’ll be something else awesome to tempt you, I promise.
Their buyers are very on-​trend, so there’s been lots of vintage Canadiana and ‘80s-​era beaded dresses the last few times I’ve gone – fun stuff!

My favourite store in the city. I always find a treasure here. It’s one of those satisfying vintage stores that you need to dig through to find the treasures, but one will always turn up. Prices are very reasonable, I especially love their 50% off sales. Cool curtains, great shoes, neat accessories, old school casio watches, a wide belt and purse selection. Fun, fun, fun store. The basement is really spooky though, don’t go down there.

I want to LOVE Public Butter. Let us first start with the name. What an awesome name for a vintage store: cute, yet random. I loved that they played The Stranglers full blast while I was there too (Golden Brown is pretty great!)
Similarly to Connie T. I didin’t really find anything. There were a few cute items, but I was overwhelmed with lots of crap. The change rooms are kind of ridiculous! They are these wooden closets, one of which is reminiscent of a house stable.

Public Butter is becoming one of my favorites vintage shops in Toronto. The prices are good and I always find something interesting to buy. This is run by the people who own Black Market Vintage but with the addition of furniture, collectables and nicknacks it is tons more fun to browse in. It is also a art space that has monthly art opening parties; Interesting art, great music, beverages and shopping after a few is always interesting…

we walked in probably near the end of closing time and the store was manned by one woman. she greeted us and was nice to us from start to finish, but god forbid you should have ever pissed her off. while i was looking for sweaters (read: sweater, NOT sweater-​vests), i caught a nice verbal gem from this womans mouth that landed over all the sweaters i was looking through. she was talking on the phone to someone about her recently inaugurated ex-​boyfriend. the best of the verbal diarrhea went something like this: «why doesnt he just go ahead and hang out with his new 23 year old PIG FACE GIRLFRIEND».
(sorry what was that, i couldnt quite understand. could you be more specific please. stop beating around the bush and cough up the real feelings. were all friends here.)
as i said, despite her performance piece, she was nice enough to the both of us, but might i suggest a different time and place?
the store is festooned like other vintage shops with clothes from many different eras probably back to the seventies it looked like. we also found some coffee tables that are the exact ones we have at home. mine came from my grandparents after they passed away and are in brilliant condition. theirs had scratches and no glass cover, but cool still.
i didnt really find any cool sweaters i liked. there were maybe a dozen to choose from and they were all thickish cotton and kind of ugly with stripes and stuff. i glanced over leather jackets, shirts, tshirts, etc. and its all displayed with a little flair which is nice. it allows you to see things anew.
they seemed to have a pretty good selection and it was relatively cheap too so id stop by next im in parkdale for a good find.

Despite the 50% off sales in the opening month, I still couldn’t find anything I wanted in Public Butter. I even passed up a Harold and Maude t-​shirt going for $ 8, and that’s a sacrifice — you NPR types will understand.
This is the store that Black Market Vintage will be focussing on after they close their upper-​level digs in Queen West proper. I was told this Parkdale joint will concentrate on more upscale, boutique vintage items, but right now it’s still finding itself and has room to grow — the stock is currently a mish-​mash of regular Black Market fare. More quality items will probably come in as the store ages and sells itself as the go-​to shop for quality vintage.
I like the size of the store. It’s spacious, and the coolness lies in the random miscellany sprinkled amongst the clothing, including a set of old McDonald’s glasses and a bright red portable 8-​track player. If you’re looking for serious fashion bits, it may take some time: for now, expect a lot of printed t-​shirts, western button-​ups, and typical winter jackets.