Relocation, Common Sort, and Value Village each worth a visit 

By Howard Pressburger

If you have recognized me outside of work, you know I’m a pretty sartorial guy. As my Instagram says: “I was born in the ’60s, so were most of my clothes.” 

The Annex is not quite Carnaby Street, but we do have three unique choices for the fashion-conscious. 

Value Village Boutique, located in the former Brunswick House at 481 Bloor St. W., is a mass-market seller of decent, utilitarian clothing. This small version of the well-known, international thrift store is volume-driven, and a portion of the profits are donated to local charities. Prices are very reasonable, and selection is wide, but quality can vary; make sure you give your items a thorough inspection before purchase. I have found Value Village to be a great source for workout clothes and argyle sweaters.

Common Sort, at 444 Bloor St. W., near the northwest corner of Bloor and Howland, is relocating across the street to the former home of Penguin Pickup. It has a more curated collection of quality second-hand name-brand clothing. It’s easy to find something you’d be willing to wear to work or on special occasions. Owners Nicole and Stefan value their connection to the community and work hard to match their fashion mix to the proclivities of the Annex. I’ve had many conversions with Stefan recently while he was getting his hands dirty building out the new location. He explained that moving will allow them to have a larger selection but also keep their prices affordable as their overhead will actually be reduced. Stefan, Nicole, and their staff, have a genuine commitment to making sure that Common Sort remains an integral part of the Bloor Street Retail Powerhouse™.

On the south side, at 499 Bloor St. W., next to Simit-Chi, there is the upstart vintage clothing store, Relocation. 

Considering its modest size, Relocation focuses specifically on vintage and streetwear clothing. Streetwear is a combination of New York City hip-hop style and California surf culture. It is heavily dominated by sports clothing, like basketball shirts and satin team jackets, as well as repurposed work wear, especially heavyweight denim and cotton. Vintage clothing these days refers to the ’90s and the ’00s. For older collectors like me, clothing from the ’50s to the ’70s used to be considered vintage, but these items are now referred to as “true vintage.” Who thought being fashionable would be so complicated? 

When I first visited Relocation in early January, co-owner Mark, quickly realized that I am, in fact, a proponent of true vintage, and suggested that I come back and meet Pope. This curious suggestion—as the only other time I was told I should meet the Pope was when I was visiting Rome—turned out to be quite fortuitous.

The Pope Mark was referring to is Isa “Pope” Cargill, co-owner, lead salesperson, stylist, and all-around arbiter of cool. Although half my age and with twice as much hair, we do share a common admiration for sharp, alternative fashion. Because of this connection, and my never ending hope of finding another perfect piece of clothing in a store like this, I decided that if I saw Pope, I would pop in and say hi. 

On a Friday afternoon in July, I stepped into Relocation and found myself among half a dozen close friends seemingly excited that they finally found a time and space to be together. Pope was filling a rack with clothing that was being handed to him by a friend with an impressive number of tattoos. It turned out the gathering was a pop-up sale by his friend, one of the designers behind the fashion brand La Ropa Life. 

Don’t worry if you’ve never heard the name, just trust me when I say they’re like this generation’s, Vivienne Westwood. I spent the weekend hanging out, learning about this style, and seeing the people who came out to meet the designer and buy his clothes. I found it a little surreal, and I felt like I was once again 30 years old.

Since then, their store has continued to do well, and they’ve opened a second location on Dundas West. As the company matures, we now talk as much about business as we do about fashion, and Relocation remains the smart choice for the fashion-conscious youth of the Annex.

I have yet to find out how Isa became Pope, but I like to think that there’s a synod of fashion that chose him, and I’m pretty sure there was some smoke involved.

When not providing sartorial advice, Howard Pressburger is the manager of Wiener’s Home Hardware located at 432 Bloor St. W. 

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