House of Vintage, nestled in amongst a cradle of vintage stores along Queen St. West, stands out for its unique sensibility and care for its customers.

The Parkdale fixture was opened in 2010 by Dennis Adamidis, now the owner of another House of Vintage location in the UK, several vintage e-commerce shops and a Toronto-based studio space. 

Apart from the medusa-esque sign out front (a reminiscent mural can be found inside), the beige concrete storefront appears generally unassuming.

Walking in, I was greeted by the shop's very friendly groundskeeper (an adorable beagle named Mumu), who later curled up on a leather couch as I flipped through the numerous racks of clothes. 

Along with the shop's canine associate, Storefront and Social Media Manager, Chloe Smellink was on-site and able to tell me about the backstory and ethos of House of Vintage.
"The owner has been in vintage for over 20 years now, he loves anything and everything vintage," Smellink told me. 

Adamidis gravitates towards a "pre-2000s" selection of merchandise—the 1960s 70s, 80s and 90s are focal points in terms of the store's curation.

The space has a definite Western feel. Country music popped up on the store's playlist.  Rustic wooden displays throughout the shop sported woolen saddle blankets. Cowboy boots ($36-$80) and suede horse ponchos ($148) were among some of the store's offerings.

If ranch hand-chic isn't your thing, House of Vintage has a range of other upcycled and vintage goods. There is undoubtedly no shortage of denim. Vintage Levis jeans (around $60) are available in every size. Reworked Levis with flashes of bandana textile alongside the pockets and waistband ($120) are also for sale.

Leather jackets ($80-168), button downs and flannels (around $60) and vintage dresses ($40-$170), are some of the shop's other mainstays. 

Their selection of 1970s prairie dresses was particularly impressive. I noticed one cream-coloured, Gunne Sax-inspired dress ($170) that was pure perfection—in mint condition and sure to inspire one to frolick through a field. According to Smellink, the "effort that we put into our drycleaning, organization and ensuring that the clothes are as close to what new can be in vintage as possible" is what sets House of Vintage apart from other vintage stores. 

"We try to go that extra step when it comes to making sure a customer actually likes their pieces. We will do discounts if someone realizes a [flaw] that we didn't. We'll fix it for you and deliver it to you at no cost," she adds.  

House of Vintage's customer-first approach extends beyond repairs and delivery.

Smellink jokes, "I also won't lie to you if a piece looks good or not. I'd rather you walk out of here looking good than just selling something." 

"You will find with a lot of stores that their space is a quarter of the size of ours. Whereas we've got that much more space and clothing and [are] still curated and organized," Smellink highlights.  

The shop's curation, attention to detail and care for their garments entail a heftier markup on items.

House of Vintage is somewhere you can confidently splurge on a really unique piece or everyday staple that will last forever—knowing that it was taken care of with the utmost respect. 

House of Vintage is located at 1239 Queen St. West.