Saint Michel Flea Market — Attraction in Montreal

I came here once with a girl i was seeing. It was a fraught, insecure time early in the relationship. I was really into her and was getting the vibe that she wasnt as into me, or that she at least wished to give me that impression. It was perhaps the first time we were together in daylight hours.

We met at the metro and rode the train from the Plateau up to the St Michel neighborhood. It was a bleak fall Saturday, grey and cold. We stopped en route at a Haitian restaurant to get a bottle of water and to use the bathroom. We spoke quietly, nervous.

The Market took us in, warmly, fully. Nerves and stilted conversation were forgotten, receding, melted into the dusty timber. We wandered, sometimes together, sometimes drifting apart, phasing in and out of orbit, pulled into and away from each solitary merchant waiting almost ghostlike at their given post, and we were safe among the endless stalls, the barrage of postcards and religious icons and cheap jewelry and horror VHSs and old electronics and and tools and weapons and badges and stereo systems and treasure and lamps and atlases and artefacts and trinkets and relics and romcom DVDs and country western cassette tapes and statuettes and scratched records and actual garbage and pots and bells and whistles and cups and plates and bowls and a dead person's most cherished possesion and signage and paperbacks and costumes and legal documents and appliances and gloves and cobwebs and old magazines and cowboy boots and clocks and home furnishings and hats and cages and rusting antiques and sports gear and silverware and gold watches and knick knacks and curio and ephemera. Situated firmly within the generous expanse of history, it was easier to feel at home in one's own life, one's body, a new relationship.

We're...

I started going to another flea market first, on Langelier, because they clearly displayed a few of their vendors on Google maps and I knew for sure that they had good selections of video games... but this one also sells Video Games, and what's more they have great selections of retro toys and games as well as trading cards and all sorts of collectibles you wouldnt find at the other market. It's much more of a maze than any other flea market, there's a lot more cramped spaces, some of the vendors booths are really messy, but the sheer amount of unique finds here is amazing!

There's a guy who sells displays of preserved insects, a shop with a full set of knights armor, a booth devoted completely to 80's/90's horror, a "portal" into the 80's filled with vinyl records and vintage T's, one that feels exactly like stepping into an old blockbuster, and so many other antiques and goods. I haven't even visited the second floor yet either.

Definitely worth visiting... but keep in mind they are exclusively open on the weekends, Friday through Sunday, you're gonna be squeezing between tightly packed shelves of breakable items, and if you're not careful you'll get lost...

I would not recommend this place.

Here's my review after a couple of visits:

If you're looking for unique furniture and other one-of-a-kind pieces, maybe you can find it here. If you're looking for any identifiable item or collectable that can be searched on ebay, dont bother.

Prices at any store involving electronics were at least 50% higher than what you find on ebay. I had one seller tell me a game - which is currently worth about $50~80 - was worth $200. No box, no extras.

Most shop owners were rude, dismissive. In my experience, if you're below 50, you can be polite as possible and they're just rude.

I had one good shop experience with a store selling clocks, clothes, and framed insects.

Since these stores are largely unmarked (as far as I can tell), its very difficult to recommend or warn against particular stores. There are many thrift stores in Montreal, especially around Station Mont-Royal, that I would recommend above this...