When vendor markets pop up in Toronto throughout the summer, everyone comes running — and now, you won’t have to revolve your schedule around weekends and select dates to enjoy one! A popular Dundas West vintage shop has spearheaded the launch of a daily vintage vendor market, making the pop-up market experience permanent.
Bella Picked It Market has launched at 1172A Dundas St. W., just a few doors down the road from the original Bella Picked It vintage shop, run by Ana Kulauzov.
“I’ve learned so much from being a vendor and having my own store, and I wanted to create something reliable for vendors,” Kulauzov shares.
While she notes the new market has fair prices and vintage finds, she says she wanted the experience to feel like “a room at The Bay.”
“I wanted it to be an elevated vintage shopping experience,” she says. “Each vendor will have their own rack, but then we have a lot of communal spaces for the vendors, like a dress section where all vendors participate; a feature rack where we’re going to feature items in season from all the vendors and a plus size rack that that all vendors will participate in.”
She also notes the store will have something new that no vintage store currently has: a shoe section, organized by size. Gone are the days of lifting up the perfect pair of shoes at a vintage store to check the size only to realize they’re two sizes too small for you!
The market officially opened the first weekend in August with 32 vendors, and Kulauzov says she has no intention of rotating out vendors every month. “This is a set number; I want all my vendors to be successful and to stay here as long as they want.”
Kulauzov, who has worked in Toronto, New York, London and Paris in the fashion industry for over 20 years, including as both a designer and a visual merchandiser, says she’s found an amazing community through vendor markets in Toronto.
“Everyone’s so passionate about what they do,” she says. “And it’s great for socializing.”
This market is her way of giving back to the community she loves so much, particularly by making it easier for vendors to find consistent, regular business. Location, of course, is a key part of the success of this model; when the store opened on a sunny August long weekend, it filled with shoppers, many of whom were likely strolling down Dundas West, stopping into multiple vintage stores along the way.
“The vintage community on Dundas West is very different from other vintage communities in the city, like Kensington Market,” she says. “We’re more focused on trendy vintage and modern vintage.”
The number of vintage stores on that strip has only grown over the past few years, with shops like Tell Them It’s Vintage, Souk and Silk and Boomie Vintage recently joining the ranks. The area has gotten so popular for vintage shopping that in 2024, some of the owners got together to launch Seconds Night Crawl, a monthly crawl for vintage shopping that sees businesses along the street throw their doors open late into the evening for shoppers to stop in, grab a drink and browse.
Bella Picked It Market will clearly fit right in. You can visit the new shop on Monday and Wednesday to Saturday from 12–7 p.m. and Sunday from 12–6 p.m.
For a vintage vendor market in the east end, click here.