Queen West's iconic Black Market is closing after 21 years
The iconic underground thrift clothing bunker on Queen West will soon be no more.
After 21 years at their flagship location, the owners of Black Market are closing their basement space at Queen and John Streets.
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And just like the vintage jeans that have long lined the racks at the shop, we’re torn up.
The store, famed for its “$10 or less” policy, has supplied city crawlers with counter-culture gear, mom jeans, kitty tees, and blaring music at 256 Queen St. West since 1998.
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While this news is pretty gut-wrenching, your heart doesn’t need to completely break. The folks behind the thrift shop have already got another store going across the street, at 347 Queen St. West, formerly the old upstairs Active Surplus.
The shop, appropriately called “347,” soft-opened last fall. Now that word is out on who’s behind it, it’s sure to be even more bustling.
In terms of Black Market’s lifespan: It’s expected that everything should be moved over by the end of June. The owners promise that there will still be plenty of $10 goods on deck, plus other treasures that they’ve had in hiding for 30 years.
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While this new store is something to look forward to, the thrift bunker will be sorely missed. With the name, the underground location and those $10 price tags, it left its mark on the city’s second-hand loving crowd.
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