What began as a teenager’s personal habit of collecting 1990s clothing turned, over the course of several years, into a full storefront on rue Saint-Denis in Montreal, and that origin story is baked into everything LE NINETY sells today. Steven started the project back in 2017 while still in high school, hunting down true vintage pieces for himself before turning the hobby into a side venture called Ven Vintage, selling curated finds to friends. By 2019 he had set aside plans for a contemporary clothing line to commit fully to vintage apparel, and in June 2020 Jeremy joined as an official partner, giving the operation the two person foundation it still runs on. The company grew steadily through 2021 with additional team members coming aboard, and in spring 2022 the founders decided the moment had come to leave the online only model behind and open a physical shop.
That decision led, after three months of planning with marketing consultant Cedric, to LE NINETY officially opening its doors on June 30, 2022, at 4361 rue Saint-Denis in Montreal. The rebrand from the founder named Ven Vintage to LE NINETY reflected a shift in ambition, from a personal side project into a proper retail destination built around storytelling, with each garment treated less as inventory and more as a small piece of history from the decade the shop is named for. The Saint-Denis storefront also houses a cafe, letting browsers linger over a coffee while flipping through racks of secondhand denim, band tees and other true vintage staples rather than treating the visit as a quick in and out errand.
LE NINETY’s buying philosophy sets it apart from typical secondhand retailers in the city. Rather than sourcing primarily from local thrift stores the way many vintage resellers do, the shop pulls much of its stock from sorting warehouses, positioning itself as an ethical alternative within an industry increasingly scrutinized for its environmental footprint. On top of curated vintage, the store carries pieces from local designers, giving contemporary Montreal creators a retail home alongside decades old finds, and the space itself doubles as a multidisciplinary venue that can be rented out for events, extending its role beyond straightforward retail into something closer to a community hub for people interested in fashion, design and 90s culture generally.
The Saint-Denis location is one of two current LE NINETY storefronts in Montreal, with a second shop operating in the Mile End neighborhood on boulevard Saint-Laurent, each carrying its own distinct selection rather than duplicating the other’s racks. For shoppers specifically drawn to the flagship Saint-Denis address, the appeal lies in that original combination, a cafe, a curated true vintage selection with a hard focus on the 1990s, and a growing roster of local designer collaborations, all under one roof that started as one teenagers personal wardrobe project. LE NINETY on rue Saint-Denis remains, in short, a Montreal vintage clothing store and cafe built from a single collector’s obsession into a two location retail brand centered on 1990s fashion and locally made design.
