House of Savoy has been a fixture of Victoria’s Oak Bay Avenue for nearly five decades, though the storefront at 1869 Oak Bay Avenue has worn a few different names along the way. The address first opened in 1978 as Encore, a womens consignment boutique serving the genteel Oak Bay shopping strip. In 1980 the shops bookkeeper, Marian Savoy, bought the business outright and renamed it House of Savoy, expanding the racks to include mens clothing and, as consignors began bringing in gowns and evening wear, a formal wear department that became a local specialty. Anna Hesung Back took over ownership in 1993 with a Parisian inspired vision, giving the boutique its theatrical, old world atmosphere and reputation for one of a kind pieces. When Back retired in 2021, the business passed to Emilie Hamel and Zenija Esmits, who brought European artistic and retail backgrounds to the shop, and in 2025 Hamel became sole owner, steering House of Savoy toward an even stronger focus on circular fashion, natural fabrics, and sustainable sourcing.
Today the boutique describes itself as a fashion consignment destination for all people and all occasions, and that range shows on the racks: everyday separates sit alongside cocktail dresses, tailored blazers, and formal gowns taken in on consignment from clients across greater Victoria. New arrivals are photographed and posted regularly to the stores Instagram, so the inventory online mirrors what is actually hanging in the store that week, which matters for a business whose whole appeal rests on finding something nobody else will be wearing. The shop is women owned and operated, and it continues to accept consignment intake from the public, giving Victoria area residents a way to pass along quality clothing rather than see it discarded.
House of Savoy sits in the heart of Oak Bay Village, a walkable, tree lined shopping district in Victoria known for independent boutiques, bakeries, and cafes rather than big box retail, on the traditional territories of the lekwungen speaking Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. The boutique is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 5pm, and closed Sunday and Monday, making it an easy stop alongside the rest of the avenues small shops for anyone spending an afternoon in the neighborhood.
What sets House of Savoy apart from a typical secondhand shop is its unusual continuity: four successive owners over roughly 47 years have each added a layer to the business, from Marian Savoys original expansion into menswear and formal wear to the current owners emphasis on sustainability, without ever losing the original consignment model or the Oak Bay Avenue address that has anchored it since 1978. That kind of institutional memory is rare in resale retail, where storefronts tend to turn over every few years, and it gives House of Savoy a depth of community trust that a newer consignment shop could not easily replicate.
For shoppers hunting for special occasion wear, from a wedding guest dress to a black tie gown, or for anyone simply looking for well made secondhand basics with a story behind them, House of Savoy remains one of Victorias longest running consignment addresses. House of Savoy is a nearly 50 year old womens and mens fashion consignment boutique on Oak Bay Avenue in Victoria, British Columbia, known for its formal wear selection, sustainable circular fashion focus, and continuous operation under four owners since 1978.
