YSM’s Double Take Thrift Store

On Gerrard Street East in Toronto’s Regent Park neighbourhood, Double Take Thrift Store has been a fixture of the local secondhand scene since 1999. Rather than being an ordinary consignment shop, Double Take operates as a social enterprise of Yonge Street Mission, meaning every purchase made in store or through its online channels flows directly back into YSM’s community programs serving Toronto residents facing poverty and homelessness. Shoppers browsing the racks will find a rotating mix of pre-loved and vintage clothing for men and women, along with accessories, home decor, and the occasional luxury designer find donated by the community. What sets Double Take apart from a typical charity thrift shop is its in-house Upcycling Studio, where donated garments that would otherwise go unsold are transformed by staff and volunteers into one-of-a-kind reworked pieces, giving fabric a second and sometimes third life rather than sending it to landfill. The studio also runs workshops and tutorials open to the public, teaching visitors the basics of mending, reconstruction, and other sustainable fashion skills so the ethos of reuse extends beyond the store’s four walls. New inventory hits the sales floor on a roughly biweekly cycle, encouraging regulars to check back often for fresh finds rather than picked over racks. The physical store at 310 Gerrard Street East welcomes shoppers Monday through Friday from 11:30 in the morning until 6:30 in the evening, and on weekends from 10 in the morning until 5 in the evening, making it accessible to both the downtown lunch crowd and weekend thrifters exploring Regent Park. For those who cannot make it in person, Double Take also runs an online storefront that mirrors much of the in-store selection, extending the mission’s reach well beyond its immediate neighbourhood. Donors are welcome to drop off gently used clothing and household items during shop hours, closing the loop between community giving and community shopping under one roof. Because the store has operated continuously in Regent Park for more than two decades, it has become something of a local landmark, predating much of the neighbourhood’s more recent redevelopment and remaining a steady, affordable resource for residents even as the area around it has changed. Value driven shoppers looking for secondhand fashion in Toronto will find Double Take distinct from big box resale chains in that its profits are reinvested locally rather than distributed to shareholders or a distant parent company, and its upcycling program gives it a genuinely creative, handmade dimension that most thrift stores do not attempt. Whether the goal is finding an affordable winter coat, hunting for a well made vintage blazer, decorating a first apartment on a budget, or simply supporting a nonprofit doing tangible work in the surrounding community, Double Take offers a browsing experience with real purpose behind it. In short, Double Take Thrift Store is Yonge Street Mission’s Regent Park based secondhand and upcycled fashion shop, open seven days a week, where every purchase directly funds local Toronto community programs.