Penny Arcade Vintage

Rachel Sheehan was only 12 when she visited San Francisco’s iconic Wasteland vintage store for the first time, but she can remember the moment like it was yesterday. Portishead flowed through the store’s speakers and the woman behind the cash captivated her. Rachel only bought a Betsey Johnson satin skirt that day, but it wasn’t the only thing she left with.

“I remember being like, ‘Wow, I’d like to own something that is as inspiring to me as a place like this,’” she recalls. “I just thought it was amazing. It was kind of magic.”

It’s this emotional connection to the past that drives Penny Arcade’s curated collection of vintage classics, many of which are rooted in the decade that Rachel lived out her adolescence and early adulthood in. It’s become the Dundas West go-to spot for lace-up boots, chunky ’90s shoes, thick wool sweaters, Coach purses, cloaks, sterling jewellery, earth-toned floral onesies, and, of course, the perfect little black dress.

“I’ve been interested in vintage and antiques since I was a child,” says Rachel. “I knew from really early on that I loved the thrill of the find.”