Who we are
I’m Chelsea (hi!) and that’s Elena (she says hey).
Our friendship was founded on a mutual love for all things vintage (and cats). The things we love best are colourful, whimsical, and uniquely designed.
We first met in 2021 at a vintage pop-up market, and quickly bonded over our shared dream to open a store: a permanent place where we could showcase the value of vintage both in terms of its quality and character, as well the sustainable nature of shopping second hand.
Both residents of Hintonburg, we leapt at the opportunity to build something in our own community, amongst our neighbours. Curious Times Collective was born.
We aren’t a thrift store…
We are a curated vintage shop full to the brim with items you won’t easily find at the thrift store.
That’s because we buy the majority of our inventory directly from its previous owners, whether at estate sales, private house calls, or from one of our in-store buying appointments.
The items you buy from us are ready to take home and enjoy: the repairs have been done, it’s been cleaned, or if it’s beyond saving in its original form, we may have upcycled it.
We also do a lot of research to determine provenance, including consulting with niche collectors.
Our prices reflect the time and labour we invest into our collection.
We don’t do it all ourselves.
We work with a local network of sewists, artists, cleaners, carpenters, and other creatives to bring new life to old objects, whether through restoration or upcycling projects.
We rescue all old and beautiful things, which means our needs are always changing. One day we need a glassblower to recreate a broken piece of a lamp, and the next we could need a quilter to mend a beautiful blanket.
Have a niche skill and want to
help with restoration?
CONTACT US >
‘Where do you get all this stuff?’
It’s our most frequently asked question, followed by ‘do you buy things?’
In addition to sourcing on our own all over Ontario and Quebec, we are lucky to have customers with excellent taste. Yes, we do buy from you directly, but we ask that you first send us some photos of the items you are looking to sell, and then book an appointment to meet us in-store.
If you have a large collection or household full of things you’re hoping to rehome, we will do private house calls to look at everything at once. Make sure you call us before you start throwing things away or donating them. You might be surprised by what we’ll buy.
Our team
Chelsea
OwnerChelsea has been selling vintage at flea markets, antique and vintage shows and pop-ups since 2021. Like most resellers, she started by rotating her own collection: selling the items she no longer had use for, and using the funds to buy new ones. That habit quickly evolved into a fully fledged side-hustle that kept her weekends busy while she worked full-time as a political journalist.
The opportunity to open Curious Times Collective arose shortly after she stepped away from Parliament Hill on what was meant to be a temporary sabbatical, and she hasn’t looked back.
Elena
Co-OwnerElena has been buying and selling vintage in Ottawa since 2015. Born and raised here, she first trained in photography and fashion before realizing she felt most at home in graphic design. Vintage style and design has always been an influence for her, but now it’s front and centre.
In addition to being a partner in Curious Times Collective, Elena also co-owns Next Door Ottawa, a market and event space where she hosts vintage and other niche markets every weekend, while maintaining her own vintage booth under her brand Good Bad Girl Vintage.
Sydney
StaffSydney is the first employee we welcomed to our team in September 2025. A lover of vintage in her own right, she hails from Toronto, where she graduated from OCAD with a degree in Fine Arts.
Since joining our team, Sydney has collaborated with us to create her own line of candles which she hand pours into vintage vessels. She also puts her art school credentials to good use when we to stretch vintage fabric onto a frame, or when we start screen-printing our merch. (Soon, ok???)