A Sunday Afternoon in Mile End

The annual Renegade Craft Fair was among my favorite fall events in Chicago.  It is a fantastic marketplace for the handmade goods of do-it-yourself-ers, indie-crafters, and much of the creative goodness you can find on etsy.com.  It started in Chicago's Wicker Park and has since expanded to Brooklyn, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, London - but NOT Montreal.  I was considering writing a letter to demand that Renegade be brought here, when it occurred to me that Montreal is a pretty hip city and probably already has it's own indie craft scene.  A quick search, and I found a listing for Puces POP DIY & Craft Fair.  I immediately marked it on my calendar and patiently waited for the date to arrive.


Today was that day!  I was not sure what to expect - how big/small it would be, what the vendors would be selling - but it was a beautifully sunny afternoon so there was no harm in walking over to find out.  I meandered my way to Mile End, purportedly Montreal's hippest neighborhood.  Apparently the city's indie music, cultural diversity, and all things cool originate here so it seems like the logical place to go for a craft fair.

Puces POP was held in the basement of a church.  Although smaller than Renegade, it was exactly what I was hoping it would be.  The handmade goods ranged from edibles to wearables, accessories to home-decor.  Many of the items were gorgeous, some were a little strange, but all filled my need "ooh" and "aah" over people's creative wares.


After I wandered my way past all of the tables, still empty handed, I realized I had missed the vendors located on a stage in the back.  There I found a great collection of prints and posters. It only took me a few minutes to find what I just had to have - a city scene of Chicago and one of Montreal.  I can't wait to get these framed and hung on our walls.

I finished up my visit to Mile End with some freshly baked sesame bagels at the original St-Viateur Bagel Shop.  Forget New York style bagels - Montreal bagels are the best!  Especially if you get one just out of the giant wood-burning oven.  Warm and chewy, these bagels are wonderfully tasty, even without any spread, when fresh.  The perfect snack for the walk home.  And great sandwiches for dinner with Adam.  :)