by Chelsea Woodhouse
Rix Rax, the rarity of the store’s name parallels its products. Do not be put off by its quaint appearance. This store, located in Montreal (Canada), has everything you could possibly want to accessorize with. It is by far the most imposing display of buttons, flowers, bobbins, pins, clasps and zippers one could stumble upon, while washing clothes at the adjacent Laundromat. The owner, Juliette Trolio, opened the store in 1987 and has decidedly chosen to leave no space in her store left bare. Overwhelming her clients with items comparable to treasures, buttons, antique film reels and silk bouquets found while globe trotting literally dress the store’s walls. I was inspired to glue feathers to my new fedora the minute I crossed the threshold!
Doing her best to keep things simple, Juliette organizes all items in the store by color, shape and size. As a stylist, she loves helping her clients run with their imagination by guiding them through her seemingly infinite collection of curiously distinctive trimmings, in addition to giving
sewing and crafting advice. According to Juliette, her suppliers are select and exclusive thanks to her networking while traveling and living abroad. As a result, herself and her clients handpick everything in the store.
Now, before you dismiss the idea of becoming a Rix Rax regular, consider this: do not buy clothing with the pretention that the way we wear it is totally unique to us, but choose to remain unaware of the logical conclusion that what we wear is mass-produced, which is not necessarily morally wrong, BUT it does mean that the paradoxical nature of dressing to be “unique” and “individual” can certainly not be achieved without a little creative action. The store may not be 
your ready-made quick fix, but the boutique is worth a visit, at least to awe over its displays. Buttons may never go out of style, but wearing the same sorts, in the same places for the next decade will.
Prices range from the small cents for buttons to the hundreds for feathers from the tails of exotic birds. In addition, clients, according to Juliette, tend to be as diverse as her prices. Designers from Cirque du Soleil, to art students and seamstresses have all frequented Rix Rax in search of the perfect button.
Juliette stated she lived in Berlin for many years before coming to live in Montreal. Her store’s name comes from Juliette’s fascination and love for a painting of a German story titled, “Rix Rax.”
Rix Rax
801, Gilford
Montreal, Québec
Canada, H2J 1P1
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