Discretely tucked away at 1841 St. Catherine Street West, founder Castle Ho has meticulously pieced together a dynamic collection where sleek-casual, high fashion, and edgy urban international form the unique treasure trove that is Boutique Razberry. Whatever your style, budget, occasion, or fancy, this fashion hotspot has a lot to offer.
Having dreamed of becoming a fashion designer since she was a girl of seven, Castle moved to Canada from Malaysia in 2001 to complete her fashion design studies in Montreal. When asked about the roots of her fascination with fashion, Castle recalls the early influence of her aunt who was a talented tailor and dressmaker. Castle explains “When I was a kid I would hang out at my aunt’s workshop where I was inspired by her beautiful sketches. I would help dress the mannequin and always dreamed of becoming a clothing designer.” Upon finishing her studies in Montreal, Castle immediately launched her own clothing line, CastleDream.
In spite of CastleDream garnering a reputation in the Montreal boutique scene, the desire to explore a more social side of fashion ultimately took hold of the designer. Castle had been spending long hours alone sewing in her home-based workshop and was ready for a change.
“I started working part-time in retail,” Castle explains, “just to interact more with clients and to see what was happening in the stores. I immediately fell in love with the work.” Castle’s greatest pleasure comes from connecting with her customers and helping customize each individual’s shopping experience. “After a year of managing at Bluberry down the street, with the blessing of the store’s owner, I was inspired and ready to create my own sister store, Boutique Razberry."
Why love Boutique Razberry? Apart from gorgeous clothes, jewelry made by Montreal-based artisans, unique accessories, and affordable prices (not to mention a year round “sale” section), Castle and her colleagues seamlessly make shopping an easy and positive experience. Whether in a hurry (as when I had less than an hour to find a holiday outfit in December and walked out with a glamorous yet versatile black C’est Moi party frock), or if you have plenty of time to browse, chat, and play dress-up (as is more often the case for me, and which has resulted in several great finds including a pair of bright floral earrings, an original graphic tee, a pair of perfect-fitting dressy trousers, not to mention special gifts for my mom, aunt, cousins, and friends…) – at Boutique Razberry not only do the clients obviously come first, the quality and service mean they are likely to keep coming back.
Quarterly events at Boutique Razberry also provide a great opportunity for new and returning customers to check out the latest arrivals. On such occasions, clothing and accessories are accompanied by tasty treats such as pretty pink cupcakes, Allison’s delicious homemade cookies, as well as a bottle or two of bubbly. Boutique Razberry’s Valentine Extravaganza provided the perfect excuse for me to bring my girlfriends en masse to check out the store they had been hearing about for ages. Not only did we have a great time browsing and helping one another make selections, at the end of the night my friends were all smiles exiting the shop with different stylish purchases, each appropriate to the person’s individual taste.
Castle’s goal is to provide something for everyone. She offers a diverse range of brands and styles, which allow customers to try something new along with timeless classics and favourite statement pieces. Castle explains, “We attract clients that like trying different things, and who like stepping outside of their usual comfort zone. I aim to provide people with what they are looking for but also to inspire them to try out fashions that they might not have tried before.” With great respect for individuality, Castle suggests that experimenting with fashion can be an interesting way for people to explore another side of themselves. As Razberry has been the impetus for my own evolving sense of Montreal-chic, I could not agree more.
Beyond having something for everyone, Boutique Razberry delivers something rare but very valuable: authenticity.
Great post! I've shopped at Bluberry and definitely want to check out Razberry. Have you noticed what their range of sizing is like? My experiences with smaller hip boutiques is disappointing: i'm a size 12-14 and often end up struggling with "large" sizes probably destined to an 8-10 sz teeny chick. I have to commend designer label Myco Anna (recycled, made in Montreal clothes) for embracing the curvy sizes in her collection!
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