Psychonaut Montreal: Inside the City's Psychedelic Head Shop | Verified Botanicals

Every great city has a handful of independent shops that become part of its character. In Montreal, Psychonaut is one of them.

Located at 3624 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, the psychedelic boutique has spent more than two decades building a reputation as one of Montreal’s most distinctive smoke shops. Inside, visitors will find smoking accessories, botanical herbs and teas, clothing, books, incense, tapestries, tarot cards and an assortment of unusual gifts that make the store feel more like a place of discovery than a conventional retail shop.

At Verified Botanicals, we wanted to learn more about the person and philosophy behind the store. Robert sat down with Psychonaut founder André Levert to discuss Montreal’s early counterculture scene, the origin of the Psychonaut name, the store’s unusual approach to product selection and the community relationships that helped it grow.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Building a Psychedelic Head Shop in Montreal

Robert: When you think back to when the store first started, what did Montreal’s counterculture and smoke-shop scene look like? How has it changed since then?

André: When I was getting started, I was already working at a head shop in Montreal. At the same time, I was always going to psytrance events.

That electronic music scene had a kind of neo-hippie, countercultural style. I always imagined combining those two worlds into one store: a psychedelic head shop instead of a typical head shop based mostly around the classic rock-and-roll aesthetic, with pipes, bongs and posters.

I wanted to add the whole psychedelic element because it felt more like me and more like the community I was part of. It was a niche community, but it still branched out into many different parts of society.

In the past, psychedelics were an important part of the wider counterculture movement. At the time, the conversation was more about self-exploration: learning who you are, where we come from and where we are going. Those are probably three of the main questions human beings ask themselves.

Today, the conversation is also moving toward psychology, scientific research and therapeutic settings. A lot of the literature we carried traditionally focused on history, shamanic practices and cultural use. Now people are increasingly asking, “What does the science actually say?”

What happens when researchers work with specific amounts, specific conditions, different intentions and larger groups of people?

I do not think one perspective necessarily has to replace the other. I hope that one day the spiritual perspective and the scientific perspective will meet somewhere in the middle.

Where the Name Psychonaut Came From

Robert: Why the name Psychonaut? It is such a memorable name. How did you come up with it?

André: Honestly, it was always going to be that name.

When I was younger, my friends and I were very interested in counterculture and psychedelic culture. Someone in the group referred to us as psychonauts, and the word immediately made sense to me.

A psychonaut is like an astronaut of the mind. Instead of exploring outer space, you are exploring the mind and your own internal world.

Later, I learned of the term’s association with Terence McKenna.

There was also a funny moment when I went to register the business. The person handling the registration questioned the spelling because they could not find the word in the dictionary they checked.

I told them, “It is not really an established word yet.” Today, you can find it in Webster’s online dictionary, but at the time it was still unfamiliar to many people.

When Psychonaut Became a Montreal Reference Point

Robert: Psychonaut has become one of the first stores people mention when someone searches for a head shop or smoke shop in Montreal. Was there a particular moment when you realized the store had reached that level?

André: Probably when customers started telling me that an employee at the SQDC had sent them to us.

Someone would walk into the store, and I would ask, “Who told you to come here?” They would say, “The guy at the SQDC.”

That felt like an official confirmation.

At the beginning, head shops were much more underground. I did not expect someone working for a government-run cannabis retailer to recommend that people visit us.

Another moment happened when I went to a hockey game. The person working at the coat check looked at me and said, “You’re Psychonaut, aren’t you?”

I would not say that made me feel like a celebrity, but it was funny. Honestly, until people started pointing it out, I had never spent much time thinking about whether the store had become a reference point.

That was always what I wanted, though. I wanted anyone looking for something connected to this culture to think of Psychonaut.

How Psychonaut Selects Its Products

Psychonaut’s shelves cover a wide range of categories, including smoking accessories, herbs and teas, clothing, books, decorative pieces, tarot cards and products connected with alternative art and culture.

Robert: You carry such a wide variety of products, including herbs such as mugwort and newer categories such as tarot cards. What criteria do you use when deciding what belongs in the store?

André: I usually think about the store by category.

We have clothing, herbs and teas, smoking products and then smaller sections within those categories. We are always trying to find something else that fits naturally and works well with the store.

But honestly, many of the best ideas come directly from customers.

Whenever someone asks for something we do not carry, I tell the employees to write it down. It does not matter what it is. If one person asks for it, there are probably other people interested in it too.

Tarot cards are a good example. We did not carry them for a long time, but customers occasionally asked for them. We brought in a few decks, they sold reasonably well, and then we added more. Now we have an entire display.

Some of my employees understand tarot much better than I do. One employee became very good at readings, and my wife enjoys picking a card from time to time.

I do not necessarily approach tarot as though a card can literally predict what will happen. But I can understand how it can be useful for introspection.

You take something that feels internal and personal, place it outside yourself and look at it from another perspective. Whether someone believes in the cards or not, the process can encourage reflection.

That fits with the larger purpose of the store. It is about exploration, introspection, personal growth and learning more about who you are.

When I think about it that way, that may be one of the main criteria behind our product selection, even if I was not always consciously thinking about it.

A Store Where Customers Should Leave Happier

Online reviews frequently praise Psychonaut’s employees for being knowledgeable, welcoming and willing to answer questions without becoming pushy or judgmental. According to André, that atmosphere comes from two principles he tries to make part of the store’s culture.

Robert: How do you build and preserve that kind of environment?

André: The first principle is that everyone who walks into the store should leave happier than they were when they arrived.

That does not mean we have to give people everything they want or agree with everything they say. It can simply mean making someone smile, making them laugh, helping them find something or treating them with respect.

The fact that someone interacted with us should have had some kind of positive effect on their day. That is mission number one.

Even if they did not spend any money, it does not matter. They should still leave happier than when they came in.

People sometimes tell me that it must be nice not having a boss. I tell them that I actually have thousands of bosses.

The customers are my bosses. They give me my pay, tell me what they are looking for and ultimately decide whether the store works.

I can create the concept and put everything together, but I cannot decide what people will buy. The customers ultimately decide what belongs here.

The second principle is not to judge people based on the substances they use, why they use them, their sexual orientation or other personal preferences.

People already experience enough judgment. They do not need to walk into a head shop and be judged again.

Of course, we still have to operate responsibly and pay attention to what happens in the store. But you can be aware of a situation without reducing someone to a stereotype.

“Everybody who walks in here is supposed to leave happier than when they walked in.”

How Montreal’s Rave Scene Helped Build Psychonaut

Robert: How important were Quebec artists, designers, event organizers and independent creators to Psychonaut’s identity?

André: At the beginning, they were of utmost importance.

A large part of the reason Psychonaut became known so quickly was that we sold tickets for rave events.

I already knew many of the promoters because I was involved in the scene. In the beginning, there was no additional cost. If they wanted to sell a ticket for $20, I sold it for $20 and gave them the money.

All I asked was that they put the Psychonaut name and logo on the flyer.

Those flyers were distributed everywhere, directly to people who were likely to be interested in the store. Anyone who wanted a ticket also had to come into Psychonaut to buy it.

That was essentially our marketing strategy for the first five or six years.

It worked for both sides. We received publicity, and having a physical store selling the tickets helped legitimize the events.

Eventually, we were handling so many tickets that it became difficult to manage, so we started adding a one-dollar service fee to help cover the work involved.

Today, most event tickets are sold online, but promoters still sometimes ask whether they can include the Psychonaut logo on a poster. I am happy to let them do it.

From Outdoor Festivals to Montreal Comiccon

Psychonaut also spent years participating in festivals and community events, although the practical demands of running festival kiosks eventually encouraged the store to explore a different type of event.

Robert: Why did you move from festivals toward events such as Montreal Comiccon?

André: We used to set up kiosks at larger festivals.

The problem was that festivals required an enormous amount of work. We had to take merchandise out of the store, transport everything, build the kiosk, spend three or four days barely sleeping and then return and set everything up inside the store again.

Eventually, we started participating in Montreal Comiccon instead.

That began because my daughters wanted to attend. One of them was interested in anime, and when I went with them, I looked around at the vendors and thought, “We could sell here.”

There is a natural overlap between different alternative communities. At Comiccon, we bring products such as pins, fans, selected T-shirts and other items that fit the audience.

The first time we participated, the organizers called us only a week or two before the event because a space had become available.

We were not prepared at all. We gathered what we could, put together a booth and broke even.

To me, that was a good sign. If we could break even while being completely unprepared, we could probably do well once we understood how to present everything properly.

After doing it once or twice, we improved the setup. Now it is a fun event and an opportunity to meet people who may not otherwise have discovered the store.

The Biggest Misconception About Head Shops

Robert: What is the biggest misconception people have about smoke shops, head shops or the communities around them?

André: The stereotype that everyone is lazy, disorganized or spaced out.

If I am ever late, someone might joke, “Of course the head-shop guy is late.” But I am almost always at the store before opening time.

I try to explain to employees that if a customer arrives five minutes early, the customer’s time is more valuable than ours. The store should already be open, ready and prepared to serve them.

The other misconception is that you can identify a cannabis user or a head-shop customer simply by looking at them.

When I first opened the store, I was surprised by the range of people who came in. I have sold products to professionals, people working at banks, dentists, engineers and people from every part of society.

Sometimes I would tell someone what I did for work, and they would quietly become interested. Then I would see them in the store later.

You cannot look at someone on the street and automatically know whether they use cannabis or shop at a head shop. The customer base is much broader and more diverse than the stereotype suggests.

A Montreal Store Built Around Curiosity

Psychonaut’s story is not only about the products displayed on its shelves. It is also about listening to customers, supporting local communities and creating a place where people can explore unfamiliar ideas without feeling judged.

Many of the store’s categories began with customer requests. Much of its early visibility came from helping Montreal event organizers sell tickets. Its move into Montreal Comiccon began when André noticed an unexpected connection between different alternative communities.

His personality is equally important to the experience. André has an infectious laugh and a natural ability to begin conversations with almost anyone who enters. In a store built around curiosity, that openness helps transform a simple shopping trip into a genuinely memorable interaction.

More than twenty years after opening, Psychonaut remains one of Montreal’s most recognizable independent smoke shops: a place shaped by counterculture, customer feedback, local relationships and André’s belief that every visitor should leave in a better mood than when they arrived.

Visiting Psychonaut Montreal

Address:
3624 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Montreal, Quebec
H2X 2V4

Phone: (514) 844-8998

Website: psychonaut.ca

Store hours:

• Monday to Wednesday: 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Thursday to Saturday: 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
• Sunday: 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Store hours can change. Contact Psychonaut directly before making a special trip.

Verified Botanicals is a Canadian botanical brand specializing in kratom. This article is an independent profile of a Montreal business and is provided for informational purposes only. The kratom and other botanicals offered by Verified Botanicals are supplied for botanical reference, educational or research purposes and are not intended for human consumption.