New York Novelties

New York Novelties is another funky bit of the old Mount Pleasant neighbourhood that's disappeared recently. For many years I used to walk by this store at 2429 Main Street close to Broadway on my way uptown. It was one of those rare places in East Vancouver that didn't have bars in the windows. It was great to look at all the masks and wigs in the window display especially at dusk. Then around 2012 I realized I better start taking some photos of this place!

I'm glad I took some pictures when I did as a "For Lease" sign went up in the window in late 2014. By the spring of 2015 the store was empty and New York Novelties was gone. But it turns out they hadn't gone far as they'd only moved a few blocks away down East Broadway across from the Kingsgate Mall. The new location was probably cheaper rent wise but the window display wasn't nearly as wonderful.

The Main Street store next to the Lee Building is fairly old and got it's start as the People's Fruit Market back in the 1940's. During the 50's times had changed and the space became Finn's Ladies and Men's Wear with Hilker's Dry Goods right next door at 2425. Today the store is home to Our Community Bikes who were forced out of their old space further up Main Street in 2015. If you look outside the store today you can see the name Christie Grants in the tile work. This store must have been there in the 1960's and it looks like it took up both spaces.

Sadly it looks like New York Novelties is no more as they closed up their store on East Broadway at the end of May. I'm not sure what happened. Maybe the new location wasn't so good or they were done in by people shopping online? Whatever the case the way the city is changing it's better to take pictures now and ask questions later as it could all be gone tomorrow!

Reno's Restaurant

Reno's Restaurant at 151 East Broadway on the ground floor of the 1912 Lee Building was a classic piece of the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood. It seemed like Reno's had been around for just ages. I'm sure it was already there when I first came to Vancouver in the late 1980's . The decor was a bit dated but when you charge $3.99 for breakfast that's served all day who's to complain. Reno's was a greasy spoon but it was the kind of place where everyone was welcome. If some cheap eats and a bit of people watching were up your alley then Reno's was the place to go. But in November of 2015 Reno's suddenly closed their doors. From what I understand their lease was not renewed so that was the end of another neighbourhood institution.

Being that the Lee Building at Main and Broadway dates from 1912 there were no doubt a few different eateries in the space before it became Reno's. After reading Keith McKellar's book Neon Eulogy I discovered that it had been part of the popular Aristocratic chain starting in 1953. Before that it was Hux Lunch during the 1940's and back in the 1920's it was Purity Lunch which dated as  far back as 1915 in the same location. Incidentally the last Aristocratic restaurant was at Granville and Broadway and closed down in the mid 1990's when the present Chapters bookstore was built.

In the spring of 2016 Fable Diner opened it's doors at 151 East Broadway. The space was totally renovated and it looks bright and modern now. The menu is of course totally up to date and caters to a hipper crowd. But there's even a Reno's Burger on the menu which is a nice touch. I'm sure Fable is doing well with the influx of tech companies coming into Mount Pleasant. It's probably an in demand place for lunch. But it's not quite the same walking along Broadway and not seeing the old Reno's neon sign in the window!