Beckwoman's had been an institution on Commercial Drive for many decades. It was probably one of the older businesses on the Drive too until it closed in 2020. According to blogger Jak King who writes about the Grandview neighbourhood and The Drive, the store originally opened across the street from its last location way back in 1981. Then it moved to 1314 Commercial Drive in 1989.
Over the years the Store went by a few different names including Beckwoman's Folk Art and Beckwoman's Hippie Emporium. If a normal retail shopping experience was what you were looking for then Beckwoman's would certainly not have been it. After Googling the store years ago I found some interesting reviews that people had posted on Yelp. Many were not very positive and most were downright scathing! Shopping at Beckwoman's sounded like it could be a bit of an adventure. Apparently the store owner would often accost potential shoppers by demanding to know what they were looking for before even being allowed inside! Not a recipe for retail success in this day and age. You can read more of the store's Yelp reviews here!