The Custom Bronze Foundry

Update : January 2017. I guess I spoke too soon as I was by Venables and Clark Drive and saw the little building has a "For Lease" sign up now. It's also been repainted a rather dull shade of grey which you can see here. So who knows what's next for this funky little shop.

This colourful little building is tucked away on Clark Drive near Venables Street. So far the gentrification going on in East Vancouver hasn't caught up with this spot just yet as it hasn't been turned into a coffee shop, micro brewery, or more typically a marijuana dispensary. A city directory from 1950 lists the business as Clark Drive Handy Shop which dealt in machine parts. Hopefully the old place will stick around for at least a few more years.

Scott's Market

Seen on Victoria Drive in February of 2014 shortly before it closed its doors. At one time Victoria Drive had quite a collection of corner stores but they all gradually disappeared and Scott's was the last one. Apparently the long time owners retired and sold the building. Today the space is being used by The Found and the Freed an antiques and collectables shop.

Wow Security

At 779 Kingsway has been the location of various restaurants and eateries over the years. It's one of those rare spots where there's a house hidden away in behind the storefront. Lately there's a city Development Application in the window. Being Vancouver, someone wants to turn it into a marijuana dispensary.

Royal Furniture

This was the last incarnation of the store seen in early 2013 on Main Street near East 10th Avenue. At this point I don't think it was really Royal Furniture anymore as the space had been empty for a while. It was really a bit of junk store but they left up the old sign and awning. The way Vancouver is changing seeing a good old fashioned junk store is a bit of a rarity now. The store has since been renovated and is now home to Denman Bikes.

Molly's Coffee Shop

This is an old photo taken back in the fall of 2004. Molly's is of course gone now but it was one of the last links to False Creek's industrial past. According to painter and historian Michael Kluckner this was actually a converted house. In 1952 it first opened as the Industrial Coffee Shop on Columbia Street near West 2nd Avenue. Molly's closed for good on June 29th of 2007 and was demolished on May 29th 2009 to expand the Mitsubishi car dealership across the street. You can see a shot of the interior here. Vancouver would be a much better place if Molly's was still around!

Laura's Coffee Shop

Laura's at Manitoba Street and 4th Avenue is the last old school eatery in Lower Mount Pleasant. The surrounding neighbourhood has been "discovered" and is changing very quickly. Once an enclave of light industrial and warehouse businesses, software and fashion companies are moving in and property values and rents are skyrocketing. A little operation like Laura's is ripe for redevelopment. But so far there's no indication the eatery is going anywhere soon.

New World Designs

This is a great looking storefront on West Cordova Street in Gastown. The store is in the Arlington Block which dates from 1887. According to their website New World has been operating in Vancouver for 27 years. But look out as Versace Home has set up shop right next door. Today it seems like Vancouver's retail stores are going in a totally high end direction forcing out many smaller operations along the way.

Living Waters Mission

Just next door to Maurel Paint & Hardware on East Hastings Street is the Living Waters Mission. It's hard to miss with it's colourful storefront. It provides weekly Christian services for the neighbourhood. Last time I walked by there was a dog sleeping in the front window!

Maurel Paint & Hardware

It's becoming quite a rare sight to see a small independent paint and hardware store these days. Especially with the big box stores like Home Depot and Rona around. Years ago Maurel used to be in the Heatley Block just a block away on Hastings Street. But the building was sold and the space is now an upscale eatery. Here's an old photo of their window from 2012.

Powell Street Strip

This stretch of Powell Street and it's empty storefronts in the mid 300 block has so far escaped the wave of gentrification that has been sweeping across the Downtown Eastside into Railtown. But given the way the city is changing I guess it's only a matter of time before this area gets discovered.

Corner Store Memory

Corner stores are becoming few and far between around Vancouver these days. This was Kayz Korner on Victoria Drive and  East 22nd Avenue shortly before it was demolished in the spring of 2015. It was one of those unique places as the store and the house were linked together. At the end of the day the shop keeper could just lock the front door and then retire into the house. Today many old corner stores are being reinvented as cafes and eateries. Too bad this couldn't have happened with Kayz.

Adult XXX

This is a 2011 shot of the storefront at 141 East Hastings Street. The store is a real oldie as the building dates from 1919. A city directory from the late 1940's lists the occupant as The Economy Store a purveyor of men's furnishings. The XXX store has since closed its doors as this stretch of Hastings Street is a bit rough with the Insite safe injection site right next door.

No Way Cafe

I photographed this little cafe on Main Street back in the summer of 2015. It's a tiny little space and is right across the street from the Law Courts near Cordova Street. Sadly it looks like the cafe has now closed its doors. But after a little searching on the address I found that for decades this space was a barber shop. It was actually the location for a couple of Fred Herzog's famous barber shop images!

Burcu's Angels II

I finally got around to photographing this great old storefront on Main Street. It's a place I've walked by many times over the years but some how never got around to photographing. The building dates from 1929 and for many years was home to Mount Pleasant Locksmiths. I'm glad I waited as the storefront has now been repainted with much brighter colours. Burcu's has been on Main Street for over 20 years. Check out this story here.

Dressew

Nothing like a blast of colour at Dressew Supply at 337 West Hastings Street. The store has that vintage department store feel to it because years ago it was one! Back in the 1970's the store was a Fields and was part of their department store chain.

Colour on Carrall Street

This is the Lim Sai Hor Association Building which dates from 1903. The rear of the building is equally interesting as it faces what is left of Shanghai Alley. The red vinyl in the window was installed for some filming of Amazon's Man in the High Castle and was never removed. Now in 2017 the building is undergoing extensive renovations and the storefronts are now hidden from view.

Chinatown Supermarket

Pictured here in late 2014 when the store on Keefer Street was a growing concern. The store has since closed and has been empty for some time. Vancouver's Chinatown is now threatened with a wave of gentrification and new tower developments which have dramatically increased land values and property taxes for local merchants. Fast forward to 2017 and the space is still empty!

Ming Wo

Ming Wo Cookware has been at 23 East Pender Street since 1917. For years there has been an awning on the front of the building. But for a while in late 2016 and early 2017 it had been taken down revealing some wonderful hand painted lettering on the upper windows! A new awning has since been installed.

Update in January 2020, sadly due to problems in the neighbourhood the family made the decision to close the flagship store in Chinatown. The three other store locations are unaffected and will remain open. More info in this piece in the Vancouver Sun.

Welcome

This is a photo blog dedicated to documenting classic storefronts in Vancouver, B.C.
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