Pender Grocery

Another favourite for photographers in Vancouver is Pender Grocery on West Pender Street near Homer. Pender Grocery is one of only two corner stores in all of downtown Vancouver. It's in an old building that dates from 1908. On the corner is Finch's Tea and Coffee House and just around the corner is Lady Madonna's Thrift Store as well as the Jimi Hendrix Shrine which is located downstairs. The upstairs of the building is home to a backpackers hostel. This photo was taken back in the summer of 2013.

I should say Pender Grocery was a corner store. When I was downtown earlier in the year I noticed the little storefront was looking a bit bedraggled and it was also looking very closed. So Pender Grocery is no more. But on the weekend I happened to come across a story in the Vancouver Sun and the old store is being renovated and will eventually reopen as a boutique grocery store.



In the process of renovating the new shopkeepers discovered an old sign on the wall. It was a very old ad for The Vancouver Daily World newspaper. The wall was actually an exterior wall that was part of the building next door. So the sign had been covered up since 1908. You can read all about it this great piece by John Mackie of the Vancouver Sun. The new Pender Grocery also happens to have an Instagram account so you can also view their photos as well. It will be great to see what the new store looks like when it reopens and hopefully I'll be able to get a shot of that old sign too!