Believe it or not, the corner grocery store is an important piece of Vancouver history not simply for the sake of nostalgia but these were neighbourhood institutions and a place of opportunity for immigrant families to find work when very few opportunities were available. Because Chinese and Japanese immigration was more prevalent in Vancouver during the early 1900’s than in other Canadian provinces these types of family run corner grocery stores are unique to the city’s social history and are equally unique in their physical structure, with the traditional store front on street level and rooming up on top.
Recently I was on a job site in suburban Point Grey when a plumber said to me “you know….I grew up in this neighbourhood and there used to be a corner store right here, across the street where that house is now’. Gary remembered going to the store for a treat on his way home from school and don’t think Gary is up there in age, he’s in his late forties, which means that this type of local, family run corner store was still pervasive in the the 70’s. Michael Kluckner recently did an interview with CBC Radio One about this very issue. He had noticed that during the time between him publishing his first book ‘Vancouver & The Lower Mainland’ in 1990, to him releasing the updated publication called ‘Vanishing Vancouver – The Last 25 Years’ earlier this year, nearly all of the 120 historically significant corner grocery stores have disappeared or changed use.
Kluckner goes on to tell how many of these once corner grocers have been repurposed for new uses such as restaurants and flower shops but in Gary’s case his corner store….just vanished. With no physical evidence left of what was – structures of significance such as these corner stores are becoming forgotten, which means a part of Vancouver’s social and architectural past is becoming obsolete.
I have posted photos of 3 corner grocery stores, 2 of which have been re-purposed and the last is traditional corner grocery store that still functions as such. Next time you walk by one, I hope it surfaces thoughts of Vancouver’s not so distant past.
One of my favourites,
Le Marche St. George
on St. George & East 28th.
Now a beautiful French inspired
coffee shop and patisserie.
What was the family home
up top of the store, is now a
flex space with additional
seating and is used for hosting
special dining events.
Figaro’s Garden
is located on Williams & East 3rd.
Figaro’s is an independent garden
centre and garden supply shop.
It has become an institution
on Victoria Dr. with their unusual
and rare plants as well as their more
traditional garden centre stock.
My favourite Corner Grocery Stores
that is still in existence is
Union Market on Hawks & Union.
This a a very lively and vibrant place
for those in the community –
plus it get a lot of traffic from being
on the Adanac bike route.
Click here for the link to Michael Kluckner’s interview on the CBC about the vanishing Corner Grocery Store – have a listen!
Extraordinary League Contracting is a strong supporter of heritage conservation in Vancouver. We are proud to be a part of bringing new life to old stories and structures in this fine city.
Written by: Jacqueline Cannam
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