British Columbia
An eclectic mix of books with a good section of local-interest reads. Gives great recommendations.
Must-see shopping in British Columbia & The Canadian Rockies
Gastown & Chinatown
Known for recycling leather into hip, super-supple bags, belts, hats and purses, this eponymous store has a cult following. Erin herself is often on hand…
Gastown & Chinatown
Steps from Gastown's Steam Clock, this slender, white-walled gallery has an intriguing approach: distinctive paintings from local artists adorn its walls,…
Fairview & South Granville
Locals routinely beeline to this browse-worthy bookstore for discounts on new and just-released titles. If you're not sure what you're looking for, it's…
Gastown & Chinatown
A museum-like menagerie of everything from vintage taxidermy to retro cocktail glasses – plus clunky-keyed old typewriters that Hemingway would love –…
Vancouver
Serving the area's voracious bookworms, this used and new bookstore is one of several Drive literary nooks. It's a minilabyrinth of floor-to-ceiling…
Lower Mainland
There are over 2500 outlets of this upmarket discount store in Japan, but only one in Canada, which is probably why Daiso Richmond has a cult rather than…
Granville Island Broom Company
Vancouver
Ever since Harry Potter, locals have been entranced by this Granville Island fave, which makes its own beautifully handcrafted Shaker-style straw brooms…
Vancouver
One of the city's best used-book stores (there are also plenty of new tomes in the front room), this is the ideal haunt for the kind of serious browsing…
Vancouver
From classic rock to obscure German metal bands, this local-fave record store takes a no-nonsense approach with its basic racks of new and used vinyl, CD…
Vancouver
Drive coolsters add some vintage glam to their look in this Western-saloon-like establishment. But don't be fooled: this is one of the city's most…
Gastown & Chinatown
A size upgrade from its previous venue has delivered a cavernous market hall of hip arts and crafts-isans hawking everything from handmade chocolate bars…
Vancouver
A Vancouver favorite specializing in antiques and midcentury items, this retro-cool doubleroom is lined with 1950s-to-1980s furniture and treasures…
Vancouver
Kitsilano's fave indie music store has downsized in recent years, but it's still easy to blow an afternoon here with the vinyl and CD nerds, flicking…
Community Thrift & Vintage Frock Shoppe
Gastown & Chinatown
A nonprofit social enterprise selling a cornucopia of vintage women's clothing, from 1970s print dresses to elegant silk tops to printed T-shirts of old…
Vancouver
If you insist on eating something other than chocolate or ice cream, hit this legendary time-capsule deli and sandwich shop, a family-run holdover from…
North Shore
A SeaBus hop from downtown Vancouver, this is the region's second most popular public market (after Granville Island). Look for BC wines and fresh fish…
Vancouver
If you're missing your regular dose of Hulkverines or you just want to blow your vacation budget on a highly detailed life-sized model of Conan the…
Fairview & South Granville
Like a sweet beacon to the weary, this purple-painted chocolate purveyor stands at the corner of Granville and W 11th Ave calling your name. It's a…
Vancouver
Like walking into a Tokyo convenience store, the shelves here are crammed with brightly packaged Japanese goodies from Calbee potato chips to Pocky…
North Shore
It's the region's oldest mall but Park Royal does a good job of keeping up with the competition. With 280+ stores (including all the usual suspects), its…
Vancouver
Basically a maple-leaf-emblazoned version of the Gap, Roots designs athletic, plaid-accented streetwear that's unmistakably Canadian. Its retro-style…
Vancouver
It's hard not to blow your holiday budget at this store, which showcases a huge array of quirky, often nerdy gifts and creations, from Sasquatch-themed…
Fairview & South Granville
Now in its third South Granville location in the space of a few years, this popular stop on the city's one-time gallery row focuses its chin-scratching…
Vancouver
Vancouver's oldest independent record store is still a major lure for music fans, with its High Fidelity ambience and time-capsule feel. But it's not…
Vancouver
Like an explosion at a garage sale, this rambling used and vintage store invites serious perusing. The front room is packed with racks of mostly women's…
Vancouver
This arts, crafts and fashion market runs four times a year – one for each season – in the heritage Roundhouse building. Expect to find an eclectic blend…
Vancouver
From Dolphin Boy to The Wonky Donkey, this huge, highly inviting store – reputedly Canada's biggest children's bookshop – has thousands of novels, picture…
Vancouver
The smallest of Pulpfiction's miniempire of three Vancouver bookstores, this spartan-looking shop has little decoration but lots of well-stocked wooden…
Lower Mainland
One of the River Market's coolest stores, you'll find a natty array of stationery (yes, those are fountain pens) fronted by a large communal table. That's…
Vancouver
If your to-buy list includes taxidermy, vintage cameras and old hotel matchbooks, this cleverly curated, highly browsable shop is the place for you. Among…
Vancouver
One of Vancouver's oldest and most respected indigenous galleries has moved to this huge new storefront, whose two floors are crammed with often…
Vancouver
A Drive fixture for 70-plus years and a loud echo of the area's counterculture heyday, this is the store to find the latest copy of Proletarian magazine…
Vancouver
Along with the shelves of used boots and shoes near the entrance of this outdoor gear and sports equipment consignment store, you'll find racks of end-of…
Gastown & Chinatown
Crammed with locally made bright-hued T-shirts, backpacks and ball caps, Blim's main business is the roster of workshops on everything from patch-making…
Vancouver
This unisex footwear temple is a dangerous place to come if you have a shoe fetish; best not to bring more than one credit card. Quality and designer élan…
Vancouver
The 'Signature' in the name means this well-located shop – just off Robson St at Bute – is one of the larger-format BC government liquor stores. You'll…
Vancouver
From its creaky floorboards to its scuzzy carpets and ever-teetering piles of books, this legendary locals' fave is a great place to peruse a cornucopia…
Vancouver
Vancouver's best urban alfresco farmers market is in the heart of the West End, alongside Nelson Park. It runs during the warmest months of the year and…
Vancouver
This German-style Christmas market lures thousands of Yuletide-loving locals to its alfresco waterfront location every festive season. They come for…
