Must-see shopping in Vancouver

  • Exterior of Regional Assembly of Text stationary store

    Regional Assembly of Text

    Vancouver

    This ironic antidote to the digital age lures ink-stained locals with its journals, handmade pencil boxes and T-shirts printed with typewriter motifs…

  • Red Cat Records exterior

    Red Cat Records

    Vancouver

    Arguably Vancouver's coolest record store and certainly the only one named after a much-missed cat… There's a brilliantly curated collection of new and…

  • Pacific Arts Market

    Fairview & South Granville

    Head upstairs to this large, under-the-radar gallery space and you'll find a kaleidoscopic array of stands showcasing the work of 40+ Vancouver and BC…

  • Mountain Equipment Co-Op

    Vancouver

    Grown hikers weep at the amazing selection of clothing (including lifestyle wear for urban hipsters), kayaks and clever camping gadgets at this cavernous…

  • Paper Hound

    Vancouver

    Proving the printed word is alive and kicking, this small but perfectly curated secondhand bookstore is a dog-eared favorite among locals. A perfect spot…

  • Massy Books

    Gastown & Chinatown

    A former pop-up favorite with a now-permanent Chinatown location, this delightful bookstore is lined with tall stacks of well-curated, mostly used titles…

  • Exterior of the Licorice Parlour store

    Licorice Parlour

    Vancouver

    Just when you think you'll never find that combination licorice and hula-hoop store you've been searching for, here it is. This perky little spot with a…

  • Karameller Candy Shop

    Vancouver

    Grab a paper bag and some tongs then dive into the pick-your-own drawers of brightly colored treats at this slender, white-walled gem dedicated to Swedish…

  • Karen Cooper Gallery

    Vancouver

    You'll feel like you've entered a tranquil forest clearing when you open the door of this delightful nature-themed photography gallery. Cooper's striking…

  • Exterior of Urban Source craft store

    Urban Source

    Vancouver

    From used postcards and insect rubber stamps to ladybug stickers and map pages from old books, this brilliant store offers a highly eclectic, ever…

  • Exterior of John Fluevog Shoes

    John Fluevog Shoes

    Gastown & Chinatown

    Like an art gallery for shoes, this alluringly cavernous store showcases the famed footwear of local designer Fluevog, whose men's and women's boots and…

  • Search & Rescue Denim Company

    Vancouver

    You'll walk into this busy workshop thinking you don't need an apron. Then you'll fall in love. These handmade, sometimes punkish and always sturdily…

  • Kitsilano Farmers Market

    Vancouver

    This seasonal farmers market is one of the city's most popular and is Kitsilano's best excuse to get out and hang with the locals. Arrive early for the…

  • Front & Company

    Vancouver

    You could easily spend a couple of hours perusing the new and vintage clothing in the main space of Front & Company, which colonizes a row of storefronts…

  • Smoking Lily

    Vancouver

    Art-school cool rules at this mostly womens wear boutique, with skirts, belts and halter-tops whimsically accented with prints of rabbits, narwhals and…

  • Paper-Ya

    Vancouver

    A magnet for slavering stationery fetishists (you know who you are), this store's treasure trove of trinkets ranges from natty pens to traditional washi…

  • Ainsworth Custom Design

    Vancouver

    Ostensibly a design studio working to commission, its two-story front-of-shop area showcases a kaleidoscopic array of quirky arts and crafts by mostly…

  • Shipyards Night Market

    North Shore

    Muscling in on the region's summertime night-market scene, North Van's is a few steps east of Lonsdale Quay. It's a fun way to spend a balmy Friday…

  • Vancouver Special

    Vancouver

    An irresistible, white-walled, double-sized store that appeals to design-minded individuals with its carefully chosen array of Tivoli radios, molded…

  • Exterior of the Erin Templeton store

    Erin Templeton

    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…

  • One of the artworks at Six Hundred Four

    Six Hundred Four

    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,…

  • Exterior of Book Warehouse bookstore

    Book Warehouse

    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…

  • Space Lab

    Gastown & Chinatown

    A museum-like menagerie of everything from vintage taxidermy to retro cocktail glasses – plus clunky-keyed old typewriters that Hemingway would love –…

  • Exterior of Canterbury Tales bookshop

    Canterbury Tales

    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…

  • 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…

  • Exterior of the Pulpfiction Books store

    Pulpfiction Books

    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…

  • Exterior of Audopile record store

    Audiopile

    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…

  • Exterior of Mintage vintage clothing store

    Mintage

    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…

  • Exterior of the Eastside Flea market

    Eastside Flea

    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…

  • Exterior of the Attic Treasures store

    Attic Treasures

    Vancouver

    A Vancouver favorite specializing in antiques and midcentury items, this retro-cool doubleroom is lined with 1950s-to-1980s furniture and treasures…

  • Inside Zulu Records, Kitsilano neighbourhood.

    Zulu Records

    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…

  • La Grotta del Formaggio

    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…

  • Lonsdale Quay Market

    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…

  • Golden Age Collectables

    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…

  • Purdy's Chocolates

    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…

  • Konbiniya Japan Centre

    Vancouver

    Like walking into a Tokyo convenience store, the shelves here are crammed with brightly packaged Japanese goodies from Calbee potato chips to Pocky…

  • Park Royal

    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…

  • Roots

    Vancouver

    Basically a maple-leaf-emblazoned version of the Gap, Roots designs athletic, plaid-accented streetwear that's unmistakably Canadian. Its retro-style…

  • Make

    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…

More destinations you need to see