Art & Craft shopping in Vancouver
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Ten Thousand Villages
A fair-trade boutique where purchases support the work of artisans in low-income countries around the world, you’ll find stationery from Bangladesh, baskets from Vietnam and a plethora of hammocks, drums, clothing and unusual handicrafts. Pick up a far more worthwhile Vancouver souvenir than those maple-syrup cookies and confuse everyone back home.
reviewed
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Regional Assembly of Text
The epitome of South Main eccentricity, this ironic antidote to the digital age was founded by pen-and-paper-loving art school grads. Ink-stained fans flock here to stock up on Little Otsu journals, handmade pencil boxes and American Apparel T-shirts printed with typewriter motifs. Check out the tiny under-the-stairs reading room showcasing cool underground art, and don’t miss the monthly letter-writing club (7pm, first Thursday of every month), where you can sip tea, scoff cookies and hammer away on those vintage typewriters.
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Blim
This popular arts and crafts resource center is well worth a look if you need to scratch your creative urge while you’re here. You’ll find supplies and space to make your own thing – from buttons to knitted scarves – or you can just peruse the gallery and shopping spaces to pick up something someone else has already labored over (you can always tell people back home you made it yourself). There’s a lively list of workshops, events and film nights here, too.
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Wood Co-Op
The silky, highly strokable wood tables and chairs on display here may not be ideal for packing home, but it’s hard not to appreciate the artisanship that’s gone into their manufacture. Regional woods are often used and there’s a striking modern feel to many of the pieces. It’s branched out in recent years and now also offers wooden toys and kitchenware – much easier to pack.
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Michael Dean Jewellery
Pearls and Canadian diamonds feature prominently in the rings created by local artisan Michael Dean, who works on his shiny trinkets at this cozy little island studio. Partners in business and life, his wife Carole also creates her own jewelry and has a sparkling range of abstract designs on silver necklaces. If you’re looking for an extra special pressie for someone back home, this is a good place to start.
reviewed
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Peking Lounge
If you’re a visiting antiques fan with an interest in old-school Chinese pieces, this is the place for you. Presented like artworks in a lounge-cool contemporary boutique setting, you’ll enjoy perusing the price tags on intricately-carved dark wood chairs and armoires. Check out the lovely silk and linen cushions (new, rather than antique) and consider buying an extra suitcase so you can take some home.
reviewed
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Hill’s Native Art
Launched in 1946 as a small trading post on Vancouver Island, Hill’s flagship store has many First Nations carvings, prints, ceremonial masks and cozy Cowichan sweaters, and traditional music and books of historical interest. Artists are often found at work in the 3rd-floor gallery. There are many souvenir stores on Water St, but this is the one if you want to find something special and artistic.
reviewed
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Bau-Xi Gallery
One of the long-established galleries responsible for the city’s artistic renaissance in recent years, Bau-xi – pronounced ‘bo-she’ – showcases the best in local artists and generally has prices to match its exalted position. The main gallery selection changes monthly and the focus is usually on original paintings, although prints, drawings and sculpture are also added to the mix on occasion.
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Petri Dish
If you want to pick up a quirky reminder of your time in Vancouver, drop by this eclectic arts and crafts store stuffed with exquisite but generally inexpensive creations by local artists. There’s an ever-changing selection but items can include treasures such as painted tea bags or collage greeting cards, as well as small but lovable original paintings for less than $50.
reviewed
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Paper-Ya
A magnet for slavering stationery fetishists (you know who you are), this treasure trove of writing-related ephemera ranges from natty pens to quirky, hand-crafted greeting cards. In between, you’ll find an intriguing undercurrent of kitsch-cool Japanese journals and reams of sumptuous washi paper. It’s a store that makes you long for the return of traditional letter writing.
reviewed
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Gallery of BC Ceramics
The public face of the Potters Guild of British Columbia exhibits and sells the striking works of its member artists, often at great prices. You can pick up one-of-a-kind ceramic tankards or swirly-painted French butter dishes – it also had some puffer fish–shaped teapots on our visit. The hot items are the cool ramen noodle cups, complete with holes for chopsticks.
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Equinox Gallery
A veteran of the South Granville scene, Equinox generally focuses on quality contemporary works from established Canadian and international artists. Some of the leading lights the gallery continues to showcase are Jack Shadbolt, Fred Herzog and Liz Magor, and, along with the canvasses, there’s a commitment to sculpture and provocative installations.
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Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery
This museum-like store showcases an excellent array of Inuit and Northwest Coast aboriginal jewelry, carvings and prints. Focusing on the high-art side of aboriginal crafts, the exquisite items here are ideal if you’re looking for a very special souvenir for someone back home – they can ship the totem poles if you can’t fit them in your suitcase.
reviewed
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Hope Unlimited
Hope Unlimited selects its giftware stock – beaded jewelry, candles, paper and more – based not only on its appeal, but also on its social and environmental impact. More than 75% of items are Canadian-made. The store donates 10% of its annual profits to charities, such as the YWCA, Children International and AIDS Vancouver.
reviewed
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Crafthouse
At this bright and friendly nonprofit gallery run by the Craft Council of British Columbia (CCBC), the shelves hold everything from glass goblets and woven scarves to hand-forged jewelry and lathe-turned wooden bowls – all produced by around 120 regional artisans. The gallery also keeps schedules of provincial craft shows.
reviewed
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Circle Craft
This 35-plus-year-old cooperative hawks 100% British Columbia arts and crafts, including sculptures from found objects, ceramics and sleek jewelry, with hand-sewn puppets and dolls thrown in (not literally) for good measure. Prices vary considerably but there’s usually something here to suit most budgets.
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