7 Days of thrifting in Vancouver
When in Vancouver, a favourite activity is to hop on the bus and ride with the locals to a thrift store located along one of the City’s many pedestrian streets outside of the downtown.
Several hours can pass as we wander up and down both sides of the street, popping in and out of shops, thrifting and stopping for coffee and/or lunch along Vancouver’s many quirky main streets in its older suburbs. FYI: We love Vancouver’s bakery culture.
Our thrifting adventures often taken us to:
West Vancouver’s Marine Drive in Ambleside,
Kitsilano’s West Broadway
Kerrisdale’s West 41st Avenue
North Van’s Lonsdale Ave North
Mount Pleasant’s Main Street
East Village, E. Hastings
Victoria-Fraserview’s Victoria Drive
FYI: After I completed these adventures I realized how out of shape I get in the winter. I definitely need to enroll in a CrossFit program.
Here is a quick guide to thrifting in Vancouver.
Day 1: West Vancouver
It is a quick 20-minute bus ride from downtown to the Salvation Army (1582 Marine Dr) in the tony village of Ambleside. On our most recent trip we thought the thrift store had closed as the windows looked like they were papered up. Turns out, we had forgotten the thrift store is in the basement of the building. There is a bank on the main floor and it was their meeting room with its blinds closed that had fooled us. This Salvation Army is definitely worth a visit with a good selection of clothing, housewares, books etc. I came away with four hardcovers and one paperback for under $15, as well as “almost new” Sketchers Shape Up walking shoes for $40.
A walk up and down Marine Drive is fun with several Douglas Coupland sculptures to admire, as well as some fun shop windows. And with the waterfront only a block away, you can take a stroll and enjoy the views of the harbour, Stanley Park and Vancouver’s skyline from the north side.
Douglas Coupland’s artwork “Tree Snag” invites pedestrians to wander from the street to the waterfront.
Day 2: Kitsilano
Along West Broadway in Kitsilano there are many cool shops to pop into. One of our favourites - Step Back (2936 W Broadway) features a unique collection of vintage items. We picked up some Scrabble tiles from the bin with hundreds of tiles for a small home project. This is a great spot for crafters.
The small Salvation Army at 2714 W Broadway is worth a stop, but the real thrifters will walk all the way to the west end to see what treasures they can find at the SPCA Thrift store (3606 W Broadway) always packed with vintage clothes and household items. And just a few doors down (3626 W Broadway) is the Hospice Opportunity Boutique’s (HOB) Collectibles & Furniture store. I find it is great for art and higher end home décor items. I was very tempted to buy an artwork on this visit but resisted as it was still early in our trip.
FYI: For many years we have challenged ourselves to acquire one artwork on every trip. I think it may have started back in the ‘80s with a trip to San Francisco when we bought a large Joan Miro lithograph which had to be shipped home. Today, the “rules” are it must be under $100, and we must be able to bring it home with us.
Hot Tips:
Plan to have lunch at Jo’s Italian Deli (2505 Alma St) just a half block from HOB at Alma Street. Great atmosphere (people of all ages) and big homemade sandwiches and simple pasta options at very reasonable prices.
If you are into folk art you must wander up to Folk Art Interiors at 3720 W 10th Ave, just up the street from Jo’s. It is jam-packed with quirky folk art and vintage objects.
We also found the best hot chocolate at Koko Monk Hot Chocolate Lounge (2883 W Broadway).
Day 3: Kerrisdale
Kerrisdale’s Salvation Army thrift store is in a lovely heritage building on the wrong side of the tracks (2021 W 41st Ave). The railway tracks have become a lovely walking, cycling pathway, but there is still the feeling you are going the wrong way when you get off the bus and turn left rather than right, as most of the shops are along 41st Ave west of Granville Street.
There is also Green Thrift Stores (2352 W 41st Ave) at the west end of the 41st Ave shopping street you won’t want to miss. It is managed by an eccentric guy who super friendly. He welcomes everyone with a big smile when they come down the steps to the basement location.
He was very kind to us on our recent trip when we decided to buy three small unsigned canvas paintings - $30 each. We asked if he knew the artist and he said he did, but couldn’t remember his name. He spend five minutes looking for his name and business card but never did find it, but suggested we call him later. When we went to pay for them he said “you guys have been here before, I’ll give you a good deal.” He ended up charging us $35 for all three. I have no idea how he arrived at that price, but we were happy to add them to our growing collection of no-name artworks.
The Vancouver Hospice Society HOB (Hospice Opportunity Boutique) thrift store at 2236 W 41st Ave, is more like a women’s fashion boutique. The prices are higher than a typical thrift store, but the clothes are higher end and nicely curated.
The newest additions to our “unknown artist” art collection.
Hot Tip:
While Kerrisdale’s main street has numerous restaurants and cafes, our favourite is Moore’s Bakery Est 1930 (2128 W 41st Ave). While the bakery is old, this is not the original site, nor does the original Moore family own it, but it still has the feel of being a family owned and operated bakery. The bakery has a friendly buzz - people coming and going, picking up pre-orders and sitting having a sandwich, coffee and a treat like us. This is not a fancy café with its over-priced coffee and designer décor but a pleasant family place. For me it’s always one eccles cake with lunch and one to go.
Day 4: North Van
From our place across from the Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park, just two blocks away is the bus stop for the #240 bus that took us across the Lions Gate bridge over to North Vancouver’s Lonsdale’s main street. (If you are right downtown, you would take the water ferry to the Lonsdale Quay).
Our first stop is the Salvation Army Thrift Store (241 Lonsdale Ave), followed by the tiny Good Stuff Connection Thrift store (154 3rd St W).
We also enjoy strolling the street up and down the hill from the harbour.
Lonsdale Ave is home to several old school bakeries, with prices to match. Monarch bakery had raspberry Eccles cakes (usually they are stuffed with mincemeat) that I had to try. They also had a Christmas Stollen for just $7. There were several artesian breads at under $5.
On the way home, we stopped into a second Salvation Army Thrift store (1451 Fell Ave) that was in what looked like a mid-century modern grocery store. Though a bit junky looking, the experienced scavenger will always find a treasure.
Hot Tip
If you are looking for a good coffee or lunch try Roastmastir’s (1902 Lonsdale Ave). The husband and wife owners were very friendly and everyone seemed to know each other as they wandered in and out or stayed for a coffee. Yes, they roast their own beans. The coffee had a nice bite without being bitter and their soup is made from scratch. The lentil soup was very tasty and we loved the apple cake.
FYI: Every winter day in Vancouver is soup day.
Day 5: Mount Pleasant
Main Street in the community of Mount Pleasant is perhaps our favourite place to flaneur in Vancouver – about 20 blocks of mom and pop. I am on record as saying Jane Jacobs, who wrote the book on how to create vibrant pedestrian streets and neighbourhoods (The Life And Death of Great American Cities, 1960), would love Mount Pleasant.
It is full of vintage shops, consignment shops, used book stores and record shops as well as – you guessed it – a Salvation Army thrift store. One of the larger thrift stores, there is lots of clothing, household items, books and collectables to sift through. There is also a Still Fabulous thrift store (4355 Main Street). I can’t recall any major chain stores along Main Street. There is one Starbucks but it is located on a side street.
Hot tips:
There is pretty much a café on every block of Main Street. We lunched at Trafiq Café and Bakery (4216 Main Street), and while the sandwiches and coffee were good, the highlight was the walnut coffee cake.
If you are into books and records, I recommend Carson’s (4340 Main Street). You can easily miss it as it is small, but the place is packed with books and records from floor to ceiling. Owner Tim Carson was quick to tell me he had no Calgary history books, but when I asked about cities and architecture he knew exactly where I should look and I found “Arthur Erickson: An Architect’s Life” waiting for me. I easily could have bought more but I already had 10 books to take home.
Day 6: East Village
While most people think of East Hastings as Vancouver’s Skid Row, it you go further east out of downtown, you will discover Vancouver’s East Village, an eclectic collection of shops that includes the Vancouver General Hospital thrift store (2535 E Hastings) and East Van Thrift Finds (2208 E Hastings). Though both are smaller stores, there is always hidden treasure if you look hard.
After checking out the East Village shops, you can wander back to Commercial Drive where you will find more shops and thrift stores – Miscellany Finds (1029 Commercial Drive), a scavenger’s paradise with lots of product well curated. (we once got a Barbara Ballachey charcoal drawing for $5). As well, there is a My Sister’s Closet (1830 Commercial Drive). And bibliophiles will love the volunteer-run Spartacus Books (1983 Commercial Drive) which started back in 1972 as a book table at Simon Fraser University.
Day 7: Victoria Drive
A one hour bus ride from downtown to Victoria Drive will get you to a large Value Village (6415 Victoria Dr) in a funky mid-century modern building (perhaps an old grocery store), full of stuff. I was tempted by another canvas painting but resisted.
The big surprise was the two floor S.P.C.A Thrift Store at 5239 Victoria Dr. It was more like a vintage store, everything was well curated, nicely presented and good prices. The bookshelves in the basement were well stocked and well organized – always a good sign.
There is also a small JL Vancouver Thrift Store (5762 Victoria Drive) that is so packed you can hardly move.
Hot Tip
Kozak Ukrainian Eatery & Mill (5077 Victoria Drive) is a great lunch spot. An open kitchen allows you watch them kneading the dough for the bread and pastries. The food was great, but the BIG surprise was the garlic. Who knew that you are supposed to bite a piece of garlic before taking a spoonful of soup….this was new for me. Kozak has another location in Gastown if you don’t have time to make it to Victoria Drive.
Fun Story: When we were leaving we noticed that the young woman who we gave our order to was taking photos of some of the bake goods in fun boxes. I asked if I too could take a photo and she said sure. Turns out she and her friend were both Ukrainian refugees enrolled in a design school in Vancouver and this was a school design project. We had a touching chat about what was happening in the Ukraine and their experiences in moving to Canada.
“Killer Coffee & Pastries” How could we not go in!
You learn something new everyday!
Bonus: Downtown Thrifting
If you are downtown and you don’t want to take the bus, there are two downtown thrift stores to explore. Wildlife Thrift Store (1295 Granville) has been around since 1997. It has gradually evolved from a traditional thrift store selling everything from books to art, from household items to clothing to primarily an upscale vintage clothing store.
Just down the street at 1062 Granville, is the Value Village Boutique, also focusing on fashion. The décor of the store is impressive. The upper level focuses on women’s fashions while the lower level is for men, with some books and records. It is well stocked, so you can easily spend an hour or two of fun treasure hunting.
FYI: A second VV Boutique is in South Granville (2354 Granville) just south of downtown. I expect we will see more of these urban VV Boutique fashion stores popping up in other Canadian cities soon.
Last Word
While London Ontario is “Canada’s Goodwill Capital” with its diversity of Goodwill concept thrift stores, Vancouver could be Canada’s “Thrifting Capital” with its quantity and diversity of thrift shops scattered across the city and anchoring funky mom and pop main streets.
More Thrifting Guides:
Thrifting Fun in Victoria B.C.