[officedweller]

Yeah, depends on the time of day - but definitely used it whenever it was raining.

[hollywoodnorth]

brooks brothers has a huge store going in beside the Agent Provocateur store on Alberni......LARGE!

[SpongeG]

yeah they finally put up the boarding - they had posters in the window since about october

should be open by spring they say

Calvin Klein Underwear has opened on alberni - very tiny store

[wrenegade]

brooks brothers has a huge store going in beside the Agent Provocateur store on Alberni......LARGE!

About ~9,500 sq. ft. if I recall correctly. Pretty good size store. Speaking of Alberni, the OK gift shop is in the process of being gutted and renovated now. I have loved the change that is happening on that street. It will be interesting to see who takes the Ritz's showroom when it's done, and if anyone ever takes the huge basement space under VCC.

[officedweller]

I hear that a Royal Bank is going in on the main floor of the building being refurbished at Homer and Nelson.

[jlousa]

Apparently the Pricesmart at Grandview and Rupert opened this weekend. There wasn't any fanfare.

[vanlaw]

Apparently the Pricesmart at Grandview and Rupert opened this weekend. There wasn't any fanfare.

Yeah, I drove by yesterday and there was a banner saying "Opens Saturday 8am" I didnt know if it was this past Saturday or next as there actually wasnt a date on it. It also looks like the Boston Pizza opened up as a neon "open" sign was lit up in one of the windows. Also, I was on Pet Smart website yesterday and I think it said Feb 21 opening for that location.

[SpongeG]

Apparently the Pricesmart at Grandview and Rupert opened this weekend. There wasn't any fanfare.

they had a smart car parked out front - if that isn't fanfare i don't know what is :banana:

Boston pizza opened just before christmas - i was amazed at how fast it opened

that canadian tire is like 3 or 4 levels -pretty big - haven't been inside

been to the starbucks a few times

[hollywoodnorth]

NEW PETSMART!
Grand Openings: 2/21/09

British Columbia
Grandview
2860 Bentall Street
604-434-1522

I am stoked on the petsmart in the city! and the upcoming WALLYWORLD!


Any updates on that opening?

[SpongeG]

i think it said early 2009- i am guessing february or march for wal-mart

they have a new entrance now and have been doing some work on the outisde along grandview highway - big sign says they are hiring for all positions in the store now - they started hiring back in october though

I wonder how petcetera will do with petsmart next door now

[officedweller]

Not sure if this has been posted before - came across this retail allocation for Alto @ Davie & Howe on the Athem Properties website:

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/328/89627373hz6.png (http://imageshack.us)
http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/89627373hz6.png/1/w422.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img133/89627373hz6.png/1/)

[agrant]

NEW PETSMART!
Grand Openings: 2/21/09

British Columbia
Grandview
2860 Bentall Street
604-434-1522

I am stoked on the petsmart in the city! and the upcoming WALLYWORLD!


Any updates on that opening?The company I work for did most of the plumbing on that site, from the ground up. There's a Canadian Tire, Marks Work Warehouse, Boston Pizza, Starbucks (of course), Petsmart, and a Pricesmart. Pricesmart should be opening pretty soon, if it hasn't already.

Wallyworld??? Why am I thinking of the Chevy Chase movie National Lampoon's Vacation?

[SpongeG]

price smart is open

wallyworld = walmart ;)

[officedweller]

From the National Post:

Fried on the Eastside
A meat shop in a drug-ridden Vancouver neighbourhood faces chopping block

Brian Hutchinson, National Post
Published: Wednesday, January 14, 2009

http://a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/www.nationalpost.com/news/1175819.bin?size=404x272
Gerry Kahrmann/Canwest News Service
The neon lights of Save-On-Meat on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

'You don't see many stores like this any more," said Al DesLauriers, wiping his hands on his white butcher's smock. If it's lost, you won't see another store like Save-On-Meat again, certainly not in this wretched part of town.

It's a small miracle that his iconic butcher shop and fresh food market has survived this long, here in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Once a shopper's paradise, the area succumbed to the drug trade two decades ago; it now rates as one of Canada's poorest neighbourhoods, and likely its most notorious. Violent crime and prostitution are rampant. So is open drug dealing and drug use.

Most of the other legitimate businesses closed years ago, leaving Save-On-Meat practically adrift amongst empty storefronts and crumbled facades. It stands out, thanks to a neon sign outside with its pair of giant penny-pinching pigs, and its bright, eye-grabbing front window displays. Meat, meat, and more meat. Last week's features included a freshly skinned side of goat. It dangled from a hook.

A U-shaped meat counter dominates the interior. Separate, leased concessions line three walls: a fish counter, a candy shop, a produce stand, and, at the back, a busy diner with daily specials, yellow Formica counters, spinning stools.

That's where we sat as Mr. DesLauriers tapped his thick butcher's fingers on the counter and explained what had made him decide finally to pack it in. And what had taken him so long. He has given his staff its notice: barring another miracle, Save-On-Meat closes in March.

"I hung in as long as I could," he shrugged. "I want to retire while I can still walk."

Who could blame him? Mr. DesLauriers is 78 years old, still spry, but no spring chicken. He's been cutting and selling meat for 60 years. He started behind the Save-On-Meat counter in 1957, and bought the store and its four-storey building from his boss a quarter-century later.

Back then, it was a going concern. To prove it, Mr. DesLauriers took me upstairs to his office and flipped through some of his old ledgers. In its heyday, when East Hastings Street was still lined with theatres and men's and ladies' haberdasheries, before the drug addicts took over, Save-On-Meat served 3,000 customers. A day.

"There was so much action then," he beamed. "We had 75 employees, meat cutters working around the clock, 100 sides of beef hanging on the racks upstairs." Now his staff is down to 30. The racks upstairs are empty; so are most of his 13 coolers. "Our meat comes cut and packed in boxes," Mr. DesLauriers said.

No wonder he wants out. What has delayed Mr. DesLauriers' retirement -- and, ironically, what has slowed the shop's demise -- is the matter of succession. He wants the store to remain in business. He's waited years for one, but not a single prospective skid-row meat-market operator has knocked on his door.

Mr. DesLauriers has had offers -- but on his building only. A number of different real estate developers are prepared to snap up the 100-year-old brick pile, close down the meat shop, empty three levels of refrigerated storage and the meat-cutting floor, and turn the entire structure into condominiums.

They've renovated other buildings nearby. New condominium towers are also rising. The Downtown Eastside is slowly being gentrified.

Mr. DesLauriers is stubborn. Any offer on his building must accommodate the meat. It's a good opportunity, he insists. An energetic young person could do well with Save-On-Meat. His store already has a sterling reputation for low prices and quality products. And it has fiercely loyal staff; some of Mr. DesLauriers' crew have been cutting and grinding for 30 years. They don't want to leave.

Last year, the store was introduced to thousands of international television viewers, thanks to a glowing profile on No Reservations, a foodie-favoured series hosted by celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. Save-On-Meat has cachet.

But even if the neighbourhood does turn around, shops like Save-On-Meat likely won't thrive. Not unless property taxes fall. Rates are tied to values, which have escalated rapidly, due in part to publicly funded buying sprees. The city of Vancouver and the B. C. government are spending tens of millions of dollars to secure local property, in order to house the poor and the afflicted. The more buildings that governments buy, the greater the assessment creep, and the more taxes that business owners such as Mr. DesLauriers must pay.

His annual property tax bill is now $25,000. It's a big reason why no white knight has emerged to rescue the meat shop.

"What's the point of working 12 hours a day, six days a week, if there's no return?" asked Mr. DesLauriers. "We need tax breaks, the kind that the city has offered in other districts where it wanted to promote the retail business. If more shops opened here, more people would come, more dollars would flow, and there would be more jobs."

Such a simple strategy. Finally, it appears that someone might be listening. Last Monday, an official from Vancouver's planning department dropped by the shop, with a plan to save the store. Details were vague; another meeting was scheduled.

Mr. DesLauriers is hopeful. "Like I keep saying, you won't find another place like this." Or another meat-store owner like him.

bhutchinson@nationalpost.com

[SpongeG]

A&B Sound turns into art gallery for works by Attila Richard Lukacs and others

Downtown retail space turned into temporary art gallery


BY Kevin Griffin

VANCOUVER SUN


Four Vancouver artists, including Attila Richard Lukacs, are part of an exhibition in an unusual, non-traditional setting for art: the former A&B Sound store on Seymour in downtown Vancouver.

Once the place in the Lower Mainland to buy hi-fi stereos and records, the retail space awaits renovation into a nightclub, restaurant and art gallery. In the interim, it's being used as a temporary public art gallery with an exhibition curated by Lukacs that includes his own work as well as that of Michael Morris, Paul Wong and Ignacio Corral.

Modelled after the Basement Show of 2003 held in The Electra on Nelson, the exhibition is only up for a short while, until Friday, Jan. 23.

Lukacs's oil-on-canvas paintings are big, narrative works. Part of the series about where people live called In the House (of), they're gritty and visceral, messy and disturbing. Depicting both Vancouver and Maui, they're beautifully painted, a quality that contrasts with their dark subject matter that includes homelessness, police harassment and boredom. His paintings are full of working-class guys at the bottom of the social and economic order. They're about as far from the tourism marketing hype of Super, Natural B.C. as you can get.

In Oppenheimer Park/If the Dead Surprise Me I Welcome It, a forlorn skinhead faces front, his lean, naked upper body covered in tattoos. Arms by his side and hands partially cupped, he holds a couple of rocks of some drug in his left hand. Stoned and lost, he's a long way geographically and psychologically from the active, confident homoerotic skinheads Lukacs painted in 1989 when he was in Berlin and recording the collapse of East Germany with his paintings.

Behind the skinhead is a little dressed-up dog with a cord from a duffel bag in its mouth. The black bag has a sticker that says "I (heart) Lee Matasi," a reference to the 23-year-old artist shot and killed outside a Vancouver nightclub in 2003. Another bare-chested young man lies on the grass by a path that leads to a group of youths gathered around a park bench and police officers harassing another young man. On the viewer's right, a brown totem pole frames the painting. At the back, four working-class homes typical of the area are painted in vibrant red, yellow, blue and green. Their bright, happy colours contrast sharply with the dysfunctional figures and confrontational scenes in the painting.

On the upper level of the makeshift gallery are the gouache paintings of Michael Morris. A founder of the Western Front who lived in Berlin for years, Morris has returned to his ongoing theme of colour bar research and created paintings that are as small and condensed as Lukacs's are large and expansive. Called collectively "Zig Zags, Zigarets and other motifs," the paintings have a meditative quality to them.

Each strip of the zigs, zags and other figures comprises eight carefully painted bands of tonal variations of a single colour. What this does is create a sense of textured, curving space for each band. On top of that, the various zigs, zags and other shapes create interesting visual relationships by intersecting or being placed adjacent to one another. In one composition of brown, green and blue, for example, the brown and blue rectangles float in front of the picture plane, making it difficult to see exactly where the surface lies. In others, the rectangular shapes have curving edges that break through and beyond the edge of the work.

On opening night, someone asked if Morris's works were made by computer. They're not. They're all completely analogue. In some, Morris has deliberately not finished a line uniformly, leaving the bands ending in irregular shapes.

Video artist Paul Wong has five works in the exhibition, including East Van, a video recording the destruction of the 19th-century wooden cabins at 12th and Main/Watson in 2004. Wong now operates the On Main gallery on Main Street beside Video In.

Ignacio Corral, who recently ran Dadabase at Broadway and Main, has painted humorous and strangely sensual watercolours on paper of heads of state, some of whom embrace and kiss. They include U.S. president-elect Barack Obama, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and various leaders considered outlaws in the West such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Kim Jong-il of North Korea.

http://www.vancouversun.com/Travel/Sound+turns+into+gallery+works+Attila+Richard+Lukacs+others/1177669/story.html

[hollywoodnorth]

WALMART UPDATE!

the Vancouver Super Center opens on JAN 21st!!!! this coming Wednesday @ 7am-11pm daily!

[djh]

So I heard directly from one of the staff at the Capers on Cambie/16th that they are CLOSING that Capers and ?all? the staff are moving to the future Whole Foods, which is due to open on April 7th.

What's going into the Capers space? Shoppers Drug Mart is top of the list, but the staff member could not 100% confirm it. But it is definitely a company in that sort of industry.

[hollywoodnorth]

So I heard directly from one of the staff at the Capers on Cambie/16th that they are CLOSING that Capers and ?all? the staff are moving to the future Whole Foods, which is due to open on April 7th.

What's going into the Capers space? Shoppers Drug Mart is top of the list, but the staff member could not 100% confirm it. But it is definitely a company in that sort of industry.

ya a Shoppers would make sense for sure and the size/location is OPTIMAL ;) ok bad pun ;)

[SpongeG]

WALMART UPDATE!

the Vancouver Super Center opens on JAN 21st!!!! this coming Wednesday @ 7am-11pm daily!

wow thats quick

I drove by on wednesday - they don't have the sign up yet but it looks like its ready to go up

and there were a lot of trucks dropping off stuff

[NewfBC]

wow thats quick

I drove by on wednesday - they don't have the sign up yet but it looks like its ready to go up

and there were a lot of trucks dropping off stuff

This store will have the new logo.. They haven't used it much in Canada yet.

http://i2.walmartimages.com/i/catalog/modules/G0040/wmlogo.gif

Ron.

[entheosfog]

wow thats quick

I drove by on wednesday - they don't have the sign up yet but it looks like its ready to go up

and there were a lot of trucks dropping off stuff

I saw a full spread advertisement for it in one of the free weeklies, I think...

[SpongeG]

yes i was looking at them online - not sure if they are great deals but should draw a crowd

the parking lot is so small though could be a mess

too bad its not open 24 hours like the US super centres

[hollywoodnorth]

yes i was looking at them online - not sure if they are great deals but should draw a crowd

the parking lot is so small though could be a mess

too bad its not open 24 hours like the US super centres

I have hopes that wont last for long 24/7 here we come!

[windscar]

I could swear I heard about 1 or 2 that were 24/7, maybe it was just for Christmas :shrug:

[WarrenC12]

I could swear I heard about 1 or 2 that were 24/7, maybe it was just for Christmas :shrug:

Superstore down the road on Grandview was 24/7 for Dec 1st-23rd or so. Surprising, but whatever. If they do that next year I can see Walmart matching it. I don't know how much it helped them out though. In years past they've extended their hours until midnight for Dec, I wonder what made them go 24/7.

Everybody wants stores 24/7, just like they want 100 skyscrapers 500m tall, but you have to be realistic. :haha:

[twoNeurons]

Superstore has been open 24/7 every year at the end of December for the past few years.

[SpongeG]

all the walmarts were 24/7 for december

i heard that one walmart in Edmonton is 24/7 year round

i drove past it last night on my way home from work - there must have been a dozen truck trailers parker around it and the parking lot was pretty full with staff - i wonder where they will all park? its really not much room at all

might go on my break today

[SpongeG]

full of cars and fog

http://www.globaltv.com/globaltv/bc/1203421.bin

from global bc
http://www.globaltv.com/globaltv/bc/1203410.rss

[LeftCoaster]

Barf

I hope it burns down.

[deasine]

You know... they said Walmart is still interested in the Marine Drive location if you can believe it...

[SpongeG]

yah they want one store in richmond too

[mr.x]

full of cars and fog

http://www.globaltv.com/globaltv/bc/1203421.bin

from global bc
http://www.globaltv.com/globaltv/bc/1203410.rss

Is Walmart rebranding itself?

[jlousa]

Yup they are now selling used cars, look at all those cars on the lot. :cheers:

[officedweller]

The TV commercials have been using that logo for a long time now.

[SpongeG]

i heard traffic was backed up along grandview highway down boundary road to lougheed hwy - most of it cause by wal-mart madness

sounds crazy

and price wars are going on between wal-mart and superstore - RCSS beat some advertsized prices at walmart like the 47 cent/lb oranges - RCSS went to 46 cents and now walmart is at 44 cents

i wonder how long they will fight it out

[hollywoodnorth]

yes Walmart has a new logo........new stores are getting it......

Vancouver City proper could take 3 or 4 walmarts to be honest....with out any problems what so ever. Downtown needs one!

[SpongeG]

I just went on my lunch break to it

it was crazy for parking - people are parking outside next to Canadian Tire on any side road etc and walking over

there was a police car in the lot and as I left they were arresting some guys who knows why

so the store itself is really small its kinda weird - its also quite dark and badly lit - it has everything but perhaps a little less of it - as soon as you walk in you realize just how small it is as you can see the back wall and the warehouse

but overall its okay - maybe when it calms down it will be better but it was hard to walk around with so many people loading up

there is no mcdonalds either not much unused room either - they have product right to the door pretty much didn't see any cart storage inside like they have at other stores and no photo studio but a photo dept near the electronics unless it was also the studio

the express line looked long but it moved fast the robot voice telling you which till is open moved things along well

[officedweller]

Not optimal but guess they had to make do with the facility they were able to lease.

[SpongeG]

yah it offers everything the shoppers want

people were really going crazy for the grocery items from what i overheard and saw in their carts

hopefully with time the parking can improve

what made it worse tonight is there were movie trucks and movie people parking in the area too for some filming at the studio next door so it was pretty messy

the business next door had signs made up that said NO WALMART PARKING

I wonder if Price Smart can last there long - when i went last week it was really dead - the staff outnumbered the customers - a few people were walking around looking at prices and saying we can get that st superstore cheaper and we can that cheaper etc...

and from what I have heard the Canadian tire hasn't taken off yet - only the starbucks and boston pizza seem to be getting any good business there

[wrenegade]

You know... they said Walmart is still interested in the Marine Drive location if you can believe it...

Of course they are, they own the land.

A telling sign as to how much the city likes (uh..dislikes...) Wal-Mart, not a single city official was present for the opening.

[vanlaw]

I wonder if Price Smart can last there long - when i went last week it was really dead - the staff outnumbered the customers - a few people were walking around looking at prices and saying we can get that st superstore cheaper and we can that cheaper etc...

and from what I have heard the Canadian tire hasn't taken off yet - only the starbucks and boston pizza seem to be getting any good business there

It's kind of an awkward location and setup for access - almost as though they are hidden in the side street. I think perhaps it will start growing once people actually realize they are even there and figure out where the parking etc is.

I would rather pay a few cents more for something at Price Smart than having to walk into SS. I dont know what it is, but I despise their stores.

[WarrenC12]

I would rather pay a few cents more for something at Price Smart than having to walk into SS. I dont know what it is, but I despise their stores.

I'm on the other side. RCSS seems to have a loyal customer base. LOL. The place is a mess, I really hope Walmart and Price Smart force them to clean up their act.

How about Pet Smart? Now we have 3 giant pet stores within a few blocks? I'm betting one of them won't make it (my bet is on the old Petcetera closing).

This is the slow part of the year for retail. I'm not sure how Canadian Tire has done so well in the last 10 years but they must know something.

Walmart will do well virtually anywhere. It's the cheapest price for a lot of things, as long as they are turning a profit on their prices, they're laughing.

[vanlaw]

I'm on the other side. RCSS seems to have a loyal customer base. LOL. The place is a mess, I really hope Walmart and Price Smart force them to clean up their act.

How about Pet Smart? Now we have 3 giant pet stores within a few blocks? I'm betting one of them won't make it (my bet is on the old Petcetera closing).

I think it is the messiness of SS that turns me off of it - especially on a Saturday - it's like a band of savages have run wild through the place throwing random items in random places.

I would put my money on Pet Smart surviving. Pet Cetera is gross. I walked in there a few weekends ago, and apart from their constant lack of staff, and usual dim crappy lighting, there was a huge trail of dog piss on the floor. Someone had taken the time to put a yellow "slippery" sign beside it. WTF? Wouldn’t it take as much time to just grab the f'n mop? They didn’t have what I was looking for so I actually drove to the Byrne Rd Pet Smart - walked in, the place is clean, bright (granted it is much newer) and lots of helpful staff.

[EastVanMark]

Vancouver City proper could take 3 or 4 walmarts to be honest....with out any problems what so ever. Downtown needs one!

Agree. Putting one somewhere in the downtown eastside would do wonders for that neighbourhood the same way it did for a formerly nasty neighbourhood in Chicago.

[jlousa]

Personally I'd rather see an Ikea downtown then a Walmart, one of those new urban smaller scale Ikeas would be great.

[officedweller]

Is there a traffic light into the Canadian Tire development from Grandview? That would be the determining factor for convenient access.
RCSS and Petcetera both have access off less busy Rupert Street.
... and dare I say that their surface parking lots are more appealing to shoppers than a parkade?

BTW - does this Walmart have a full grocery selection? i.e. the sign says "Supercentre". The Walmart at Capilano only has dry goods and prepackaged/processed refridgerated and frozen items.

[Whalleyboy]

yes Walmart has a new logo........new stores are getting it......

Vancouver City proper could take 3 or 4 walmarts to be honest....with out any problems what so ever. Downtown needs one!

ya vancouver needs to catch up to surrey for walmarts=P

just so kids from vancouver can be more like kids from surrey and be all like eww i dont want to go there :haha:

[officedweller]

That was Sears when I was growing up...now I don't care...

[sacrifice333]

the sign says "Supercentre".

IIRC, in Walmart-ese 'supercentre' means this one also has groceries.

[vanlaw]

Is there a traffic light into the Canadian Tire development from Grandview? That would be the determining factor for convenient access.
RCSS and Petcetera both have access off less busy Rupert Street.
... and dare I say that their surface parking lots are more appealing to shoppers than a parkade?

BTW - does this Walmart have a full grocery selection? i.e. the sign says "Supercentre". The Walmart at Capilano only has dry goods and prepackaged/processed refridgerated and frozen items.

Yes, I'm pretty sure a light at Bentall St, or it may be at Natal. Agree with surface over parkade - I think mentally it just looks "easier" for people.

[LeftCoaster]

yes there is a light and a dedicated turn lane IIRC.

Also wal-mart sucks. No more please.

[Whalleyboy]

I'm actually jealous of vancouver cause i hate big box stores and their freakin parking lots!
canadian tire is the worse for it in surrey
the superwalmart in south surrey doesnt even have as much parking spots as the canadian tire in surrey centre

[hollywoodnorth]

Agree. Putting one somewhere in the downtown eastside would do wonders for that neighbourhood the same way it did for a formerly nasty neighbourhood in Chicago.

got a link on this? sounds interesting :)

[SpongeG]

I'm on the other side. RCSS seems to have a loyal customer base. LOL. The place is a mess, I really hope Walmart and Price Smart force them to clean up their act.

How about Pet Smart? Now we have 3 giant pet stores within a few blocks? I'm betting one of them won't make it (my bet is on the old Petcetera closing).

This is the slow part of the year for retail. I'm not sure how Canadian Tire has done so well in the last 10 years but they must know something.

Walmart will do well virtually anywhere. It's the cheapest price for a lot of things, as long as they are turning a profit on their prices, they're laughing.

that RCSS location is pretty old

the new RCSS layout is really nice

they just redid the store on king george highway and its so much better - i bet the east van store will be made over soon - those two level photo booths are pretty much gone from every other store now - they have been reduced to a counter basically no one needs film developed anymore really

[SpongeG]

Is there a traffic light into the Canadian Tire development from Grandview? That would be the determining factor for convenient access.
RCSS and Petcetera both have access off less busy Rupert Street.
... and dare I say that their surface parking lots are more appealing to shoppers than a parkade?

BTW - does this Walmart have a full grocery selection? i.e. the sign says "Supercentre". The Walmart at Capilano only has dry goods and prepackaged/processed refridgerated and frozen items.

1. they installed a traffic light for the Canadian Tire development on Natal street - so its navigable - a bit of a pain if you are driving along grandview cause you hit 4 lights in a very short time if you catch it wrong

2. the walmart has everything that the typical supercentre would - meat dept, fresh vegetable, produce, fruit etc, a deli, cheeses, bakery, full dairy etc. full grocery dept.

it is just all very condensed in all depts but offers everything - apparently its a "model" for how other new walmarts might work - they are using the ASDA model or some guy from ASDA from the UK for this store apparently - a smaller more "urban" store that doesn't require the large foot print of past stores

[officedweller]

Thanks for the info.

[SpongeG]

the outside of PAcific Centre where sephora will be is plastered with "Sephora opening summer 2009" posters :)

[johnjimbc]

I was out in West Van on Saturday and spoke with one of the employees of M Smart Design (offering eco-friendly furniture and linens) in the Villages of Park Royal shopping center. She explained they were opening a much larger downtown store in early summer.

She said it was either on or just off Hastings near Victory Park (she actually said the exact crossroad but I can't recall the cross street now). They aren't sure if they'll keep the current location in West Van or not as the lease expires shortly thereafter. She said they have a loyal following and their business continues to expand, but with the small location there they can't really display much furniture. They've also found that many of their customers live downtown and points south. The new much larger space will allow them to show much more of their wares and furnishings. I also got the sense that it will allow them to get much more space for about the same price, but I didn't want to pry.

Seems like a smart move to me since I always find the store appealing but small (the few pieces of furnishing they display are very nice, but it is such a small sampling). I could picture it fitting quite nicely with the emerging "design district" of modern and eclectic home furnishing stores in Gastown and over towards Beatty St. It may be a tricky time economically to move a business, but I imagine the rents are quite high there in the Villages so if they're getting a lot more space downtown and can eliminate the need for a separate warehouse (which they probably have to have now), the numbers might really work for them.

I found the store website via google. For those not familiar with them, here is the link: http://m-smartdesign.com/index.php

[mr.x]

I have a friend working at Hollister on opening day at Pacific Centre....it's opening Thusrday, Jan. 29.

[SpongeG]

2 days away eh

[metroXpress]

I have a friend working at Hollister on opening day at Pacific Centre....it's opening Thusrday, Jan. 29.

Thanks for telling us...I was just about to ask someone that :)
Cool...but I guess people will still go to the States to get Hollister?
Would you?

[mr.x]

^ hell no, wouldn't bother going down to the states anymore....it would be equivalent to going down to the states for Old Navy - we've got it here too!

[SpongeG]

prices can''t be that different

and it would just mean you could spend less at other stores down in the states with the low limits

[deasine]

Ummmm you are bound to run into more sales in the States for sure. But you know... we don't just go down to the States JUST for Hollister.

Now we need that flagship Abercrombie to open up at PC to complete the picture =D

[SpongeG]

they have good sales in toronto and edmonton

[nova9]

yawn. just kidding. i'm just jealous that i'm not 6 years younger.

[SpongeG]

i'd have to be 20 years younger

ack

lol

[officedweller]

Just wandered through Pacific Centre - the Fairweather / Brogue is closed and has been hoarded up. Anyone know what is going on?
Are they gone for good?
I expect the adjacent passageway to Vancouver Centre to be closed up soon and consolidated with the luggage store or the Fairweather location or left as its own retail space.

On the Vancouver Centre side of that passage, you can see the demolition starting to expand London Drugs into the space that currently leads to Pacific Centre.

It is expected that the new ticketing hall for the Vancouver City Centre Station will serve as the connection between the two malls in the future.

[metroXpress]

^^^ don't know what's going on..does anyone know ??

(I know that one of the retail store close to Sears is going to turn into
an entrance for connecting to Canada Line...many big cities around the
world have Sky Trains connected to office towers and malls)

[officedweller]

The malls' station entrance has already been built - it's between the Sony Store and RW & Co. covered by a hoarding - there's a sign up showing the route on the hoarding. There's also a hoarding in Vancouver Centre next to the news stand (former framing store) where another entrance will be.

[SpongeG]

well someone who interviewed at Hollister said that they plan to open Ruehl, Abercrombie & fitch, and Gilly hicks stores in Vancouver - maybe one of those will move into the large space? now since it seems the atrium is staying

[ryanmaccdn]

well someone who interviewed at Hollister said that they plan to open Ruehl, Abercrombie & fitch, and Gilly hicks stores in Vancouver - maybe one of those will move into the large space? now since it seems the atrium is staying


That's not right.

I remember the post.... it was someone who went to the Hollister in Bellis Fair to apply and they probably started to talk to a model or manager and they usually just throw that stuff out there.

Ruehl is up in the air... for any further expansion and has no plans to go internationally. Gilly is still in its infancy... so no go there.

First off they will get the Abercrombie Flagship opened up and then an Abercrombie Kids..... Not sure what happened to the Flagship plans they had for Pacific Center.

Any yes.... the Pacific Center Hollister opens tmr..... but don't go at 10 or 11 am.... it should be open after 2 ish.

[metroXpress]

That's not right.

I remember the post.... it was someone who went to the Hollister in Bellis Fair to apply and they probably started to talk to a model or manager and they usually just throw that stuff out there.

Ruehl is up in the air... for any further expansion and has no plans to go internationally. Gilly is still in its infancy... so no go there.

First off they will get the Abercrombie Flagship opened up and then an Abercrombie Kids..... Not sure what happened to the Flagship plans they had for Pacific Center.

Any yes.... the Pacific Center Hollister opens tmr..... but don't go at 10 or 11 am.... it should be open after 2 ish.


Thanks for the furthur updates...a friend of mine was actually not happy with the opening of Hollister in Vancouver because he thinks that the brand wouldn't be special enough here to wear it anymore...everyone can get it here without going to the States. Well, I think that it is already well-spread in Vancouver and A LOT of people are wearing it....I personally think that it makes no difference.

Is there a mega sale tomorrow??

[SpongeG]

That's not right.

I remember the post.... it was someone who went to the Hollister in Bellis Fair to apply and they probably started to talk to a model or manager and they usually just throw that stuff out there.

Ruehl is up in the air... for any further expansion and has no plans to go internationally. Gilly is still in its infancy... so no go there.

First off they will get the Abercrombie Flagship opened up and then an Abercrombie Kids..... Not sure what happened to the Flagship plans they had for Pacific Center.

Any yes.... the Pacific Center Hollister opens tmr..... but don't go at 10 or 11 am.... it should be open after 2 ish.

there was a girl on another fourm - she had an interview here in vancouver and that was the info she was told at the interview here in Vancouver and she shared it with the forum

that hollister was going to test the vancouver market and see if it did well enough to bring in the other stores depended on how well Hollister did and if so how fast

who knows

don't shop at any of them overpriced crap

hollister is for the teen market but for some reason 20+ year olds like it - no idea why

[SpongeG]

maybe it will be Forever 21? they should be expanding this way by now

[jlousa]

As we already knew Richards on Richards is moving, heres a little more details, including the new name?

Council policy as outlined in this Administrative Report dated
January 15, 2009, entitled “556 Seymour Street – 0742823 B.C. Ltd., Relocation of Liquor Primary Liquor License Application and a Change in Operating Hours”, endorse the request by 0742823 B.C. Ltd. to relocate their existing Liquor Primary liquor license from their current site at 1036 Richards Street (Richards on Richards) to their proposed site at 556 Seymour Street (Prudence), subject to:
i. Standard hours of operation for the first six months are limited to
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m., Sunday to Thursday; and 11:00 a.m. to 2:00
a.m., Friday and Saturday; after which time the Extended hours of
operation may be considered which are limited to 9:00 a.m. to 2:00
a.m., Sunday to Thursday; and 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m., Friday and
Saturday;
ii. A maximum total capacity of 449 persons;
iii. Acoustic report to be submitted certifying that the establishment
meets Noise Control By-law requirements;
iv. Signing a Good Neighbour Agreement with the City prior to business
license issuance; and
v. A Time-limited Development Permit.

The applicant is proposing to establish a 449 seat (existing capacity under their current liquor license) Liquor Establishment Class 4 at this location with licensed hours from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. weekdays and 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. weekends. This establishment has been operating in a successful manner with respect to the relevant by-laws and regulations. The
applicant has operated at the current location for four years and was also the founder of “Graceland” nightclub (mid-1980’s) which he operated for four years. The proposed establishment is located on the main floor of 556 Seymour Street. The operator maintains the clientele will be a mix of urban, locals, well-travelled, intellectual and corporate customers and people involved in arts, fashion, music and the film industry. Food service will also be available in the lounge area and the applicant is requesting the extended
hours of liquor service which is permitted for the area. The applicant feels that this establishment will have no impact on the local area which is made up of primarily commercial 556 Seymour St - 0743092 BC Ltd
Relocation of Liquor Primary Liquor License Application and Change in
Operating Hours uses and will provide a venue for live entertainment and support local festivals such as the Jazz, Folk, Writer’s, Push etc.
The applicant has established an art gallery on the second floor of 556 Seymour Street which will be open to the public and has donated 4000 sq.ft. of the second floor to “The Belkin Art Gallery” from UBC which is a non-profit society. The applicant also proposes to establish a restaurant (food primary) in the building next door which will be located on the main floor.

There will be an interior entrance lobby from the street with a capacity to hold 225 people in an orderly line-up, with a coat check in the basement to reduce lobby congestion

[ryanmaccdn]

Thanks for the furthur updates...a friend of mine was actually not happy with the opening of Hollister in Vancouver because he thinks that the brand wouldn't be special enough here to wear it anymore...everyone can get it here without going to the States. Well, I think that it is already well-spread in Vancouver and A LOT of people are wearing it....I personally think that it makes no difference.

Is there a mega sale tomorrow??

A few things to know about Abercrombie/Hollister....

They never sell anything black..... never have for the past 10+ yrs....

The never have promotional sales... no coupons or discounts. They do have clearance..... but it will be on older items with few sizes left.

People are hired based on looks vs experience or customer service.... which is kinda fun instead of having the usually bitchy Vancouver retail people working it will be socially active college kids.

[metroXpress]

A few things to know about Abercrombie/Hollister....

They never sell anything black..... never have for the past 10+ yrs....

The never have promotional sales... no coupons or discounts. They do have clearance..... but it will be on older items with few sizes left.

People are hired based on looks vs experience or customer service.... which is kinda fun instead of having the usually bitchy Vancouver retail people working it will be socially active college kids.

Ha... I understand what you mean.

Some brands only have sales and discounts on off-season or older items.
I haven't been to an Abercrombie/Hollister outlet yet..but I know that
they do have some in the States (Which sells OLD items of course)

Hire people based on looks? Yeah...I guess it's their policy for that.
That's the way they attrack people's attention. :haha:

[nova9]

A few things to know about Abercrombie/Hollister....

They never sell anything black..... never have for the past 10+ yrs....

The never have promotional sales... no coupons or discounts. They do have clearance..... but it will be on older items with few sizes left.

People are hired based on looks vs experience or customer service.... which is kinda fun instead of having the usually bitchy Vancouver retail people working it will be socially active college kids.

Wait, and you don't think the attractive college kids they hire won't be bitchy? You're right about bitchy retail people in Vancouver but I think you miscalculate if you don't think Hollister staff won't be bitchy.

But it's just me. I'd rather take bitchy over insincere enthusiasm. Erm...wait, let me rethink that......

But having been in retail before moving into my 'job-job', I only was 'bitchy' to 'bitchy' customers. NOT to say that you were a bitchy customer, I don't know you so I can't say. But the ONE thing I will say is that I never shop in-store at American Apparel because I do not appreciate the one-over ALL their staff give you when you are in the store, I choose to buy online.

[SpongeG]

i was there today

that part of the mall is so dark its funny

and the store inside is dark and annoying - so many people

lots of foreign english students seemed to be in heaven - they were speaking other languages gushing over things

most of the prices show the US and the Cdn price - example hoodies are $49.50 US and $69.50 Cdn t shirts are $19.50 US and $24.50 Cdn - not too bad on the exchange

they seemed to sell a lot

my friend bought a t shirt

went to the bathroom by the food court and he came out while we waited for our other friend and after a few minutes i said where is your bag? he forgot it in the bathroom! so he ran back to check but it was gone - more than likely stolen :( pacific centre was insanely busy today - even holt renfrew was pretty busy - and it looks like they are putting in a Tom Ford section in the mens

anyway looks like it will be a hit

[johnjimbc]

My own take on Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch (same company) since I am "of the age" where friends tease me when I wear them now is that the clothes are really well made for casual wear. I'm still more likely to grab one of their sweat shirts or t-shirts if I'm going out hiking about town or up in the mountains for the day. Fortunately some of the collared shirts aren't plastered with logos so I can still get away with wearing them to the office.

I have clothes from A&F that I've had for over 10 years that are still in good condition - the colors have held up, they've retained their shape, and they wash and wear well. In contrast, I've paid higher prices at "more respected" clothing stores, only worn them to work or in town, and found myself not wearing them after a couple of years because they just haven't held up well.

I do wish they'd get more credit for the quality of their clothing than they do because it's quite good.

[twoNeurons]

I hear ya. I bought a zip-up hoodie from A&F and I wore it almost every day. Very good quality.

I like an excuse to go to Seattle, though... one less reason if A&F is here.

[mr.x]

WHOOOOO!
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_DiFdg_LMhh0/SDMwIIyvhLI/AAAAAAAAOq8/rzWNRL1xCiI/s400/Charlie%2BScheere%2Bat%2BP%2BModels3.jpg

[SpongeG]

the hollister store is full of those kind of posters

they also have a large live web cam of huntington beach in california on the one wall

[officedweller]

The Satchel Shop in Pacific Cnetre is also closed (hoarded up) - so both sides of the existing passage to Vancouver Cnetre are hoarded up - ready for new stores (together with the space occupied by the existing passage).

[deasine]

From what I heard, H&M will be opening under Urban Planet in Metrotown by Toys-R-Us =D Finally!

And if everyone's interested, H&M 20% discount coupon on any item: http://www.hm.com/filearea/corporate/fileobjects/pdf/en_US/SALEACTIVITY_W7_PDF_1233648859105.pdf

I love their new Spring Art collection... quite fresh. Much better than Comme De Garcons >___>

[Blake]

Does anybody know when Carl's Jr. in Surrey is supposed to open?

[officedweller]

Wandered into Vancouver Centre - scaffolding everywhere - new ceiling going in and all of the brown [Birks era] marble flooring is being cut out and replaced (not sure by what).
Looks like the mall will be shortened to occupy just the area from the Canada Line station entrance (at the former Regis Framing store) to The Bay and London Drugs will expand into the area that was occupied by the mall passage and all of the stores from the Regis Framing location to the Pacific Centre passage. In future, the only access to Vancouver Centre from Pacific Centre will be through the Canada Line station ticket concourse.

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/43/92806085ou4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/92806085ou4.jpg/1/w714.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img99/92806085ou4.jpg/1/)

Yellow passage to be closed up
(Edit: I don't think the existing Vancouver Centre space goes right to the back of the Pacific Centre food fair, but you get the idea):

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/6051/49902337me3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/49902337me3.jpg/1/w854.png (http://g.imageshack.us/img23/49902337me3.jpg/1/)

[SpongeG]

Does anybody know when Carl's Jr. in Surrey is supposed to open?

probably late summer - its only being cleared right now - but those things can go up fast

there will be an east side marios next to it

---

H&M is opening right next to the elevators in metrotown - took over a number of smaller stores going to be pretty big - i heard it will be on 2 levels

Cupcakes is opening just off Robson on thurlow where the Tie Rack (entire company shutdown) store used to be - looks very small and pink

should do well there with the people looking for a dessert on robson... and close to the corner of starbucks and starbucks

Megabite pizza just opened off granville - looks very bright - next to the orpheum

Aldo outlet is open on granville as is urban behaviour outlet

does anyone know whats going on north granville - down where london drugs used to be? the reno looks really sharp

[LeftCoaster]

Just got word that in addition to their Pacific Centre location Sephora will be opening two new locations in Coquitlam Centre and Metrotown Centre within the next year.

[officedweller]

Cupcakes is opening just off Robson on thurlow where the Tie Rack (entire company shutdown) store used to be - looks very small and pink

does anyone know whats going on north granville - down where london drugs used to be? the reno looks really sharp

Does anyone actually eat the glob of icing on top of those cupcakes? Think of the butter or lard... ughh..

Yeah the storefront next to Moore's looks really sharp (looks divided into two spaces). Doesn't look like it's for a specific tenant though.

I think a new store opened up on the Richards St. side of L'Hermitage - saw some signage from a distance but couldn't tell what it is.

[deasine]

Does anyone actually eat the glob of icing on top of those cupcakes? Think of the butter or lard... ughh...

But it's so good =D and so damn expensive.

[SpongeG]

Just got work that in addition to their Pacific Centre location Sephora will be opening two new locations in Coquitlam Centre and Metrotown Centre within the next year.

cool :tup:

[hollywoodnorth]

probably late summer - its only being cleared right now - but those things can go up fast

there will be an east side marios next to it


whats the cross street for these?

[hollywoodnorth]

Yeah the storefront next to Moore's looks really sharp (looks divided into two spaces). Doesn't look like it's for a specific tenant though.

I think a new store opened up on the Richards St. side of L'Hermitage - saw some signage from a distance but couldn't tell what it is.


is the granville space 2 floors? or just really high ceilings?

ya its a hair place on richards....

[officedweller]

Before the facade went onto the Granville spaces, it looked like the front part of the space was two storeys, but the back was split into two levels. Wasn't very deep til you hit a wall, either, but that could have been temporary.

[officedweller]

The art gallery/furniture store next to the fire station on Hamilton @ Smithe has closed - signs in the window announce "Cafe Vancouver" to open soon.

[SpongeG]

whats the cross street for these?

hwy 10 and 152nd

[SpongeG]

boysco is shutting down chain wide

or thats the rumour

anyone can confirm?

[jozero]

Sorry if its a repost. There is an absolutely beautiful and out of place tea shop on the east side. Its on 57 Cordova Street East. They even make the ridiculously hard to find Kashmiri chai with milk, not to mention damn fine sandwiches. I talked to the owner a bit and she said they wanted a European style tea shop. They looked all over metro Vancouver for the right spot, and either it was in a nice area but ultra modern, or really beat down. So they settled on this place, I must say they have done a really good job.

http://thumbnails10.imagebam.com/2634/6a599526330888.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/6a599526330888) http://thumbnails11.imagebam.com/2634/a324a426330889.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/a324a426330889) http://thumbnails9.imagebam.com/2634/bf24d326330890.gif (http://www.imagebam.com/image/bf24d326330890)

Also Spartacus used bookstore moved to 684 East Hastings Street.