Vancouver

Vancouver: Shop 'til you drop

Vancouver Insider

Shopfront in Commercial Drive area, Vancouver

There are plenty of good reasons to make your credit cards sweat in Vancouver, so make sure you have plenty of suitcase space.

Cool local designers

The indie clothing and accessory stores on Main Street (starting at the intersection with 20th Avenue) include local favourites Vancouver Special, Lazy Susan's and Eugene Choo but Smoking Lily is the place to go if you want to create a cool-but-intellectual look. The recently-expanded store has dozens of skirts, scarves and halter-tops printed with line drawings of microscopes or the periodic table and, for men, there are ties and T-shirts with blueprints of tractors a la Andy Warhol. Your wardrobe will never be more ironic.

To market to market

If you're craving a souvenir or two that no-one will have back home, time your Vancouver visit for the monthly Portobello West Market . Held in the cavernous Rocky Mountaineer train station — or outside if it's warm and sunny enough — the market specializes in arts, crafts, fashions and accessories made by local indie producers. A magnet for Vancouver hipsters, there's usually a fun party atmosphere — stoked by live or turntable music — and it's almost impossible not to be tempted by a cool trinket or two that will wow everyone back home.

Crafty shopping

In the continent of soulless shopping malls, it's nice to know that perusing store-lined streets on foot is still a popular Vancouver pastime. And Granville Island is worth an afternoon of anyone's time, especially if you're an arts and crafts nut. Start at the Public Market for lunch or deli treats, then wander the labyrinth of artisan studios colonising the refurbished former industrial sheds. Highlights include the excellent Gallery of BC Ceramics and the eclectic Crafthouse Gallery. And don't miss a sample or three at Railspur Alley's very own Artisan Sake Maker

Bookish treats

Die-hard backpackers should head straight to Travel Bug, a chatty Kitsilano bookstore lined with guidebooks, travel literature and handy gadgets for frequent vacationers. It's not far from Kidsbooks, the kind of place you can bring your sprogs and they'll happily spend an afternoon immersing themselves in great children's lit. Foodie fans should also drop into Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks, where Vancouver chef recipe tomes allow you to take home the tastes of your trip.

Gear up

Vancouverites are an outdoorsy bunch and you'll meet most of them face-to-face at Western Canada's biggest gear shop. Mountain Equipment Co-op is a cavernous Aladdin's cave of great backpacks, rainwear and those foldable knives and forks that weekend hikers carry. It's located in a little ghetto of smaller outdoor stores on West Broadway, including the nearby Sports Junkies where you can pick-up great deals on new and used outdoor clothing and equipment.

Tap the local music scene

Vancouver has a thriving indie music scene and you can tap into this vibe at Red Cat Records, a CD-lined store run by members of now defunct local band the Buttless Chaps. They'll tell you who to look out for and where to catch shows (you can buy tickets here, too). Alternatively, drop into bustling Zulu Records on 4th Avenue or tiny Scratch Records downtown: both are local muso hangouts.

Got any other shopping musts? Have your say using the comments form below.

See for yourself! Get great deals on hotels and super-cheap flights to Vancouver now on

Next: Where the locals dine

More about Vancouver:

Topics:

Vancouver Shopping Canada British Columbia

User comments

Write a comment

Email: *
Your email will not be shared with any third parties or published with your comment.
Nickname: *
Location: *

Subject:
*
Comment:
*
Maximum characters 1000

* Indicates required field

Comment guidelines

Avoid using:

Personal attacks
Irrelevant comments
HTML tags
Personal information
Offensive language
Text in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS

See full comment guidelines

Comment guidelines X

Thank you for sharing your opinions with other users of NineMSN. People will find your comments more helpful if you include relevant information and avoid some common pitfalls.

Please note: All reviews and comments submitted are subject to moderation, NineMSN reserves the right to alter and / or remove any content that does not comply with usage guidelines.

What to include in your comment: