The Metro Vancouver Retail Thread - Page 6

leftside · #**101** Posted **Dec 9, 2007, 6:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpongeG

yeah noticed that a few weeks ago when walking around

a lot of little clothing shops that sell some pretty costly things - like $85 t-shirts

but so many seem like clones of each other trying to be more hip than the next

Yes, very costly! I'm not a fan of the "more hip than you" stores, but there are still some pretty unique clothing stores opposite the Cambie pub on Cordova and Cambie. I also like a few on Water - but those clothes are out of my price range.

osirisboy · #**102** Posted **Dec 10, 2007, 6:27 PM**

update on the homesense store on robson. I called their customer service department and they informed me that the original opening was for november 07 but it has been pushed back now to march 08. seems a bit long considering IGA appears to be almost ready.

officedweller · #**103** Posted **Dec 10, 2007, 10:26 PM**

March 08?
Wow - that is a long delay, esp. since the fixtures are in place.

Jacques · #**104** Posted **Dec 11, 2007, 2:03 AM**

In the earlier thread previous page someone stated that Apple would be setting foot on the old H&R site, that is not the case, JACOBS Clothing and COEX shoes store will be major tenants as publicized today in the mall, as for Apple, well it was talked about the rotunda at Georgia and Howe, but no final decision, come to think of it has anyone has any idea as what's up with the OLD entrance of the old Theatre on Granville, they sure taking a long time to unravel what it is supposed to be It could be big enough for Apple to set up shop!!
As for the water street latest development, they are finally going ahead with so many things here its like a chicken with its head cut off.
John Fluvog was here 25 years ago, he's just coming back where the money trail leads, the Terminus Condominium is near completion, the GARAGE luxury condo has just begun, that ought to be done by spring 09, then there is the restoration of the last building at Carrall and Water street, which they will add 2 story lofts at the back and restored the unit inside, there is also the Whitecap Stadium back on the board I received a letter from Libby Davies pertaining to this matter.
Richard Kidd used to occupy the Atrium is now relocating where INFORM has shop before relocating to their new digs.
One of my concern as of late is how are the new tenants of owners of the Terminus who will occupy the south side are going to adapt with all the raucous mayhem going on daily in Blood alley, the city owns the 3 buildings north Cordova street and it is decrepit and the cops and ambulanc eand what not are there every night.
Hope the architects have started to plan ahead and started a process in purchasing those building from the city and relocated those transients, nothing against the youths and drugs addicts , however that building had a face lift a few years back so as to accommodate these people and in return they simply ransack their city owned abode, so if that what they do then move them out and let it be developed into what it was meant to become a quiet muse of great architecture with its cafe and little shops as it was once a quarter of a century ago, I recall.
My only sadness in this all re-development of the DTS and GASTOWN, is teh influx of this new boutique style shop at exuberant prices for its stock, I bet my bottom dollars that I can still go to Yaletown and find good decent price for most accessories and food, even A&N is ripping people left and right I compare prices and I was surprised that some of its items are pricier than Wallmart to say the least.
Time will tell

djh · #**105** Posted **Dec 11, 2007, 2:38 AM**

^It's cyclic. Every few quarters there's a big hoo-haa about the regeneration of Gastown and look at all the cool new shops. They have a couple seasons of business, then they lose their "new and cool" edge, but the landlord still wants the rent, and so poof, they're gone. I could name a dozen shops in Gastown that this happened to.
The same thing happened in Yaletown a decade ago, cyclic boom-and-bust. What stopped all of that happening was the anchoring tendencies of residents turning the area into a real neighbourhood.

Hopefully, as more and more (moneyed) residents begin occupying the projects in Gastown, it will stop the cycles and those people will actually make the shops their first ports of call. Goodness knows there are enough good restaurants, bars, coffee shops, furniture shops, and even reasonably-priced clothing shops to keep residents from jumping in their cars and going to (ugh) Robson. Like you said, time will tell.

SpongeG · #**106** Posted **Dec 11, 2007, 2:46 AM**

so fluevog is pulling off granville?

seems dumb - he won't get the exposure in gastown that he gets being so close to robson

he will keep his old shoppers i guess but good luck getting new ones

Jacques · #**107** Posted **Dec 11, 2007, 4:10 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpongeG

so fluevog is pulling off granville?

seems dumb - he won't get the exposure in gastown that he gets being so close to robson

he will keep his old shoppers i guess but good luck getting new ones

I agree with you on that one, however there's nothing that states they are closing their store on Robson, man have you seen where there moving, its the old space Richard Kidd occupied for the last few years with mostly their two mountain bernese dogs and lots lots of foreign money, that place ain't going for peanuts.

SpongeG · #**108** Posted **Dec 11, 2007, 4:15 AM**

yeah maybe jhe will have two shops - but he gets a lot of support from west end dwellers and to get them to go to gastown is like asking them to go to metrotown or cross a bridge - lol

officedweller · #**109** Posted **Dec 11, 2007, 4:17 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jacques

In the earlier thread previous page someone stated that Apple would be setting foot on the old H&R site, that is not the case, JACOBS Clothing and COEX shoes store will be major tenants as publicized today in the mall, as for Apple, well it was talked about the rotunda at Georgia and Howe, but no final decision, come to think of it has anyone has any idea as what's up with the OLD entrance of the old Theatre on Granville, they sure taking a long time to unravel what it is supposed to be It could be big enough for Apple to set up shop!!

The bottom line is that the old Holt Renfrew space is so big (3 floors, including a floor above the upper mall) that the space can accommodate all of the stores mentioned. The top floor will almost certainly be occupied exclusively by H&M due to access issues (a small store is not going to install a staircase/escalator from the upper mall) - the question is how much of the lower mall or upper mall space will H&M take up (and how much will be left for the other retailers)? The Jacob signage has provided some information in that respect.

SpongeG · #**110** Posted **Dec 15, 2007, 7:12 AM**

superstore was having a no tax from 5 pm - midnight today - it was insane - great day to go shopping though :0

they are doing it again tomorrow - 5 pm - 12 am no tax

and the store is open 24 hours until dec 24th, same with all the wal mart stores and zellers in coquitlam will stay open 24 hours starting next wednesday

officedweller · #**111** Posted **Dec 30, 2007, 1:46 AM**

Finally had a chance to go into the IGA Marketplace at L'Hermitage - nicely laid-out. Seems a bit bigger than the Nestor's, but Nestor's seems brighter - maybe due to a higher or lighter coloured ceiling at Nestor's. The entrance is pretty narrow but not too bad.

SpongeG · #**112** Posted **Dec 31, 2007, 1:26 AM**

Quote:

Hunting-lodge chic meets downtown cool

Lark 8th Avenue

2315 Main St., Vancouver

604-879-5275

http://www.lark8thave.com

At the epicentre of Mount Pleasant, one of Vancouver's oldest neighbourhoods, Lark 8th Avenue is a boutique that embodies the area's recent sea change.

A vibrant sense of place emerges from the window display of local and European fashion facing both the old Mount Pleasant clock and a new condo development.

Its elegant yet down-to-earth mix of Vancouver-based and international designers make Lark the perfect place to shop for a shiny new Olympic future that still stays true to the town's boho West Coast roots.

"This area has changed so much in the past five years," says 30-year-old Veronika Baspaly, a painter-turned-retailer who conceived the boutique with her set designer/furniture maker husband, Dane.

The arty edginess that set the Main and Broadway area apart and made it scenester central in the early 2000s has matured with its aging population and surging real-estate prices.

The area is still home to working artists and musicians living in rented lofts, but also to the well-heeled Lark patrons who, Baspaly says, often come in and say, "I'm so glad to find this place. Now, I won't have to go to New York to shop."

It's no surprise to learn that the 2,000-square-foot space with high ceilings was once an art gallery (the Aion, which moved a few blocks away) as the shopping experience is pure aesthetic pleasure.

The seasonally themed window display is currently "German hunting lodge," largely in honour of the handmade Zeha Berlin calfskin and horsehide shoes on offer. The sturdy yet luxurious footwear once worn by East German Olympians is perched on bricks spray-painted with "Wir Sind Das Volk (We are the People)" - the rallying cry of protesters as the Berlin Wall came down in 1989.

Illuminating the front third of the store that is equal parts gallery and fashion boutique are light-box photo installations by Vancouver's Angela Fama. On one side, photographs of stuffed warthog and deer heads complement a gorgeous Drykorn tuxedo jacket (which is meant pour hommes, but, like many of Lark's pieces, has a definite unisex appeal). On the other, Fama's photos of B.C. nature scenes with a vaguely retro feel set off the soberly chic apparel of Danish designer Malene Birger.

Local designer items complement the shop's overall haute-Scandinavian feel. Organic alpaca scarves by Danae, for instance, feature photographs of the alpacas whose wool they were knit with, while a special blend of coffee beans wrapped in gold foil is being sold to fund a memorial skateboarding tunnel for murdered local graffiti artist/boarder Lee Matasi.

Along with her focus on aesthetics, Baspaly's attention to textile quality borders on the obsessive. "When we're on buying trips," she says, "we often go by how something feels - it's got to feel right."

Fortunately, Lark's local and international styles are as pleasing to the eye as they are to the touch.

Consider the Yoshi Kondo black wool coat with sheep collar or his skirt and jacket set with hand stitching, flirty pleats and the wonderfully textured feel of a blanket.

Closer to home, Tannis Hegan's goatskin bag with velveteen lining is wonderfully soft and chic to carry, while Paperbird's dark-grey wool tunic dress with pleats and soft teal lining and Jackie-O-inspired, sixties-style collared wool coat are as warm as they are stylish.

And then there's the shop's newly launched house line designed by Vanya Mcdonell: well-tailored, no-nonsense classics with intelligent twists.

The mix of local and international is so well edited that lines soon blur into one singular experience, making Lark the perfect shop for a well-dressed, grown-up Vancouver.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071229.HOTSHOP29/TPStory/Entertainment

leftside · #**113** Posted **Dec 31, 2007, 6:01 PM**

I was in the new Lamplighter on Water and Abbott last night. It's changed a little... It's been bought by the Donnelly group and it now looks like another Earl's. Great for watching sports, but not ideal for going out for a drink and chat with friends. Not my cup of tea, but I think a lot of other people will like it. Still, there's plenty of choice in Gastown these days and I still have the Black Frog, Six Acres, Irish Heather, Cambie and Chill Winston's to go to.

The outside of the building has been painted a very nice black and red. The building opposite which used to be a Thai restaurant has also been painted a similar colour - as have a lot of other buildings in Gastown. It seems that black and red is the colour of Gastown. I really like it.

officedweller · #**114** Posted **Jan 17, 2008, 12:51 AM**

Joey's on Burrard near Robson is open.

SpongeG · #**115** Posted **Jan 17, 2008, 1:11 AM**

finally

they must be pissed that they missed the christmas season

djh · #**116** Posted **Jan 17, 2008, 2:00 AM**

It was open before Christmas - I was up there. They hadn't made use of the plaza area in front of the restaurant, as was originally planned in the building's development permit application.

-------------

On another note, I just got a completely FREE dinner out of Starbucks. They just had their soft launch of the one across the road from me (Broadway & Cambie). It's due to officially open tomorrow. It was PACKED just now for the soft launch, no doubt because whatever you ordered was on them. Nice.

SpongeG · #**117** Posted **Jan 17, 2008, 2:16 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by djh

It was open before Christmas - I was up there. They hadn't made use of the plaza area in front of the restaurant, as was originally planned in the building's development permit application.

-------------

On another note, I just got a completely FREE dinner out of Starbucks. They just had their soft launch of the one across the road from me (Broadway & Cambie). It's due to officially open tomorrow. It was PACKED just now for the soft launch, no doubt because whatever you ordered was on them. Nice.

i like when sbucks screws up your order and they just give you it for free

hollywoodnorth · #**118** Posted **Jan 17, 2008, 2:37 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by officedweller

Joey's on Burrard near Robson is open.

they have been open for over a month.

and are making progress on their location in Bental also.

officedweller · #**119** Posted **Jan 17, 2008, 2:47 AM**

Just noticed it today - must have been a very soft opening!

WRT Bentall - Joey's is where? i.e. Bentall V is Cactus Club, right?

SpongeG · #**120** Posted **Jan 27, 2008, 9:48 AM**

pottery barn kids is openng on granville enar william-sonoma

there's a moores opening underneath the new Best Buy in Burnaby at Metrotown