This is my Chic in the City entry… and I will be giving you a virtual shopping tour of Vancouver! Now, this is not to say that the places I mention are the only shops in Vancouver. They are the stores I prefer to shop at most often at and enjoy within my budget.
Okay, well, if you have some extra cash to throw around Urban Outfitters is fantastic. Located on 822 Granville Street all you have to do is take the skytrain to Granville station and then walk two blocks. Their stuff is on trend and of good quality. My skirt, shoes, and hat are all from UO and I purchased all on sale. The skirt was marked down to $20, the shoes to $40, and the hat to $10.
American Apparel is also half a block down from Urban Outfitters, which is extremely convenient.
A couple blocks up and over from Urban is True Value Vintage. (710 Robson Street) True Value is my favourite vintage store in Vancouver. There are other shops like Mintage (1946 West 4th Avenue and 1714 Commercial Drive) and Retro Rock (590 Davie Street and 2240 Commercial Drive) but I prefer True Value for price and quality. They sell clothing and accessories from the 1930’s to 1990’s. Their dresses are arranged in eras! Which is very helpful if you’re tender towards a particular time. They also sell great new clothing in another section. I rarely find a store where I love their new and vintage stuff.
Okay, if you’re on Robson keep walking northwest for another two and a half blocks until you get to Thurlow Street. On your right will be… Cupcakes! A cupcake store! They are a local business started by local people and their cupcakes are amazing. It’s great to stop by for a treat on a big day of shopping. You can even check out their many types of cupcakes here
If you’re still downtown (and getting hungry) I would recommend heading down to 616 Davie Street for the best/cheapest sushi in the city: Yamamoto Sushi. So tasty and one of my favourite treats.
As with most bigger cities it’s hard to thrift within the city itself. If you’re looking for thrifting in the Vancouver we will have to skytrain into the smaller, surrounding cities. If you take the skytrain to New Westminster station there is a huge Salvation Army right next door. Hop on the skytrain again and take it to Edmonds station and walk for a couple blocks to get to Burnaby’s Value Village. (7350 Edmonds Street) Hop onto the skytrain yet again and get off at Lougheed Station in Coquitlam to go to the Value Village Lydia and I went to on our playdate. I found my Burberry trench coat here for $14.99. I’ve also seen cheap Armani and Holt Renfrew. But, if brands aren’t your thing (like me) there’s lots of other great stuff. It’s on 540A Clarke Road and to get there you get on the 97 B-Line and ride for about ten minutes. You’ll see it on your right.
If malls are your thing you can take the skytrain to Metrotown Centre and waltz around 450 stores. The Forever 21 is in there but I haven’t found much great stuff there, yet. It’s fairly new and shopped out right now, though.
While you’re in Vancouver I highly recommend going down to Stanley Park, renting bikes, and pedalling around the park with friends. It’s the best on a sunny summer day. Bike rentals go for about $8/hour (reasonable!) so you can cruise around without worrying about the time too much.
Anyway, if you’re ever visiting I hope this is helpful. :)
