5 Beautiful and Eclectic Shops to Visit in Victoria
It has been a little bit quiet on the Sidewalking Victoria front, but that is because my partner Catherine and I made the jump finally and got married after ten years together. All that planning rightly took me away from blogging. Hopefully as we move into the summer I will get back into a rhythm for writing and this is a first step. Okay onto today’s piece.
Despite all the doom and gloom about downtown Victoria, there is still an amazing amount of great shopping. Going down to LoJo to do some clothes shopping has to be one of my favourite pastimes. There are great bookstores, clothing stores, shoe stores and pretty much any other type of store you can think of. Then there is a whole other set of stores downtown. Stores that you go into just be inside them and see how they have laid everything out. Stores that really live the wares they sell. I have put together a list of five stores that I love to go in just to look around. There are of course others, and you may have your own list of stores that fit that bill for you, but for me these are at the top of my list.
Camera Traders
This isn’t going to be a surprise to anyone that reads the blog on a regular basis. Camera Traders has likely come up in more posts than any other store downtown, particularly in my photography ones (which makes sense right?!). But Camera Traders is not just a camera store. Now I am not disparaging other camera stores, but whether it is Kerrisdale Camera or Henry’s Cameras in Vancouver, there is a look to them. Corporate, clean and clinical. I am sure that this look has been market tested and is the right way to go. Camera Traders doesn’t do this. Camera Traders feels like one third museum, one third flea market, and one third workshop. Going in there makes you want to take more photos, which is likely good for their business if not for my wallet. If you have never been inside, even if you don’t take photos, go in and have a look around, it will make you feel good.
The Regional Assembly of Text
Almost next door to Camera Traders is The Regional Assembly of Text, which might be the best named store in the history of stores. This is the second location, with the first one on Main Street in Vancouver. It is a small store that really sits in a lobby space of the office building portion of Market Square. Despite its small size, the store is wonderful. With a heavily curated selection of notepads, pens, pencils, postcards and erasers; you are drawn to look at almost each individual item in the store. I definitely find that I have to talk myself out of buying various things there because I know I don’t need them, but their quirkiness or beauty just makes me want them anyways. Another thing that makes the Regional Assembly of Text amazingly cool is that they have a series of old school desks set-up with typewriters and you can rent them out for short or longer periods of time and type away. If you want a little creative pick-me-up a visit to The Regional Assembly of Text is in order.
Vinyl Envy
If you don’t know Vinyl Envy, it’s likely due to the location. There is a very small, but awesome selection of stores along the eastern side of Quadra just to the south of North Park Street in North Park. As the name suggests, this is a record store. Now compared to when I was young, there are just not that many stand-alone music stores any more, but somehow the record shop has not just hung on, but flourished. I think by my last count there are five record shops around Victoria, still even among that elite group, Vinyl Envy is special. When you go in, you will be greeted by the knowledgeable staff that are not anything like the music staff in High-Fidelity (they actually want to sell you the records you want). There is definitely a punk cool vibe to the place. And that makes sense as apart from having lots of records, they also host a lot of music shows. If you are just starting a record collection or your collection hasn’t had a new addition for a while, go down and visit Vinyl Envy. The way the store takes hold of you, I expect you will be walking out with something.
Straith’s Fine Clothing
As I said at the beginning of the article, I just got married, which did involve me getting to go shopping for an outfit. That may be one of my favourite things to get to do. One of the places I visited as I put together my wedding outfit, was Straith’s Fine Clothing. Like Vinyl Envy, it is not in the most obvious of places in the city. St. Andrew’s Square which is a very small selection of eateries and shops in the 700 block between Yates Street and View Street. Half-way through this mini-mall is Straith’s Fine Clothing. Now, I will be the first to admit that it is a little on the pricier side, but that cost is repaid in quality twice over. But even if you are not needing to buy a new piece of clothing, Straith’s is worth a visit. The way that they have laid out all of the various pieces is objectively beautiful. The place is just over-stuffed with different pieces and the two brothers, Adam and Manny that work there are true gentlemen that will help you find anything you might be looking for. If you appreciate colour and texture in your art, then a visit to Straith’s Fine Clothing should be on your list of to-do’s in Victoria.
Brica Brac Salvage
I suppose in some way second hand stores are featuring prominently on this list with three of them being either fully dedicated or partially dedicated to selling secondhand items. I am not sure how that happened. Brica Brac Salvage which is now on Yates Street (having been first on Johnson Street) is not your usual second hand store. Around Victoria you can visit a truly huge variety of thrift stores and pawn shops, but most of them look a little like the back of a garage. Brica Brac Salvage has gone the opposite way. They are attempting to take an eclectic assortment of items and pull them together into a cohesive and beautiful shop. When you walk into the small space on Yates Street, your eyes are pulled up into the tall space to see all of the wares that go all the way up to the ceiling. These are not precarious stacks though, the items up high are meant to catch your eye and just look good. You have to actually consciously try and take in smaller areas of the store and focus on what is right in front of you, rather than just appreciating how a broad group of items have been placed together. The great thing about Brica Brac is that they have a high turnover of items, so what you see and appreciate today, will be completely different the next time you go by. It is definitely a gem of a store that if you haven’t been into yet, you must visit.
I know that I am sure to have left your favourite store off the list here, but now is your chance. Let us know what store you visit in Victoria just be inside it and enjoy the way it makes you feel and what type of items we have to buy there.