Must-see shopping in British Columbia

  • Exterior of Regional Assembly of Text stationary store

    Regional Assembly of Text

    Vancouver

    This ironic antidote to the digital age lures ink-stained locals with its journals, handmade pencil boxes and T-shirts printed with typewriter motifs…

  • Red Cat Records exterior

    Red Cat Records

    Vancouver

    Arguably Vancouver's coolest record store and certainly the only one named after a much-missed cat… There's a brilliantly curated collection of new and…

  • Mountain Equipment Co-Op

    Vancouver

    Grown hikers weep at the amazing selection of clothing (including lifestyle wear for urban hipsters), kayaks and clever camping gadgets at this cavernous…

  • Paper Hound

    Vancouver

    Proving the printed word is alive and kicking, this small but perfectly curated secondhand bookstore is a dog-eared favorite among locals. A perfect spot…

  • Munro's Books

    Victoria

    The name is no coincidence. Victoria's cathedral to reading was established in 1963 by Nobel-prize-winning Canadian author Alice Munro and her husband Jim…

  • Haunted Books

    Vancouver Island

    An agreeably Dickensian bookstore stuffed to the rafters with random busts, faded old maps, a grandfather clock and piles of dusty old tomes. Despite its…

  • Books & Company

    Northern BC

    The best bookstore in northern BC, Books & Company is also home to Cafe Voltaire, a top spot to have lunch. The daily soup, sandwich and panini options…

  • Exterior of the Licorice Parlour store

    Licorice Parlour

    Vancouver

    Just when you think you'll never find that combination licorice and hula-hoop store you've been searching for, here it is. This perky little spot with a…

  • Karameller Candy Shop

    Vancouver

    Grab a paper bag and some tongs then dive into the pick-your-own drawers of brightly colored treats at this slender, white-walled gem dedicated to Swedish…

  • Karen Cooper Gallery

    Vancouver

    You'll feel like you've entered a tranquil forest clearing when you open the door of this delightful nature-themed photography gallery. Cooper's striking…

  • Book Shop

    Okanagan Valley

    The perfect rainy-day refuge, this used bookstore is one of Canada's largest and best.

  • Exterior of Urban Source craft store

    Urban Source

    Vancouver

    From used postcards and insect rubber stamps to ladybug stickers and map pages from old books, this brilliant store offers a highly eclectic, ever…

  • Search & Rescue Denim Company

    Vancouver

    You'll walk into this busy workshop thinking you don't need an apron. Then you'll fall in love. These handmade, sometimes punkish and always sturdily…

  • Kitsilano Farmers Market

    Vancouver

    This seasonal farmers market is one of the city's most popular and is Kitsilano's best excuse to get out and hang with the locals. Arrive early for the…

  • Front & Company

    Vancouver

    You could easily spend a couple of hours perusing the new and vintage clothing in the main space of Front & Company, which colonizes a row of storefronts…

  • Smoking Lily

    Vancouver

    Art-school cool rules at this mostly womens wear boutique, with skirts, belts and halter-tops whimsically accented with prints of rabbits, narwhals and…

  • Paper-Ya

    Vancouver

    A magnet for slavering stationery fetishists (you know who you are), this store's treasure trove of trinkets ranges from natty pens to traditional washi…

  • Ainsworth Custom Design

    Vancouver

    Ostensibly a design studio working to commission, its two-story front-of-shop area showcases a kaleidoscopic array of quirky arts and crafts by mostly…

  • Regional Assembly of Text

    Victoria

    This branch of Vancouver's charming hipster stationery store is socked into a quirky space resembling a hotel lobby from 1968. You'll find the same clever…

  • Vancouver Special

    Vancouver

    An irresistible, white-walled, double-sized store that appeals to design-minded individuals with its carefully chosen array of Tivoli radios, molded…

  • Cocoa West Chocolatier

    British Columbia

    Every islander's favorite chocolate shop, the housemade treats in this excellent little store are hard to resist. But the velvet-smooth hot chocolate is…

  • Mosaic Books

    Kelowna

    Mosaic Books is an excellent independent bookstore, selling maps (including topographic ones) and travel guides, plus books on indigenous history and…

  • Polar Peek Books

    British Columbia

    An eclectic mix of books with a good section of local-interest reads. Gives great recommendations.

  • Exterior of Canterbury Tales bookshop

    Canterbury Tales

    Vancouver

    Serving the area's voracious bookworms, this used and new bookstore is one of several Drive literary nooks. It's a minilabyrinth of floor-to-ceiling…

  • Granville Island Broom Company

    Vancouver

    Ever since Harry Potter, locals have been entranced by this Granville Island fave, which makes its own beautifully handcrafted Shaker-style straw brooms…

  • Exterior of the Pulpfiction Books store

    Pulpfiction Books

    Vancouver

    One of the city's best used-book stores (there are also plenty of new tomes in the front room), this is the ideal haunt for the kind of serious browsing…

  • Exterior of Audopile record store

    Audiopile

    Vancouver

    From classic rock to obscure German metal bands, this local-fave record store takes a no-nonsense approach with its basic racks of new and used vinyl, CD…

  • Exterior of Mintage vintage clothing store

    Mintage

    Vancouver

    Drive coolsters add some vintage glam to their look in this Western-saloon-like establishment. But don't be fooled: this is one of the city's most…

  • Exterior of the Attic Treasures store

    Attic Treasures

    Vancouver

    A Vancouver favorite specializing in antiques and midcentury items, this retro-cool doubleroom is lined with 1950s-to-1980s furniture and treasures…

  • Inside Zulu Records, Kitsilano neighbourhood.

    Zulu Records

    Vancouver

    Kitsilano's fave indie music store has downsized in recent years, but it's still easy to blow an afternoon here with the vinyl and CD nerds, flicking…

  • La Grotta del Formaggio

    Vancouver

    If you insist on eating something other than chocolate or ice cream, hit this legendary time-capsule deli and sandwich shop, a family-run holdover from…

  • Golden Age Collectables

    Vancouver

    If you're missing your regular dose of Hulkverines or you just want to blow your vacation budget on a highly detailed life-sized model of Conan the…

  • Konbiniya Japan Centre

    Vancouver

    Like walking into a Tokyo convenience store, the shelves here are crammed with brightly packaged Japanese goodies from Calbee potato chips to Pocky…

  • Roots

    Vancouver

    Basically a maple-leaf-emblazoned version of the Gap, Roots designs athletic, plaid-accented streetwear that's unmistakably Canadian. Its retro-style…

  • Make

    Vancouver

    It's hard not to blow your holiday budget at this store, which showcases a huge array of quirky, often nerdy gifts and creations, from Sasquatch-themed…

  • Neptoon Records

    Vancouver

    Vancouver's oldest independent record store is still a major lure for music fans, with its High Fidelity ambience and time-capsule feel. But it's not…

  • Miscellany Finds

    Vancouver

    Like an explosion at a garage sale, this rambling used and vintage store invites serious perusing. The front room is packed with racks of mostly women's…

  • Portobello West

    Vancouver

    This arts, crafts and fashion market runs four times a year – one for each season – in the heritage Roundhouse building. Expect to find an eclectic blend…

  • Kidsbooks

    Vancouver

    From Dolphin Boy to The Wonky Donkey, this huge, highly inviting store – reputedly Canada's biggest children's bookshop – has thousands of novels, picture…

  • Pulpfiction Books East

    Vancouver

    The smallest of Pulpfiction's miniempire of three Vancouver bookstores, this spartan-looking shop has little decoration but lots of well-stocked wooden…