. The Great War of 1914-1918 brought with it many changes to Canadian society. This brief essay looks at one such change; the move from full service grocers to the concept of self-service. During the war, and for some time thereafter, most retail businesses on the Drive were still stores rather than shops, with apron-clad … Continue reading Bringing Self-Service To Vancouver & The Drive, 1918-1926
. The northwest corner of First and Commercial must today be considered a prime retail location. For most residents of the neighbourhood, except for those with memories stretching back more than thirty years, that intersection is Il Mercato Mall with a VanCity credit union on the corner itself. But before the mid-1980s, when the Mall … Continue reading Battle For The School Site, 1940-1955
We had a very large turnout for last Thursday's Grandview Heritage Group monthly meeting. So many in fact we have begun to think about alternate locations; but we'll let that lie until the new year. Welcome one and all! Again, as usual, we had a wide-ranging discussion. Michael gave a presentation on basements. Typical early … Continue reading Notes From November Meeting
Thanks to Blair Redlin who has pointed out a story in the Vancouver Sun regarding the need for a new future for the wonderful 1947 mural that currently decorates a wall in the Maritime Labour Centre at Victoria and Triumph. The magnificent mural was painted in 1947 by Fraser Wilson and was carefully moved from … Continue reading The Maritime Mural
As reported in the previous post, Scott's Grocery is having a close-out sale; Steve and Esther, who have run it for more than 20 years, are retiring to Burnaby, the building has been sold, and the new owner reportedly wants to build "apartments" on the RM4-zoned site. Here's Scott's in Google Street View: ... and … Continue reading Scott’s and other grocery stores
On Friday evening, March 23, 2012, Dominic and Giorgio Morra's Via Tevere PIzzeria Napoletana opened for business, clearly a unique local business and a welcome addition to the neighbourhood. It actually gives the neighbourhood a whole new feel after the vacant, run down storefront that was there for about a decade. And thanks again to … Continue reading Historic Victoria Drive Building Unveils 1920s Ad Mural and New Tenant
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