Jak's View of Vancouver v.3

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I did the walk on Monday in bright sunshine. Cool, but a relief from several days rain with more to come. The seasons are moving on apace.

The Social at 1812 Commercial has revamped and re-opened its rooftop patio in time for the early summer.

Image: Georgia Straight

Fratelli’s Bakery at 1795 Commercial, and Livia at 1399 Commercial made it onto Dished’s Top Bakeries in the City.

Sal y Limon at 1752 Commercial is lauded as one of the city’s best cheap eats according to the Georgia Straight.

Take Thai Home at 1736 Commercial has closed and the storefront is vacant. They have switched to a delivery model based, I believe, in Burnaby.

The situation at the eastside intersection of Commercial and Graveley has become more interesting. On the south-east corner, the former Norman‘s is still closed. I now hear that the new owners are thinking of opening a diner-style restaurant on the site. On the north-east corner, both Dolce Amore and Hanai are still closed after the fire. However, it has been suggested that when Dolce Amore receive the go-ahead to rebuild, they may take both spaces as Hanai will probably not come back. Just street talk, though; nothing definite.

In Changes #142 we noted that Karma Optical at 1325 Commercial was closing. It is morphing into Karma Optometry under new management.

The corner boutique at 1204 Commercial has got itself a bright — very bright — new paint job.

As noted last month, Community Taps at 1191 Commercial has closed. It is, apparently, to be replaced by a new location for the Sing Sing Beer Bar, part of the Freehouse Collective which recently has been going through a Creditors Arrangement refinancing and reorganization. Speculation is that early May will be its opening. I hope they try to get some community goodwill by replacing the mural that used to grace the exterior but has recently been whitewashed.

At 1105 Commercial, Sweet Cherubim also makes it onto Georgia Straight‘s list of cheap eats.

Vacancies on the Drive this month: 

2105 Commercial, 2062 Commercial, 1736 Commercial, 1604 Commercial, 1588 Commercial, 1414 Commercial, 1409 Commercial, 1230 Commercial, 1204 Commercial, 1191 Commercial, 938 Commercial.

This does not include Hanai or Doce Amore which are still closed due to fire damage.

Previous editions of Changes on the Drive

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We’ll start this month by noting that Commercial Drive was named one of the 30 coolest streets on the planet by Time Out magazine. It reminds me that back in the 90s we were declared one of the hippest neighbourhoods by Utne Reader Magazine. This year, we made it into the top five along with streets in Melbourne, Hong Kong, Austin, and Buenos Aires.

“Hip by default, the Drive (as it’s known to locals) also boasts a family-owned bowling alley, a plethora of coffee shops (try finding a seat on a nice day), no fewer than four used book shops and three record stores – and more pizza (and pizza slice) joints than you can shake a pepperoni stick at.”

That’s all true enough, and they don’t even mention the grocery stores, the bakeries, the rich diversity of racial and linguistic and sexual residents, and the genuine sense of community that pervades the neighbourhood.

The Georgia Straight has an interesting article about the various Canadian Legion halls in East Vancouver, much of which is about our own hall at 2205 Commercial Drive.

Harambe Ethiopian at 2149 Commercial gets a shout out as one of Daily Hive‘s most under-rated restaurants.

Rinconcito Salvadoreño at 2062 Commercial closed on 30th March after 26 years on the Drive.

With the Vet Family Restaurants move across the street, 431 Commercial has now become the Beeryani Indian Kitchen.

As mentioned last month, the Don’t Argue Pizzeria has opened in part of Cafe Soccavo at 1321 Commercial. Scout Magazine and Daily Hive have the full run down.

Open now at 1250 Commercial is Mocktails, Vancouver’s first alcohol-free liquour store. In an interview with Daily Hive, the owner, Angela, says ““With the opening of Mocktails, I hope to offer a beautiful space where you want to spend your time, a comfortable place to explore and experience all the thoughtfully selected varieties of non-alcoholic wines, spirits, beers, premixed drinks, bitters, aperitifs, syrups, mixers, and more… as well as our carefully curated selection of unique vintage barware.”

CBC did an interesting piece on the growth of the non-alcoholic market place on the Drive featuring both Mocktails and the Canteen.

As suggested last month, Community Taps at 1191 Commercial has closed. That is unfortunate, as is the fact that the wonderfully colourful mural by Chairman Ting that graced its exterior has also been painted over, presumably by the new business that will be moving in. It will be missed.

Vacancies on the Drive this month: 

2105 Commercial, 2062 Commercial, 1604 Commercial, 1414 Commercial, 1409 Commercial, 1230 Commercial, 1204 Commercial, 1191 Commercial, 938 Commercial.

This does not include Dolce Amore or Hanai which are still closed due to fire damage.

Previous editions of Changes on the Drive

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On Thursday we got a brief respite between rain and snow showers which allowed me to drive up and down the Drive. It was bright but cold and windy.

As promised, the Fish Counter is now open at 1818 Commercial.

Karma Optical at 1325 Commercial is closing.

Next door at 1321 Commercial, it seems that Don’t Argue Pizzeria is taking over some space from Caffe Soccavo.

The storefront (and house behind) at 1314 Commercial has been sold for $2.35 million. Many people may remember it as the location of Beckwoman’s store which occupied the front from 1989 until a few years ago, but it had a long history prior to that. The first house on the lot was a BC Mills pre-fab erected in the first decade of the 1900s. In 1928, that house was lifted and moved to the back of the lot, allowing Fiore Marini, an Italian immigrant to build a small store on the Drive for his shoe repair business.

1314 Commercial in 1978 (CVA 786-78.18)

Marini’s Shoe Hospital stayed in business until 1981. The house in back was usually a residence but also, on occasion, housed a physiotherapy and chiropractic business. The building was badly damaged by fire in spring 2015. The storefront has been taken over by Bangtown Barber & Beauty Shop.

Huff at 1204 Commercial is now closed.

Community Taps and Pizza at 1191 is closed, but I don’t know if that is temporary or permanent.

Vacancies on the Drive this month: 

2105 Commercial, 1604 Commercial, 1414 Commercial, 1409 Commercial, 1250 Commercial, 1230 Commercial, 1204 Commercial, 938 Commercial.

This does not include Dolce Amore or Hanai which are currently closed due to fire damage.

Previous editions of Changes on the Drive

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For those interested in the very early history of Commercial Drive, I might humbly suggest my three-part series of articles on the Drive to 1907 (here, here, and here) as a place to start.

Luckily, the weather gods gave me Monday as a non-rain day so I got the walk done.

I have rarely mentioned St. Augustine’s pub at 2360 Commercial in these pages, but I was intrigued by a report in Scout Magazine on a New Haven-style pizza joint in the pub. It is called Industry Apizza and is apparently the first such pizza place in Vancouver.

Image: Scout Magazine

The Bench House Bakery in Il Mercato Mall is included in Scout’s list of best breads in Vancouver.

At 1608 Commercial, Loula‘s makes it onto Daily Hive’s list of restaurants that make you feel you are on vacation.

The vacant storefront at 1414 Commercial — the former Sake Maki — is being refurbished as a Vietnamese Family Restaurant.

Livia at 1399 Commercial also is on Scout’s list of best breads.

I noticed that, finally, some work is being done in 1250 Commercial which has been closed for a year now.

Not surprisingly, Havana at 1212 Commercial also makes it onto Hive’s vacation list.

It would appear that Huff at 1204 Commercial is closing. It opened in 2013.

The Absinthe Bistro at 952 Commercial is one of just ten Vancouver restaurants to make it onto Yelp’s 100 Places to Eat in Canada in 2024. Congratulations!

The Pizza Bagel Cafe at 931 Commercial is rebranding — again! It was originally called the Covid Cafe and then became Pizza Bagel Cafe and now it will be Vegan Bagel Cafe with, surprise surprise, a fully vegan menu. According to Dished: “Current vegan items on the restaurant’s menu include the Vegan Chicken Nuggets on a Bagel, which is a sandwich that includes vegan chicken, vegan cheese and a vegan bagel with tomatoes (which are also vegan). The restaurant also told Dished items like vegan swordfish, vegan steak, vegan pistachio cod, vegan miso salmon, vegan roast beef, and more will be added to the menu.”

Vacancies on the Drive this month: 

2105 Commercial, 1818 Commercial, 1604 Commercial, 1414 Commercial, 1409 Commercial, 1314 Commercial, 1250 Commercial, 1230 Commercial, 938 Commercial.

This does not include Dolce Amore or Hanai which are currently closed due to fire damage.

Previous editions of Changes on the Drive

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It was a good day for the walk/ride today, cold but bright; and I was amazed at just how busy the Drive was on this New Year’s Day.

I am glad to report that the Mostafa Supermarket at 2210 Commercial finally opened in late December.

The storefront at 2058 Commercial has now been taken over by a massage and foot reflexology business called Hi-Feet.

The Cannibal Cafe at 1818 Commercial has closed after a lively eleven years. It gets a great closing review in the Georgia Straight. It will be missed for its punk vibe and those onion rings! The storefront will soon re-open as a fish store.

Pax Romana at 1670 Commercial finally opened just before Christmas.

The storefront at 1428 Commercial has now been taken over by Rose’s Nail Studio.

The former Sake Maki space at 1414 Commercial is now vacant but a sign says it has already been leased.

The odd little pop-up store at 1314 Commercial has closed and the store is now vacant.

The storefront at 1250 Commercial is soon to open as a Mocktails Bar.

The new Flamingo Room at 1214 Commercial, in what used to be the Havana Theatre space, is now open. The Miami-style cocktail bar will also have live entertainment. “At launch, the stage line-up will feature local musicians, Latin and jazz groups, weekly DJ sets, and an evening dedicated to stand-up comedy. “Our live stage will be a hub of local talent and personalities, bringing our community together through performances that make each visit a unique experience,” says Tyson McNamara, Stage Manager. “We believe in the power of supporting local artists, providing a space where their creativity shines.” [Scout Magazine]

The Pizza Bagel Cafe at 931 Commercial, which seemed to be closed for a while, has re-opened.

Finally, the new building at 928-938 Commercial seems to be completed after what seems like an age. The storefront at 938 is not yet occupied.

Vacancies on the Drive this month: 

2105 Commercial, 1818 Commercial, 1604 Commercial, 1414 Commercial, 1409 Commercial, 1314 Commercial, 1250 Commercial, 1230 Commercial, 938 Commercial.

This does not include Dolce Amore or Hanai which are currently closed due to fire damage.

Previous editions of Changes on the Drive