VICTORIA - Vancouver and Victoria - page 227

Shopping
Victoria is a shopper's delight. Although the city doesn't have defined shopping precincts,
the following descriptions provide an overview of shopping destinations within the down-
town core. In the Inner Harbour, Government and Douglas Streets are the main strip of
tourist and gift shops. The bottom end of Douglas, behind the Fairmont Empress Hotel,
is where you'll pick up all those tacky T-shirts and such. The touristy shops are all open
Sunday.
All summer, the historical precinct of Bastion Square is filled with local artisans
selling their wares at the Bastion Square Public Market 11am-5:30pm each Thursday
through Saturday.
Linking Broad and Government Streets (near View Street), the cobblestoned Trounce
Alley is off most visitors' radar, but worth searching out for the spiritual gifts at Instinct
Art & Gifts and the 1862 W&J Wilson men's clothing store. Cross under the arch across
Fisgard Street and enter Chinatown, with vendors selling produce and Asian curios, and
then wander down Fan Tan Alley, Canada's narrowest street, and through an eclectic ar-
ray of shops and boutiques.
Fort Street between Cook and Quadra Streets has been branded Mosaic Village in re-
cognition of the wide variety of local merchants in the area—antique shops, art galleries,
clothingboutiques,andcookingsupplystores.Mostshopsandallmajordepartmentstores
are generally open 9:30am-5:30pm Monday-Saturday and stay open for late-night shop-
ping Thursday and Friday nights until 9pm.
Downtown
Farther up Government Street are more stylish shops, such as James Bay Trading Co.
(1102 Government St., 250/388-5477, 9am-7pm daily), which specializes in First Nations
art and crafts from the island's coastal communities. Also recommended is Hill's Native
Art (1008 Government St., 250/385-3911, 9am-7pm daily), selling a wide range of au-
thentic First Nations souvenirs including original prints, Inuit carvings, totem poles, and
jewelry.
Cowichan Trading (1328 Government St., 250/383-0321, 9am-6pm daily) specializes
in Cowichan sweaters and other products hand-knitted by the Cowichan people of Van-
couver Island.