VANCOUVER - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 93

COMMERCIAL DRIVE
Extending south from East Hastings Street, Commercial Drive is a little rough around the
edges, but it offers a wonderful collection of different shopping experiences. Known loc-
ally as “The Drive,” it originally thrived as a center of Italian culture. You can still stop by
and watch a game of European football at the welcoming Abruzzo Cappuccino Bar (1321
Commercial Dr., 604/254-2641, from 7am daily) with older locals, or choose from over 200
flavors at La Casa Gelato (1033 Venables St., 604/251-3211, 10am-6pm daily), but shop-
ping is the main draw.
Stepping into Wonderbucks (1803 Commercial Dr., 604/253-0510, 10am-6pm daily)
is like stepping back in time. If there were big-box homeware stores 40 years ago, this is
what they would have looked like, complete with friendly service and a collection of items
that is halfway between hip and eclectic. North toward downtown, Dandelion Kids (1206
Commercial Dr., 604/676-1862, 10am-9pm Mon.-Sat., 11am-6pm Sun.) is a kids' store for
modern parents, complete with one-of-a-kind sculptures designed especially for baby bed-
rooms.
Outdoor and Camping Gear
A small stretch of West Broadway, between Main and Cambie Streets, holds Vancouver's
largest concentration of outdoor equipment stores. The largest of these, and the largest
in British Columbia, is Mountain Equipment Co-op (130 W. Broadway, 604/872-7858,
10am-7pm Mon.-Wed., 10am-9pm Thurs.-Fri., 9am-6pm Sat., 11am-5pm Sun.). Like the
American R.E.I. stores, it is a cooperative owned by its members; to make a purchase, you
must be a member (a one-time charge of $5). The store holds a massive selection of cloth-
ing, climbing and mountaineering equipment, tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, books, and
other accessories.
Bookstores
General independents are limited; Blackberry Books (1666 Johnston St., 604/685-6188,
10am-7pm daily) stocks touristy-type coffee-table books and a wide range of western Ca-
nadiana.
The Canadian bookstore giant Chapters/Indigo has multiple Vancouver stores (788
Robson St. at Howe St., 604/682-4066; south of False Creek at 2505 Granville St. at Broad-
way, 604/731-7822; and in major shopping centers such as Burnaby's Metrotown), each
stocking more than 100,000 titles.