Vancouver’s Main Shopping Areas

Downtown
Centered on Robson Street - Vancouver's main shopping promenade and the host to almost all of North America's leading clothing brands - the city's downtown core is often teeming with busy shoppers clutching their latest purchases and heading to their credit card-friendly next port of call. High fashion, shoes, jewellery and home-wares are the mainstays here, and there are also plenty of restaurants and Starbucks coffee shops for those who need to refuel.

Aside from popular stores like Roots, Gap, Banana Republic, Aritzia, Lululemon, HMV and Chapters, the area's large department stores include Sears and the Bay, across from each other at the intersection of Granville and Georgia Streets. And just a block down, you can find Holt Renfrew, an all-Canadian department store where you can find all the luxurious designer brands. If it's raining, there's also the city's main shopping mall, Pacific Centre (www.pacificcentre.com).

Yaletown
Occupying a plethora of scrubbed clean and revitalized former brick warehouses bounded by Nelson, Homer, Drake and Pacific Streets, chichi Yaletown (www.yaletowninfo.com) is stuffed with the city's hippest designer clothing stores and furniture outlets. When the new Mini Cooper was launched in North America, it was no surprise when the company opened a swanky showroom here to speak directly to the people with the visual élan - and the money - to embrace it. But Yaletown is not just about designer gear for beautiful young things; this is also the location of the Coastal People's Fine Art Gallery, showcasing some of the magnificent carvings, masks and jewelry of regional First Nations artisans (www.coastalpeoples.com).

South Main ("SoMa")
Occupying the Main Street area between 20th and 25th avenues, SoMa's main shopping appeal lies in its exciting array of unique, independent clothing and jewellery boutiques. A hotbed of quirky design from the city's younger artisans, these stores - including Barefoot Contessa, Smoking Lily and Narcissist - are fuelling the renaissance of an area once known for little more than its grungy, down-at-heel demeanour. In this neighbourhood you can find condensed blocks of consignment stores, where some of the hippest Vancouverites find deals in styling-up on vintage or sell their own tired clothing on consignment. Do not miss the largest consignment store in SoMa, Front & Co. Further along Main, you'll find an antiques row of stores selling vintage furniture and fixtures, including plenty of choice art deco pieces. If you fancy a break, there are plenty of eclectic coffee shops and ethnic eateries lining the street here.

Story idea
Consider an up-to-the-minute shopping story on SoMa for the kind of traveler who appreciates quirky, one-of-a-kind designer clothing. Your story could offer a first-hand review of what's on offer among the eclectic stores here as well as interviews with some of the local designers whose work is on the shelves. Include a sidebar of your best purchases in the area.

South Granville
Occupying the Granville Street area between 4th and 15th Avenue, South Granville is one of the city's emerging upscale shopping neighbourhoods for visitors. Once home only to family restaurants and small grocery stores, it's now lined with shops selling designer fashions, cool interior accessories and tempting, must-have knick knacks. A kaleidoscope of small, independent galleries has also colonized its flanks - check out the Bau-xi Gallery and Uno Langmann Fine Art - while one of the city's best high-end delis and grocery stores, Meinhardt Fine Foods, offers lots of local and international treats for visiting gourmands. A browsers paradise, South Granville has some superb restaurants and a live theatre, so you can spend the entire day here if you wish.

Story idea
Consider a story profiling three Vancouver shopping neighbourhoods for visitors. Select the most diverse areas you can find and offer first-hand reviews of its store highlights. You could include the galleries of South Granville, the quirky clothing shops of SoMa, the mainstream buzz of Robson Street or the chichi élan of Yaletown. Include some of the best pit-stop coffee spots you find along the way.

Gastown
If you walk north from the downtown core, you'll soon come to the redbrick Waterfront Station, just a few steps from the entry point to Gastown (www.gastown.org). Vancouver's oldest neighbourhood and an official National Historic Site of Canada, its cobbled streets and heritage buildings are now home to a clutch of art galleries, swanky design stores, unique clothing boutiques, antique shops and First Nations artisan outlets. The area's main Water Street thoroughfare is also Vancouver's souvenir central, housing several large gift shops in the shadow of the famed steam clock. This is the place to pick up your maple leaf T-shirts, jade jewellery and "moose dropping" chocolates. If you have time, stick around for dinner: Gastown has some great bars and restaurants.

Granville Island
A must-see for visitors and shoppers looking for the unique and usual, artsy Granville Island (www.granvilleisland.com) is a former industrial area transformed into a warren of artisan studios and shopping nooks. It's easy to spend a day ambling among the stores selling everything from pottery, jewellery and glassware to books, clothing and wine. While children will not want to miss the Kids Market of toys and activities, everyone should save time for the Public Market. Teeming with deli counters, bakeries, fishmongers and pyramids of gleaming fruit and vegetables, it's a popular treat for browsers - and there's a great on-site food court for a lunchtime refuelling stop.

Kitsilano
A former 1960s hippy hangout transformed into an established neighbourhood of pricey heritage homes, "Kits" has a comfy, laid-back feel and a selection of stores aimed at well-off urban professionals. Centred on 4th Avenue (www.kitsilano4thavenue.com), these stores range from bookshops themed around travel or children, outdoor stores for SUV drivers, yoga wear boutiques and specialty shops selling cooking utensils. The area makes for a pleasant afternoon stroll and there are plenty of cafés and restaurants available for shopping breaks.

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