The light industrial/heritage mix of Lower Mount Pleasant has transformed the area from ‘a no man’s land’ to a hotbed of activity
By John Mackie, Vancouver Sun January 4, 2012
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Statues line a shelf at St Andrew’s Books Gifts and Church supply in Mt Pleasant.
Photograph by: Gerry Kahrmann, Vancouver Sun
Lower Mount Pleasant has long been one of Vancouver’s most invisible neighbourhoods. Originally residential, it was rezoned industrial decades back and became something of a no man’s land, a grab bag of light industrial buildings and old houses. It was the kind of area you drove around, or through.
Until now.
The tiny area north of Broadway, between Cambie and Main, has quietly developed into one of Vancouver’s most interesting neighbourhoods. It’s home to architectural offices, film companies and artist studios, print shops, clothing manufacturers and the head offices of Mountain Equipment Co-op.
It’s an eclectic blend, the living definition of what urban planners call “mixed use.”
Need a statuette of St. Michael, the patron saint of police officers? You can pick one up at St. Andrews Book, Gift and Church Supply, a 12,000 square-foot store and warehouse at 305 West 8th.
Looking for a great coffee? Milano Boutique Roasters (156 West 8th) grinds its own brand of beans in the back, and offers a drop-dead gorgeous view of the downtown skyline through the floor-to-ceiling windows in its café.
Want some cultural nightlife? The Anza Club (3 West 8th) hosts concerts and The Celluloid Social Club, a monthly forum for local independent filmmakers. And the unsignposted Narrow Lounge (1898 Main St.) is one of Vancouver’s hottest little hipster bars.
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