The Vancouver Archives are some of the best city archives in Canada, displaying thousands of images from around Vancouver, British Columbia and even the rest of Canada. Each time I visit I get lost in the history of the city for hours.
On my latest visit, I discovered some incredible photographs of storefronts dating all the way back to the 1800s. Storefronts are an interesting subject to study in history. From fashions to goods and from displays to costs of items, the images of storefronts show an ever changing city and an evolving civilisation adapting to the changing world around them.
There were so many images, that I decided to split them up into several posts. In this first post of old photographs of Vancouver storefronts I am sharing images from the years 1885-1910. Enjoy!
1885-J. Fred Hume and Company general store1886-Cordova Street [looking west from Carrall Street] five weeks after the fire1887-Exterior of the Bayview Hotel on Cordova Street between Seymour Street and Granville Street1887-The Gem and Jack Levy’s cigar store on Cordova Street1888-Hastings Mill Store1889-Hudson’s Bay Company storefront at 150 Cordova Street1890-George Robertson Gordon in front of his mens’ wear store at 107 Carroll Street1890-Vancouver Market, R.V. Winch, Proprietor 1888 [20 Cordova Street]1890?-Big Boston Cheap Store at Abbott and Water Street1890?-Exterior of the Brunswick House – 31 West Hastings Street1890?-Geo. E. Trory jewelry store, 105 Cordova Street1892-Storefront of first Stark’s Glasgow House dry goods store on Cordova Street1893-[Charles Gross in front of his shoe store at 313 Carrall Street]1895-Exterior of R.V. Palmer’s store at 929 Westminster Avenue (Main Street)1896-Exterior of Mainland Feed Store and Chop Mills at 929 Westminster Avenue (Main Street)1898-Clarke and Stuart Books and Stationery store at 28 Cordova Street1900-Exterior of Grandview Table Supply, a groceries and provisions store with the proprietor and his young assistant at the door1900-Exterior view of W.H. Walsh Grocer1900-Muriel Cornish, Wilfred Cornish, and Mary Tait on Marpole Bridge near Grauer’s Store1900?-View of the north side of the 100 Block of West Hastings Street1901-Exterior of Boult’s Music Store and N. Caple and Co. Stationers, decorated for the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York1903?-Wm. Urquhart Wines and Liquors, Cigars and Tobacco, exterior1903?-Wm. Urquhart Wines and Liquors, Cigars and Tobacco, storefront1904-Georgia Street at Hornby Street1904-Rubinowitz Departmental Stores Co. of B.C. Branch Store at the corner of Water and Abbott Street1905-Exterior of John Archibald MacMillan’s grocery store and post office1905-White and Bindon, Books, Stationery Etc1907-The south side of the Unit Block of Dupont (Pender) Street1908-Banner across street at] Hastings and Abbott, Vancouver, B.C.1909-Southeast corner Broadway and Heather Street1910-Bert A. Emery [standing with two other people in the entrance of Terry’s Drug Store]1910-Exterior of J.A. Pykes shoe store at 518 West Hastings Street1910?-Exterior view of W.H. Walsh Grocer1910?-Hansford James Edwards in front of his store at 524 Renfrew Street1910?-View of the 100 block Water Street looking west from the corner of Abbott and Water Streets
Please visit the Vancouver Archives to find more amazing old photographs from the city’s past.
From utilitarian highway bridges to showstopping landmarks and historic viaducts, Vancouver is awash with bridges. A necessity to connect the islands and the mainland, the bridges of the West Coast are marvels of engineering, construction, […]
Vancouver is known for a lot of things. Its never-ending rain, sprawling mountain ranges, or the iconic three-note chime of the SkyTrain as its doors close. Yet the fire that razed the young city to […]
Throughout its history of being one of the biggest and most culturally influential cities on Canada’s West Coast, Vancouver has been home to a variety of styles of architecture throughout the city and its surrounding […]
![1886-Cordova Street [looking west from Carrall Street] five weeks after the fire](https://vancouverguardian.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/1886-Cordova-Street-looking-west-from-Carrall-Street-five-weeks-after-the-fire.jpg)
![1890-Vancouver Market, R.V. Winch, Prop[rietor] 1888 [20 Cordova Street]](https://vancouverguardian.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/1890-Vancouver-Market-R.V.-Winch-Proprietor-1888-20-Cordova-Street.jpg)
![1893-[Charles Gross in front of his shoe store at 313 Carrall Street]](https://vancouverguardian.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/1893-Charles-Gross-in-front-of-his-shoe-store-at-313-Carrall-Street.jpg)
![1908-Banner across street at] Hastings and Abbott, Vancouver, B.C.](https://vancouverguardian.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/1908-Banner-across-street-at-Hastings-and-Abbott-Vancouver-B.C..jpg)
![1910-Bert A. Emery [standing with two other people in the entrance of Terry's Drug Store]](https://vancouverguardian.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/1910-Bert-A.-Emery-standing-with-two-other-people-in-the-entrance-of-Terrys-Drug-Store.jpg)
