Main Street Mania

Call us creatures of habit. We discover ‘our’ coffee shop, clothing store and kids’ shop, and pretty soon we’re in a retail rut. Ladies, it’s time to break out of the box.

Helping you get off that beaten track is Vancouver’s Modern Urban Guide, which points you to the funkiest local stores around—all independently owned and one-of-a-kind. You’ll find free, hard-copy urban guides in participating shops, or you can map your route online.

You’ve got your pick of a variety of destination neighbourhoods, but SavvyMom decided to head to Main Street—a central locale that’s definitely increased its ‘funk factor’ over the past few years.

One of our fave finds was Lazy Susan’s at 3647 Main St. (which, actually, wasn’t in the guide, but should be). This is a place for the whole family—you can buy everything from dainty, little-girl hankies to Ninja-themed band-aids to Sex Pistols lunch boxes to lingerie. You’ll find Tinkertoys for the kids and shower gifts for your girlfriends. We loved My First Phone Book, a little person’s sweet ‘organizer’ that allows the owner to post a friend’s photo and phone number on each page.

Close by is twigg&hottie at 3671 Main St., a great source of eco-clothing for big and small. Each item is tagged to let the consumer know if it is sustainable, produced locally, Canadian-designed, etc.

Down the street we had fun at Welk’s, a quality five-and-dime discount store that offers good kitchenware, Halloween accessories and bargains galore. We were impressed by their selection of bamboo cutting boards and just had to buy four of their $1.29 flat-folding, insulated lunch bags that, unlike boxy lunch kits, are much easier to slip into a school backpack.

Farther south at 4305 Main is the children’s clothing store Beansprouts, a must-visit locale that’s an oasis for families. Kids will love the play area, a pleasant bathroom is on offer, and there’s lots to see—from new designer wear to quality consignment for little ones. A great book gift for a fellow-mom is Haiku Mama (Because 17 Syllables is All You Have Time to Read) by Kari Anne Roy, a compendium of tiny odes to motherhood in all its grit and glory.

There are 45 Main Street boutiques listed, and your intrepid Savvy reporters couldn’t cover them all in one day, much as they longed to. Before you head out on your own retail reconnaissance tour, consider asking a friend to handle the school pick-up that day—you’ll need the extra time!

Lazy Susan’s
(604) 873-9722
3647 Main St.

twigg&hottie
www.twiggandhottie.com
(604) 879-8595
3671 Main St.

Welk’s
www.welkmart.com
(604) 873-3330
3511 Main St.

Beansprouts
www.beansprouts.ca
(604) 871-9782
4305 Main St.