12th & Main Street Mural
Our street mural at 12th & Main is completed, we encourage you to come check it out! This mural is one component in a larger Main Street project which includes bike facilities, a new parklet, parking garage mural, and a smaller street mural at 8th & Main. Our project commenced this month, starting on the weekend of September 4th, 2020, and will continue through October 2020. Stay tuned for future updates, our videographer Casey Evans Media is working to capture this project. This project is
Not Too Shabby
The month of August marks Not Too Shabby's 20th anniversary in downtown Vancouver! Located at 16th & Broadway, Not Too Shabby is a delightful locally owned boutique that carries gifts, décor, and women’s fashions. Owner, Reshell Douglas, aka Shabby Shelly, takes pride in treating all of her customers like friends. “I call it the girlfriend mentality, we want you to feel comfortable and have fun… under normal circumstances, hug if you’ve had a bad day—with the customer leaving with a big smile. We take
Downtown is Blooming!
Downtown Vancouver is blooming thanks to our 2020 flower basket donors! These baskets showcase our community pride and resiliency during these challenging times. Our flower basket program is funded entirely from individual contributors—thank you to our community for keeping our downtown vibrant. This program would not have been possible without the following community supporters: Albina Fuel Alisa Tretrault Alistaire Clary Alling Henning Associates, Inc. Amy Sanchez Ann Bauer Anne John Studio Bowden Fine Art Brad Hutton Brenda & Alan Mitchell Brewed Public House Cascadia Development Partners Caton, Day & Co. CPAs Center Stage Clothiers Cinda Connelly Columbia Waterfront Creative Computer Solutions, Inc. Cyclebar Daisy Mae
Launchpad Winner Announcement
Congratulations to our 2020 Launchpad WINNER—Marianne Wilson Stein! Marianne will be opening a Teahouse in downtown Vancouver that will feature her teas and skin care products. Her business will also host a makers space. Marianne has had great success at the Farmer's Market and looks forward to opening a brick & mortar retail space. We will continue to follow this process and showcase it as she works to open shop! Please give a big WELCOME to our newest downtown small business owner, Marianne! Read The Columbian article
Little Italy’s Trattoria
Today we are highlighting Little Italy’s Trattoria, a family-owned Italian restaurant with a lengthy menu heavy on classic favorites: pizza & pasta! Owners Jeff and Terese Boyer are celebrating their 25th year in downtown Vancouver—they are both grateful for their loyal customer base, long-time staff, and our community. What do you enjoy most about operating a restaurant in our downtown core? “Over the years we have been fortunate enough to watch as parents bring in their children and as time passes watch those children grow
Nonavo
Today we are celebrating our local Neapolitan-inspired pizza joint @ nonavopizza! Located at 110 W 6th St in downtown Vancouver, Nonavo Pizza specializes in wood-fired pizza made with locally sourced ingredients. Owner, Joey Chmiko, has a philosophy centered on educating the customer, knowing your supplier, and making damn good pizza. How has business changed during COVID? “We are fortunate to be able to continue our practice in its most regular form, people come in and buy pizza and we make pizza and we
Pilot Parklet Initiative
We are proud to announce the official debut of our pilot parklet program! Our program is a collaborative effort between the Vancouver's Downtown Association, LSW Architects, Riff Creative, and FrontdoorBack, Retail Design & Visual Merchandising. Parklets are an urban planning technique in which street parking is turned into outdoor seating areas. Our pilot program was conceived as a creative solution to support our downtown eateries as we enter Phase 2 of reopening. In Phase 2, Vancouver restaurants, coffee shops, and bars are able to host
Activating a Vacant Storefront
We are excited to unveil a community-led effort to help beautify a vacant downtown storefront (Spanky's at 9th & Main). The Vancouver's Downtown Association partnered with Aurora Gallery, Burnt Bridge Cellars, and Vancouver School of Arts and Academics to make this effort possible. Next time you are visiting our beautiful downtown, be sure to check it out! The origami pieces were folded by Holly Williams, Madeleine Williams, Isabel Giacchino, Sophie Giacchino, Lisa Giacchino, Kristen Hull, and participants in the Sip & Fold at Burnt Bridge
Kiggins Theatre
Happy Friday, Vancouver! It is a beautiful day to walk downtown and grab some popcorn from @kigginstheatre —available today from 5PM-7PM, and Saturday from 11AM-1PM. The Kiggins Theatre has been adapting and pivoting in unique ways during COVID. Dan Wyatt, owner of the Kiggins, has launched a virtual screening room to stream some of the latest hits from the comfort of your home: www.kigginstheatre.com/now-playing/. A great pairing for your popcorn this weekend! Kiggins has been using their marquee to project positivity onto our beloved Main
UnderBar
In honor of small business month, we are celebrating our local speakeasy @underbarvancouver! Nestled in the basement of the Broadway Building at 1701 1⁄2 Broadway, UnderBar offers an intimate space paired with 14 Moscow Mule variations, classic old fashioned’s, and delicious but reasonably priced food. Owners Kurt & Kendra are celebrating UnderBar’s 2-year anniversary in the month of June. The idea for UnderBar was conceived when Kurt went to mail something one day and noticed an ad on the wall for storage space.