Taking a little piece of Vancouver home is easy. First Nations art and jewelry from the city’s museum shops and galleries makes a striking souvenir. Look for works in the Museum of Anthropology gift shop and in Gastown galleries, including Hill’s Native Art, Coastal Peoples Fine Arts Gallery and Spirit Wrestler Gallery. On South Granville Street, check out the Douglas Reynolds Gallery.
From Gastown it’s just a short walk to Chinatown, where many stores carry jade pendants, bracelets and carvings (be wary of “too good to be true” deals, as real jade is not cheap), but you’ll also find many shops packed with authentic and inexpensive imports like ceramics, paper lanterns, silk robe and embroidered linens.
For a tried-and-true Canadian brand, check out Roots. Pick up one of its iconic beaver sweaters or finely made leather pieces. Another Canadian institution, Hudson’s Bay department store, is a place to purchase luxury items.
For your foodie friends, bring back local smoked salmon; it’s sold packed to travel at several stalls in the Granville Island Public Market. Also on Granville Island, you can source other BC-made foods, from jams to spice rubs to chocolate, at Edible Canada.
Though Lululemon, the yogawear company, is now an international brand, the business launched in Vancouver. To bring home their latest styles and scout out their creations-in-progress, visit the Lululemon Lab.
And being a hockey-mad city, a piece of apparel from the Vancouver Canucks — found pretty much anywhere in the city — will make you feel like a local.
