Local businesses, music venues forced to close or alter operations

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Good morning, 

Nate with you today. On Friday, Joe’s Cafe Bar on Commercial Drive announced they would be closing permanently. The cafe, at the corner of William St., can appear a bit intimidating to the uninitiated (walking the Drive you may have passed through the large groups of mostly men that congregate out front). But it’s also exactly that role of community gathering place that gives the 48-year-old spot its charm. 

Years ago, a friend and I were watching soccer (it must have been an important game but that detail eludes me) and having a mid-morning coffee and bagel at Joe’s. When my friend went to use their ATM he found over $100 sitting in the return tray. A classic ethical dilemma, he decided to take the money up to the man working up front. Moments later, he returned to our table, beaming. ‘He told me to keep it!,’ he gushed, amazed I think by his good luck.  

No one else came to claim the cash, so we left, but not before leaving a healthy tip. I certainly wouldn’t claim to be a Joe’s regular, but the generosity and grace of that moment has stuck with me years later. 

Stop by for a cappuccino, before they close for good at the end of October. 

Sadly, closures are a bit of a theme today. We’ll get to that, plus some arts and volunteer opportunities to fill out your week. 

— Nate Lewis, Vancity Lookout 

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WEATHER

Wednesday: 21 🌡️ 12 | ☀️

Thursday: 24 🌡️ 15 | ☀️

Friday: 25 🌡️ 16 | ☀️

BUSINESS

Local businesses, music venues forced to close or alter operations

What happened: It’s not just Joe’s shutting down. A rash of closures have recently been announced in Vancouver’s music scene and amongst longtime small businesses. 

A community staple: With their huge bolts of fabric, oodles of buttons and zippers, sundry bits and bobs, and, of course, Halloween costumes, Dressew has been a mecca for Vancouver creatives and makers for over 40 years. But now, the sewing supply store has announced they’ll be selling their West Hastings storefront and their two warehouses. 

“Due to a variety of circumstances beyond our control, we are no longer able to operate Dressew as in the past… These past few years have been a struggle for every small business and we are no exception. We are heartbroken, angry and just numb that it has come to this,” they wrote in an email to customers. 

• They’ve been operating at their current location since 1983 but have been serving local garment makers for even longer, since Roger McKie started the business in 1962, according to the Vancouver Sun. 

However: They’re not closing yet, and will keep new shipments of product coming for the time being, plus all the materials currently in their warehouses. They noted this will be the last year for Halloween costumes and accessories, but otherwise it will be business as usual for now. 

• “We may still be around for years to come – we just don’t know,” they said, adding, “we hope to reopen in the future, in a different form and space.” 

Other closures: Drexoll Games, an independent board game store in Kits, permanently closed down last month after 22 years. They were evicted from their longtime storefront near 4th and Macdonald, due to the building being demolished, according to VIA. 

Restaurants, famously always riding the thin edge of profitability, are struggling with their costs, like rising food prices and COVID-era Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) loans coming due earlier this year. As many as 14% of B.C. restaurants could face closure this year, according to a January prognostication in BIV. 

• In Vancouver, it’s been places like Joe’s, Mary’s on Davie, Heirloom, The Arbor, Ubuntu Canteen, and Cafe Deux Soleils, among others, that have closed in recent years.   

Music venues: DOLLY Disco, a beloved promoter and curator of dance parties featuring global and local DJs and producers, announced over the weekend that they would be going on hiatus. 

• Since closing their former location at 713 Hastings a year and a half ago, DOLLY has been hosting events at a range of venues around Vancouver.   

“Truthfully, the economy hits us as hard as it hits you and we've found it challenging to continue bringing the calibre of events we want to in this city, especially in the realm of ever-present venue challenges and closures. Vancouver is a tough city to thrive in and we’re sure you’re feeling it too,” the promoters wrote. 

• They’re hosting four more events this year before going on hiatus. You can find more information and tickets to their final shows here. 

“We are excited for what the future holds and don't worry - we won't disappear forever, and will return stronger and brighter than before,” they added on a hopeful note. 

• The 648 Arts Society, a Queer and POC led underground artspace at 648 Kingsway, held a final goodbye series of shows last weekend. Their People’s Pride Festival was held “in honour of 648 Kingsway's roots of uplifting and highlighting QTBIPOC artists, something that will be missed in this city's music scene in their unfortunately soon approaching absence,” organizers wrote. 

The WISE Hall remains in immediate financial distress, despite some successes with fundraising, as we reported earlier this month. They need to pay back CEBA loans and secure further financing to ensure their operations can be sustainable. 

At the time, Vanessa Violini, the WISE’s director-at-large and board member, told Vancity Lookout about the importance of communal arts and culture spaces. 

• “If people are isolated and they don’t have common spaces where they can go to discuss, to connect, to build and share ideas, then we lose out on another aspect of capacity to make the world a better place,” Violini said, adding that we need open, accessible spaces to start important conversations about our shared future — ideas that are often expressed through arts, music, and culture. 

What it means: On a personal level, it’s hard to see places you grew up visiting — with all the sentiment wrapped up in those memories — have their futures threatened. These are among the many places where people in this city are currently connecting to, involving, and evolving their communities. 

• The specifics vary in each situation, and are hard to pin down in some, but most of the closures and reduction in services seem to come back to money, particularly increasing costs and the economics and politics of real estate in our exceptionally expensive city.

Ultimately, as Violini said, we need low-barrier spaces where people can gather together, share ideas and passions, be joyful, and connect with new people. Clearly, we have a long road to climb. But the view doesn’t begin at the top — there can be glimpses of a better future even as we grind uphill.

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VANCOUVER NUMBERS

🏘️ 3%: The annual allowable rent increase for B.C. in 2025, 0.5% lower than this year’s cap. [CBC]

⛴️⛴️ x10: The increase in tanker traffic through the Burrard Inlet since the expanded Trans Mountain pipeline started operations this summer. Until May, an average of two tankers per month loaded at TMX’s Burnaby marine terminal. That number jumped to about 20 ships per month in June and July. [Vancouver Sun]

🔥 10,000+: The number of sq. km. that burned during this year’s wildfire season. It’s far less than the 28,000 sq. km. in last summer’s record breaking fire season. [City News]

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

TAIWANfest: Starting this weekend, this annual arts and culture event is looking for volunteers in a wide variety of positions. If you’re interested, don’t delay! More info.

Vancouver Fringe Festival: The annual fall theatre extravaganza is looking for volunteers in a variety of roles, including registration, ushers, production crew, and bartending. More info.

Reading Tutor: The ONE TO ONE Literacy Society is looking for enthusiastic, open-minded volunteers to share the joy of reading with children in grades 1-7. Begins at the start of October. More info.

Invasive Plant Removal: Get your hands (or gloves) dirty and spend some time in Stanley Park with the Ecology Society’s DIRT program. SPES employees lead and educate volunteers on how to remove invasive plants in the park in a collegial environment. More info.

Labyrinth Host: Want to do some volunteering but feel less-than-comfortable with lots of social interaction? This position at St. Paul’s may be just right for you. Organizers call it a “quiet, meditative space and a very relaxing atmosphere,” that’s great for introverts. More info.

Neighbourhood Cleanup: The City of Vancouver coordinates various litter clean up initiatives for residents to take part in. Find programs, opportunities and more info here.

THE AGENDA

😓 A 17-year-old died after falling off a cliff in Lynn Canyon Park on Sunday. The teen had reportedly hopped a fence to get a better view of the river canyon when he slipped. Officials are reminding park visitors not to cross fences that mark hazardous areas. [City News]

🌉 The Second Narrows Bridge will have lane closures in place overnight from 10 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. tonight and again on Thursday. [BC Gov News]

🤨 The provincial ombudsperson, Jay Chalke, is criticizing Vancouver city council’s attempt — postponed until late September — to suspend the work of the city’s integrity commissioner. The plan “undermines the independence of the role, council’s accountability and the credibility of efforts to promote ethical conduct by council members,” and would be done “for an unspecified amount of time, due to an unsubstantiated 'possibility' that some of her current work 'may be out of scope,'” Chalke wrote, according to Glacier Media. He always wants the province to legislate these positions so they’re “independent of political interference.” [VIA]

🥶 Residents in a Vancouver apartment building say they’re leaving their ovens open and on, wearing heavy winter clothes, or relying on space heaters, because the building’s heating system doesn’t work properly. City council has put fixing the heating issue as a condition on the landlord’s re-zoning application for another property. [Global]

📵 There’ll be a big change this year for Vancouver’s high school students. Cell phones and other digital devices are now restricted in all B.C. schools from “bell-to-bell,” Premier David Eby said, with exceptions for students with disabilities who need access to digital tools. The change applies to kindergarten to Grade 7 students as well, though the VSB had already placed similar restrictions on that age group over the summer. [CTV]

🚘 What’s Vancouver’s worst street to drive or roll on? It’s a question prompted by a slew of complaints about potholes on 62nd Ave. between Argyle and Borden streets. It certainly looks rough, but surely there are other contenders for worst street. Where’s your biggest pavement pet peeve? [Vancouver Sun] 

⛷️ Cypress Mountain Resort announced they’ll now require visitors to pay to park in their often-packed lots, starting this winter. Seasons Pass and Sky Card holders qualify for free parking if they pre-register their vehicle. [Cypress Mountain]

🗳️ Would B.C. United’s budget promises balance themselves out? It’s a great question for columnist Mo Amir to tackle… [The Tyee]

“DREAM HOME”

Not a home, but a 1960s-era industrial space suitable for storage, warehousing, or auto repair, tucked away near the 10th Ave. bikeway and Arbutus Greenway. The building, featuring a bathroom and a loading bay door, is about 1,800 sq. ft. plus another 2,600 sq. ft. of paved parking lot. 

Building on our look at struggling businesses, the listed lease price is sure asking a pretty penny per month for a fairly shabby situation…

Home of The Week is a home selected by the Lookout team and is not a paid advertisement. All ads are labeled as such. If you’re a realtor who wishes to feature your home in our newsletter, please contact our sales team.

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ARTS

Theatre

Bard on the Beach continues their summer season until September 21. Catch Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure, and The Comedy of Errors before they pack up the tents for winter! Tickets $30+.

It’s just over a week until the ever-popular Vancouver Fringe Festival kicks off. Fringe is on from Sept. 5-15 this year with unforgettable shows and festivities taking over Granville Island. More details.

Music

The Tatus Festival is happening this Friday and Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. at the PNE, featuring a diverse array of Indigenous musical acts and dance performers. PNE Fair tickets $20.

French electronic music duo Justice is bringing the D.A.N.C.E. to the Pacific Coliseum on October 8. Tickets $70.

It’s a ways out still but Boiler Room has announced a Vancouver show this October. The international dance music organizer’s first night is already sold out, they’ve added a second night, October 19, featuring contributions from local promoters Normie Corp. Tickets $66.

Movies 

Catch the 1979 film “The Warriors” at Deckchair Cinema’s last show of the summer season tomorrow, August 29 at 7 p.m. outside Polygon Gallery. Admission by donation.

This week at the Rio, catch “Josie and the Pussycats,” “Pretty in Pink,” “Kneecap,” and “Cannibal Holocaust,” (the last one is not for the faint of heart, they warn). More info. 

Art

It’s the last week of “The Sum of All,” an exhibit exploring concepts of Indigeneity and Blackness through visual and performance-based arts, showing at the Bill Reid Gallery. Tickets $13.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Break out the hot dogs and marshmallows! Starting today, campfires are allowed again in our region. [City News] 

• Thousands of busy Canadians trust Real Estate Recap, a free newsletter to stay informed about Canada’s real estate industry and what it means to you. Subscribe today. [Sponsored]

• Vancouver’s newest professional sports team has revealed their name, and will be kicking off in April 2025. [CBC]

• Amateur strip night Rent Cheque has created a welcoming space for trans performers, who are typically shut out of traditional strip clubs. This feature is worth a read. [Georgia Straight]

• The PNE announced big discounts for fair-goers over the next two days. [Vancouver Sun] 

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Didn’t get to run this sublime shot last week, but better late than never. “Perks of working late nights,” a local redditor said, accompanied by their photo of last Wednesday’s lightning storm.

GAME TIME

Another candidate for worst stretch of road in Vancouver, this major east-west avenue functionally terminates at Fraser St., but not before tossing drivers around a bit. Send us a message with the correct number of the street in question to be featured in our next newsletter!