It’s week 3 of our Stops Along the Seawall series! We’ve been hopping on our bikes and zooming along one of Vancouver’s most popular attractions: the 22k seawall. Though the view of the ocean is breathtaking, the city itself is just as impressive. Retail and residential space have truly become a commodity; you can’t help but notice that each door is different from the next.
There is hardly room for Walmart in the city, and this might scare some city-slickers. But, big-box stores and one-stop shops aren’t missed by true Vancouverites. People enjoy the search. It’s a thing to do in Vancouver. We like visiting many little shops. It’s fun to handpick items from places that handpick items; you might just stumble upon that “thing you didn’t know you needed until you saw it.” And this, my friends, summarizes my visit at Delish General Store.
Granville Island’s newest tenant opened just under a month ago, and it almost flew under our radar. See, Delish is located in what seems like a dead end, behind Roger’s Chocolates. Yes, that’s right, you have to pass the chocolate shop and keep on going. But, it’s worth it, so press on!
A little bit of Pinterest exploded in Delish, making it a dangerous place for foodies and DIY-ers. If you fall into either or, heaven forbid, both of those categories…prepare to drop some coin. For instance, their “Jar Bar” is stocked with mason jars of all shapes and sizes. Glass straws. Metal straws. Paper straws. Pretty things, in every direction.
From kitchenware to clothing accessories, baskets, buttons, and clever prints, Delish encompasses exactly what Vancouverites love. They have dedicated their humble space to provide thoughtfully curated, hard-to-find, good-quality products. Vancouverites like choice, but not too much choice. The key, is someone with great taste. Someone with a keen eye to find us the best handful of options. At Delish, her name is Tamara.
Tamara started Delish General Store started as an extension of Delish Magazine, a free publication that “celebrated the revival of the hand made and home grown, extolled the virtues of getting your hands dirty, and passed on knowledge, recipes, techniques and the pioneering spirit.” Struck by the eloquence of her vision and how it is mirrored in her new store, I asked Tamara:
J: What inspired you?
T: I am a former broadcast and print journalist and magazine editor. I worked as a radio host, television reporter, and writer/editor. For years I used my talent for understanding trends and finding great, unknown designers, makers and products to write interesting pieces for magazines, newspapers and web sites. I still do that detective work, but I use these powers for finding new products for my customers. I often discover and bring something in before anyone else in Canada has it, and my loyal customers have come to count on me for this.
In terms of the magazine, I wanted to offer something to the growing community of people who were interested in trying their hand at making something: a loaf of bread, a jar of jam, a quilt, and so on, but who might not have experience with it. I come from a long line of makers and believe in DIY in the biggest way!
J: Why Granville Island?
T: A happy chance! We were wanting to open up in Edgemont Village on the north shore, but we were waiting and waiting for space to open up there. In the meantime, my very close friend Lorna, who owns Bodacious on Granville Island, told me that the space next door to her was going to come available. The timing was right and we decided to take it, and since then so many people have stopped by and said, “Granville Island needed this!”, and I couldn’t agree more.
J: What’s your favourite product? *As I eye everything in every direction*
T: That question is almost too difficult to answer! It’s like choosing my favourite child…not gonna happen! I love EVERYTHING! The fact is, I order items that I want to have in my house and in my life, so I love it all. I’m honoured to be able to share items like Pyrrha jewelry, Happy Spritz sprays, Joco coffee cups, Buncha Farmers Stain Remover Sticks, soaps from Old Kinderhook and more, but I can’t pick a favourite.
Now that said, the thing I am most excited about would have to be the JAR BAR! It’s a one stop shop where we’ve put together all the sizes of mason jars and all the tops that are on the market, so a customer can mix and match, and walk away with a mason jar and top that suits their personal needs! Sip, pour, store and more.
And I can’t forget the Weck jars from Germany and Le Parfait jars from France. And the linen tea towels from Studio Patro and Small Batch Production. See, I can’t choose a favourite!
J: And for our foodies, I’d like to ask, “What is your guilty food pleasure?”
T: Okay, again, why don’t you just ask my to choose my favourite child?!?!
HAHAHA! That’s a tough one. I LOVE food. I’m not really guilty about anything I eat! I believe in everything in moderation, and enjoy variety, flavours, a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Absolutely nothing to be guilty about!
I like her style, this lady, Tamara. It’s kind of hard not to.
Thanks for the read – join us next week for as we make our final “Stop Along the Seawall!”
Delish General Store
#108, 1535 Johnston Street (Granville Island)
Vancouver, BC
