Monday, April 4, 2011

603 Kingsway, Vancouver


Kingsway sounds like a very regal street. It dashes diagonally through the strict grid system of Vancouver heading southeast of historical Gastown towards Burnaby. It has seen a lot over the years but nothing close to royalty in recent decades. It has many ethnic eateries, garages, car lots and many Vietnamese Pho restaurants, some of which are actually private clubs with nicotine stained walls where gambling and after-hours affairs take place.

And well, this is the street Stephan and I chose to open our baby, Alibaba. In fact, we are turning one of these Vietnamese "restaurants" and the print shop next door into something more enjoyable for the ever-changing neighbourhood. There will be a yoga studio on one side and a restaurant on the other. They will work together and be a place to indulge in holistic therapies such as yoga, food, wine and conversation. It's been 6 months in the dreaming and it's at a very real stage. We have a vacant building, design drawings, and a team in the making. Tomorrow I'm scraping the letters off the windows, so I thought I would say goodbye to the old businesses with a few photos.
















the old Pho restaurant

















restaurant back door
















front of the printing shop which is becoming a yoga studio

1 comment:

  1. Good bye to the old and hello to the new. Congratulations on beautifying the neighbourhood. Change can be a wonderful thing.

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