Police officers block off the road at the scene of a police-involved shooting in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, on July 30, 2022.
As the delightful emporium opened Tuesday morning, proprietor David McKie told me that the decision had, in fact, “very little” to do with its location. But if it does reopen elsewhere – and he hopes it can – it won’t be downtown. A “For Sale” sign is expected on the building in September. Mr. McKie didn’t want people to find out that way, thus the announcement. The response was both a lovefest for the store and a hate-fest for this part of Vancouver. It is unsurprising that people jumped to the conclusion that the decision was related to the neighbourhood, given its troubles.