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 black box by . DNG, on Flickr
 wall box by . DNG, on Flickr
 gold box by . DNG, on Flickr
 triple shadow by . DNG, on Flickr
 long hall by . DNG, on Flickr
 light pour through by . DNG, on Flickr
 light box by . DNG, on Flickr
 cool door by . DNG, on Flickr
 bedroom decal by . DNG, on Flickr
 Study by . DNG, on Flickr
 kitchen by . DNG, on Flickr
 big upstairs window by . DNG, on Flickr
 red window by . DNG, on Flickr
 attic back by . DNG, on Flickr
 overtaken by . DNG, on Flickr
A neat little place from last summer. One of the owner was kind enough to give me a tour. Her and her family were originally from Latvia. They moved to Canada and raised their kids in BC. They own a company that specializes in preserving/reconstructing heritage buildings and they fought to have this building granted status. Despite being in their early 70s, the parents and their adult kids are doing all the labor for the reno themselves while they wait for the city to approve their zoning permit.
The building was built in 1927 as a mixed used commercial/residential lot. The frame of the house was built from a couple of different salvaged ferries. The original owner sold it to a young immigrant couple, who moved into the building. The couple couldn't afford to run the store portion, so the husband worked as a shoe repairman. The couple started the store portion as a small confectionery, in 1939, selling homemade candies and ice cream. Eventually, as the area became busier, the store started to stock essentials to feed the surrounding area, and then expanded to include a soda fountain area. A small post office was added in 1944. The couple operated the store until 1969, until they sold it off and moved to a nearby suburb. The store continued to pass from one family member to another, falling into disrepair, until the current owners purchased it.
The owners told me they want to reopen the building as a corner store. They also want to open the space up for local artisans and farmers to sell their wares. I really hope they do, as it would be nice for the community.
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I hope the building gets the love it deserves; it looks like it has nice potential. It's always great to hear a story about an old building that doesn't end in demolition.
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