Login / RegisterNew Urban Fare at False Creek blends history with 21st-century living
Many years ago—too many, to mention, in fact—I worked in a grocery store, laying out the produce, stocking the dairy section, and stamping prices on tins that went up for sale.
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Yes, this was before Universal Product Codes put an end to some of that manual labour.
To improve sales and make things more appealing to customers, I would pull merchandise to the front of the shelves.
In those days, grocery stores were pedestrian establishments without a lot of history or character.
Flash forward into the 21st century and some of these retail outlets have become aesthetic destinations.
The latest example is the newest Urban Fare, which opened over the weekend at the Village at False Creek.
The archway includes brick from the historic Pantages Theatre. In its heyday, the Pantages was the landmark entertainment spot in the 100 block of East Hastings Street.
The city's fourth Urban Fare also features recycled design elements reflecting the industrial history of Southeast False Creek.
The store at 1688 Salt Street is next door to the Salt Building, which was built in the 1930s to refine salt. It later became a recycling plant.
For those with a more modern bent, the new Urban Fare also includes free Wi-Fi and laptop hookups in a 50-seat lounge.
There were never any laptop hookups in the grocery store where I worked in the early 1980s. Then again, that's likely because there were no laptops in existence in those days.
If you're curious what the new store looks like, check out the photos below.
Enter the Georgia Straight contest to win a $500 gift card or a gourmet gift basket to celebrate the opening of the new Urban Fare at the Village at False Creek.
Follow Charlie Smith on Twitter at twitter.com/csmithstraight.
