You Should Know

You Should Know / Main Street

Vancouver’s History of Independent Grocery Stores

In the fourth edition of this ongoing Scout column, Christine recounts the changing of hands and quirky history of Helena's Grocery, 6319 Main Street.
You Should Know / Fraserhood

Vancouver’s History of Independent Grocery Stores, Vol 3.

In the third edition of this new Scout column, Christine features Little Cottage Confectionary, at 901 E 11th Avenue - "the cutest corner grocery store both in name and in structure" with a long and at-times-terrible legacy.
You Should Know

Vancouver’s History of Independent Grocery Stores, Vol. 2

In the second edition of this new Scout column, Christine hones in on John’s Confectionary, at 33 W6th Avenue, and the property history surrounding it.
You Should Know

You Should Know About Vancouver’s History of Independent Grocery Stores

Whatever you call them — corner stores, mom-and-pop shops, confectionaries, grocery stores, or simply “the store” — these places served as local gathering spaces and encouraged a sense of community. That makes them worth celebrating. Let’s get started…
You Should Know

You Should Know About the Harlem Nocturnes Basketball Team

Sixty years ago this month, one of the region’s most exciting teams was well on their way to overall league victory, and you’ve probably never heard of them.
You Should Know

You Should Know About Vancouver’s Sketchy Past with Poor Quality Beer

Christine Hagemoen tries to get to the bottom of a questionable practice popular in local beer parlours for the majority of the 20th century.
You Should Know / Main Street

The Hidden Last Vestige of Old Mount Pleasant

In the shadow of a new, 21-storey luxury condo development sits a forgotten piece of neighbourhood history.
You Should Know

You Should Know About Mount Pleasant / Fairview’s Japanese Canadian Community

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the Japanese Canadian internment — one of the darkest chapters in Canadian and BC history. To commemorate the occasion, Christine Hagemoen shares some local Japanese Canadian stories and historic community landmarks...
You Should Know

You Should Know About the History of Vancouver’s Once Thriving Comic Book Industry

Local historian, Christine Hagemoen, discovers that Vancouver was once an integral part of the Golden Age of Canadian comics.
You Should Know / Mt. Pleasant

How to Familiarize Yourself with Mount Pleasant’s Rich and Little Known History, On Foot

Christine Hagemoen shares a sampling of the many stories haunting this Vancouver neighbourhood, included in her newly published walking guide.
You Should Know

How Mandarin Oranges Once Marked the Beginning of Vancouver’s Holiday Season

An in-depth look at how the role of these little 'easy-to-peel' Chinese oranges has evolved since their introduction to Vancouver circa the late 19th century.
You Should Know / Downtown

Vancouver’s Cruel and Ridiculous Lack of Public Toilets: A History

Despite its world class pretensions, this city has always made it hard for its citizens to find relief on the go.
You Should Know / Chinatown

How Chinatown’s ‘Ding-Ho’ Once Ruled Vancouver’s Take-Out and Delivery Game

Christine Hagemoen shares how a trailblazing Canadian-Chinese fast food restaurant indelibly changed our food scene.
You Should Know / Main Street

How Mt. Pleasant Narrowly Escaped Having a Massive Cop Shop and Jail

In early the early 1950s, the City of Vancouver had big plans to build a new police station where Kingsgate Mall is today.
You Should Know

The Origins of Vancouver’s Fitness Fetish

We trace the story of the government-sponsored program that once had Vancouverites sweating en masse.
You Should Know

You Should Know About Vancouver’s Long, Explosive Relationship With Halloween

Christine Hagemoen dials back the local clock to understand how and why our city associates Halloween with fireworks.
You Should Know / Main Street

Iconic Mt. Pleasant Spot Gets a Name Change

A curious new entry on Google Maps inspired a neighbourhood history lover to learn about the formidable Gertrude Guerin.
You Should Know / Downtown

How Bikes Liberated Vancouver

In her latest "You Should Know" story, Christine Hagemoen reminds us of how the bicycle first took our city by storm.
You Should Know / Gastown

You Should Know That Gastown Was Home to Canada’s First Movie Theatre

In this edition of 'You Should Know', we remember the groundbreaking Edison Electric Theatre on W. Cordova Street.
You Should Know / Downtown

Once Upon a Time, Street Photographers Worked Our Sidewalks Hard

In her latest essay, Christine Hagemoen reminds us of a disappeared facet of daily life in downtown Vancouver.
You Should Know

Vancouver Once Had a City Architect, and He Was As Prolific As He Was Controversial

The 'You Should Know' series continues with a look at A.J. Bird, the architect behind some of Vancouver's most iconic buildings.
You Should Know / Downtown East Side

You Should Know About Pigeon Park

How commercial interests, social engineering politicians, pigeons and people shaped the Downtown Eastside's "living room".
You Should Know

You Should Know About ‘Newsie Jack’

At just 5'1", newspaper seller Jack Kanchikoff may have been small in stature, but he left a big impression on Vancouver.
You Should Know / New Westminster

Once a Local Prison, Now a Preschool and Pub

The remnants of the old BC Pen in New Westminster have come a long way in their storied history and you should know about it.
You Should Know / North Vancouver

How 1,000 Vancouver Women Fought World War II from the North Shore

Our 'You Should Know' series continues with a look at the historical importance of a swathe of North Van waterfront.
You Should Know / Downtown

Vancouver’s First Public Art Superstar

Carlos Marega made a huge impact on the look and feel of early Vancouver, and many of his works remained treasured civic icons.
You Should Know / Downtown

Hunting Vancouver’s Forgotten Sidewalk Prisms

These historic gems were common a 100 years ago. Now they're disappearing fast. Let this map/essay lead you to those that remain.

17 Places
You Should Know / Sunshine Coast

How TV Introduced the West Coast to Canada

A look back at The Beachcombers, the long-running TV show that put Gibsons on every Canadian's radar.