Image: Flower Offering

Changes On The Drive #101

There were a couple of times I thought I might drown during the walk yesterday in torrential rain. But I managed to get through it with a couple of stops to dry out on the way.

I saw no changes on the southern half of my walk. However, according to a commercial website suggested to me by a regular correspondent, both the Cabrito Restaurant at 2270 Commercial and the Dollar Grocers vegetable market at 2210 are for sale at $226,000 and $150,000 respectively.

 

Change is a bit more active north of First.

By the time you read this, I understand that the Libra Room at 1608 Commercial will be closed for good.  Their website doesn’t mention the closure, but also has no music dates shown after the New Year.  One unconfirmed rumour has it that the space will become a Greek restaurant.  Sad to lose such an important live music venue.

On the other hand, by the time you read this, Bar Corso at 1566 Commercial may well be open. It finally looks ready for prime time.

The Ugly Dumpling at 1590 Commercial and its owners get a good write up in Scout.

Livia, 1339 Commercial, made it to the Best New Restaurant of 2019 list.

Oca Pastaficio at 1260 Commercial is now open.  It specialises in hand-made pasta and is run by Greg Dilabio and Adam Pegg who both have long resumes of delivering great food in Vancouver.

Source: Scout (https://scoutmagazine.ca/2019/12/18/oca-pastaficio-ready-to-launch-on-commercial-drive/)

 

I am told by another regular correspondent that the store at 1108 Commercial — the home of Urban Empire for so many years, and more recently the less successful juice bar called Wilder — is soon to be the home of Tamam To Go, a branch of the Palestinian restaurant on Hastings. That will be worth watching.

The Five Elements at 1046 Commercial is currently closed for major renovations and due to reopen in January. However, I noticed earlier this week that there was a Stop Work order on the door because they do not have a permit for the renovations.  Hope that doesn’t delay them too long.

The former and much-missed Skylight Cafe at 1012 Commercial is soon to reopen as a Japanese fried chicken place called Mogu. They used to operate a food truck.  It will be interesting to see how it does opposite the always-packed Downlow Chicken Shack.

The commercial website that I mentioned near the beginning of this piece also shows the Bump n’Grind coffee shop at 916 Commercial for sale at $129,000. [Update 1/1: owners says not for sale]

 

Vacancies On The Drive This Month:  2277 Commercial (6 months vacant), 2223 (10 months), 1740 (5 months), 1303 (3 months), 1108 (5 months), 1012 (3 months).

 

So, we finish the year with the lowest number of vacancies on the Drive since September 2014.

 

Happy New Year!

I am a great believer in returning our calendar to follow the natural rhythms of nature.  Therefore, my preference would be that each year begin and end at December 21st, the winter solstice. However, until the world comes to its senses about this, I will wish all my readers a happy new year on this more usual date.