I’m sure many people have been finding enjoyment in supporting their favorite restaurants, and shops, but with the severity of covid and the province locking down plenty, many businesses have been hit by a lack of financial support, customers, and covid cases shutting them down entirely. So while many of us are cozying up at home, sipping our favorite drink while we put on a show and kill time until we get back to work, it’s important to check in on just how Vancouver’s best spots to spend your hard-earned cash have been holding up. Let me know just where your go-to spots have been during this pandemic in the comments below!

We’ll start with a big one: Starbucks. Starbucks announced earlier this year that they would shut down over 300 locations in Canada, and over the course of just over a year since the beginning of 2020, over 30% in the lower mainland have been closed down. From Capilano Mall to Whiterock, stores have been closing left and right. Thankfully, employees are being transferred and not just laid off, along with the company having a plan to add new stores in the future. It’s not like the brand is doing too poorly, and i’m sure they aren’t too hurt by the pandemic, but it’s employees are certainly suffering having little notice of these closures, and possibly having to work at a location they would not prefer. Your go-to pick-me-up from Starbucks isn’t going anywhere, but you may have to find a new spot to grab it from. Ensure you keep an eye on your nearest location!

For all of you who also enjoy wearing eyeglasses, I have some bad news. SEE Eyewear has shut down in Canada, originally opening in November of 2017 with plans to expand, it is now only available in the US. Fortunately, there are many other eyewear businesses open still, such as FYI doctors, but if you ever want some of the limited selection SEE Eyewear could have had, you’ll have to cross the border once it is back open. They have a location in Seattle, so it may be worth the trip to some of you out there! However, for those into high-quality clothing shopping downtown, the Versace location on Thurlow St. has closed down for good. It’s been around for awhile with a 34 year history here in Vancouver, but unless your looking for Versace furniture, which is still open, these threads are online-only from now on. To top it off, Freywille, with their only location in North America right here in downtown, has also permanently closed down. Selling high-end accessories and jewelry is a thing of the past from this storefront, so all you big spenders will likely need to shop online, or find somewhere new that catches your eye!

And for many of you chocolate lovers, even worse news. While we have plenty of fantastic stores such as Purdys, Godiva has shut its doors across North America, robbing us of our chocolatey indulgences. They too had plans to expand even further, having only 11 stores here in Canada, but alas, with their company model focusing on in-store purchasing, and the pandemic making that kind of shopping difficult, they decided to close down their delightful sweets stores as a wise decision. On the topic of sweets, Funnel Cake Express has also permanently closed their doors. Again, with the problems of in-person shopping, food retailers have little wiggle room to make it work. They have some insane dishes, such as deep fried mars bars, twinkies, funnel cakes with icing sugar and chocolate drizzle aplenty, but what caught me off guard the most was the deep fried butter. This place is nuts. So while you can no longer enter their doors, they still have their food truck going around town, along with purchasable funnel cake kits that you can make on your own! Be sure not to miss out when they stop their truck in your area!

To work off all those calories, you may be saddened from the recent permanent closure from Sports National across Canada. It is a storefront owned by Canadian Tire, and while it’s not in any danger of financial losses, they decided to pull away from the competition coming in from rival businesses, such as Mark’s and Sport Chek. Anyone may be able to easily swap to a new storefront for their sporting gear, but it’s surprising to see the entire family of Sports National stores getting taken down. And this leads into the many athletic centers getting closed down recently, such as Eastside Boxing Gym, an extremely popular gym that has received a lot of support from its customers. They plan to re-open as soon as possible, which should be on the 29th. Another gym, Club Phoenix Fitness, has also closed down until the 29th, where multiple cases were found. While they too will re-open soon, hence why it’s incredibly important to stay safe, mask up, wash those hands, and do everything in your power to prevent the spread of covid. Many people such as my friends need to be able to exercise, and being able to feel safe and comfortable at their favorite gym is important for every fitness enthusiast.

I’ve personally lost quite a few of my favorite businesses as well, such as the Bubble Queen that was on Oak and 16th, selling the Toblerone slush, oreo bubble waffles, with a lovely patio and friendly staff. Or the Dear and Fro shaved ice dessert spot on 41st. They had a killer strawberry dish that just melted in your mouth. Even GameStop is gone now! Of course, with gaming being mostly online it only makes sense, but I’ll miss that child-like excitement of perusing through a game store to find a deal or reserve a copy of a popular new release. A couple of these small businesses may have gone completely unnoticed by many of you readers, but each and every one of us has a place we visit often that we would call “our spot”. I can’t remember the last time I went to Pepper Lunch, a Japanese sizzling platter restaurant that I simply couldn’t get enough of. Each part of your meal comes on a piping hot pan, and you cook it as you eat. Rice, curry sauce, pork, chicken, or veggies are all a part of what makes this place special to me. So everyone, as much as you can’t wait to head back to your favorite restaurant, lets all do our part to support these businesses as much as we can by buying online, heading in even for some safe small purchases, or letting your friends know about the spots you care about the most. Soon, through our efforts of preventing the spread of covid, we will all hopefully be able to head back out to our go-to “treat yourself” spots.