Shopping
Shopping (Kevin Arnold photo)
Shopping options in Nanaimo fall roughly into two categories: downtown boutiques, independent retailers and one-of-a-kind specialty shops; and suburban shopping malls, among them the largest on Vancouver Island.
Downtown Shopping
At the foot of Commercial Street near Terminal Street are several excellent, bargain-packed bookstores packed with thousands of used and remaindered titles. Stylish men's and women's clothing outlets carrying Canadian designers, a marine maps specialty shop and a 6400sq ft/595sq m kitchenware, furniture and jewellery superstore known as Flying Fish are also in the downtown core.
The Commercial Street area is officially tagged the "Arts District" for good reason. Start at Gallery 223, a cooperative space in a heritage building where artists work in a warren of studios on the second floor. Another highlight: Hill's Native Art, which carries masks, totems, talking sticks and Cowichan knit sweaters among other treasures.
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Old City Quarter
The information map and area directory at Wesley and Fitzwilliam streets maps out this historic area neatly. This is the site of Heritage Mews, a modern red-brick complex lined with restaurants and shops. The retail outlets include a knitting and yarn shop, home decor boutiques and a pair of fascinating metaphysical/New Age outlets: Millizzas' Cave, which carries crystals, minerals and fossils; and Lobelia's Lair with its Tarot readings and array of books, beeswax candles, jewellery and artwork.
Also in the Old Quarter is McLean's Specialty Foods, home to Scandinavian and UK imports (mushy peas, custard and Scotch pies included), interesting sauces, spices and oils and 100 varieties of cheese. Further down Fitzwilliam Street towards the harbour is a string of brightly coloured heritage shops anchored by G.E.M. Fabrications, which sells one-of-a-kind wrought-iron metalwork for house, garden and front gate.
North Nanaimo
There's one downtown shopping mall (Port Place Shopping Centre, across from the casino where the Trans-Canada Highway becomes known as Nicol Street and Terminal Avenue). But dedicated shoppers flock to a string of super-malls strung along the Island Highway (#19A) in the city's northern reaches.
At the city limits is Woodgrove Centre, the biggest mall on the island with 150 shops corralled in 724,700 sq feet/67,300 sq m of retail space. In a word: Mega. If the parking lot is full, there are plenty of other ways to spend a buck at three more Island Highway malls: the Country Club Centre, Nanaimo North Town Centre (formerly the Rutherford Mall) and Brooks Landing.
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