For shoppers who know what they want, New Westminster has several districts worth visiting: downtown, uptown, Sixth Street, 12th Street and Queensborough.
Antiques and bridal services are the big draws for shoppers in this historic district noted for its heritage buildings.
Around the 600-blocks of Columbia Street and adjacent Front Street (facing the historic waterfront), there's a cluster of antique stores selling sports memorabilia, vintage furniture, and other retro goodies, some dating back as far as the early 19th century.
A three-block stretch of Columbia Street is known as "Bridal Row," and is widely viewed as the place to go in Metro Vancouver for soon-to-be brides.
The Bridal Gallery (701 Columbia St.) is Canada's largest wedding apparel store at 15,000 square feet (1,400 square metres), and Whiteday Wedding (511 Columbia St.) specializes in full wedding-day planning packages.
Meanwhile, the Army and Navy (502 Columbia St.) discount department store marks its 70th anniversary in business in downtown New Westminster in 2009.
The River Market at Westminster Quay, a longtime waterfront shopping destination flanked by a scenic boardwalk, has undergone multi-million-dollar renovations, and features new food shops, retailers, restaurants and a circus school.
Uptown and Shopping Malls
The intersection of Sixth Street and Sixth Avenue is the hub of the business district, and that's where Royal City Centre is located. The 50-odd retailers at New Westminster's largest shopping mall carry books, women's fashions, sporting goods, and more. Nearby, Westminster Centre offers brand-name drug stores and coffee shops.
12th Street
"Diverse" and "funky" are terms that describe this emerging shopping area. Between 10th Avenue and Sixth Avenue, vintage guitars, comic books, specialty candy, used books, and antiques can all be discovered whilst strolling downhill.
Queensborough
Situated on the eastern tip of Lulu Island in the Fraser River, this neighbourhood specializes in outlet shopping. At Queensborough Landing, many brand-name fashion retailers have opened outlets, often with reduced prices on new and discontinued merchandise. There are also big-box electronics and homewares stores.
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