homesense is a happy little playground for shopaholics and anyone furnishing a home or looking for…read moreinspiration, hunting for ideas for a hostess gift, or shopping for gifts in general, whether they're for someone else or a well deserved treat for yourself. part of the winners and marshalls family, this homesense location is at 493 robson street, on the second floor above iga. it's easy to walk past if you're not paying attention, but once you're inside, time has a way of slipping by. this is a great spot for fun, festive seasonal decor at reasonable prices. like winners and marshalls, it's very much a hit or miss experience, which is part of the charm. if you've got a bit of time, a lot of patience, and an open mind, chances are you'll leave with something you need, want and/or love. the selection is wide and always changing: linens, pet stuff, glassware, cookbooks, knick knacks, area rugs, hampers, closet organizing storage stuff, furniture, water bottles, puzzles, wrapping paper, and all kinds of things to decorate your space or stage an open house. you might come in for one item and leave with a cart full of unexpected finds. they also carry a surprisingly fun mix of foods, cookies, chocolates, olive oil, coffees, teas, syrups, pasta, and more. friendly pro tip: if you see something you really like, don't overthink it. things move fast here, and you can always return it later if you change your mind. just remember to keep your receipt. during the holidays, the store turns into a whimsical winter wonderland that feels festive without taking itself too seriously. even if you don't need anything, it's still a great place to wander. fun finds, seasonal charm, and always discovering something you didn't know you needed. bonus points for being dog friendly.

Customer service sucks and they claim they allow dogs but yet they pick and choose and they seem to…read moreallow the ones that don't behave in stores

Old Faithful is one of those shops that is merchandised so well where if you remove something off…read moreof a shelf someone else could tell exactly what you moved. I have been to the Old Faithful shop many times and it hasn't disappointed. It is very true to their theme of artisan, home-made or well-crafted-and-the-woodsy-bent items, which speaks to a particular customer. Some may love this shop and others may find it expensive and too specific to integrate into their personal style. I appreciate the care in the selection of the goods and the kindness of the employees. The first time I was in the shop (being overwhelmed by the visuals) I just bought several journals. When I got home, I realized that I wanted more and ordered them by phone because they don't use their website for special orders. They were very nice and when the package arrived, it was beautiful. Brown paper package, tied up with string... no kidding. This time I bought a huge wool blanket that I thought I could fit in my luggage (I couldn't) and it made a perfect gift. The thing about the blanket purchase was how much banter I had the the employees while I was purchasing it. While we were talking, THEY referenced that I had bought the journals the previous year. What memory. Their attention to detail gets me every time. I will always go back to Old Faithful when I am in Vancouver... whether or not I can fit what I buy into my luggage.

This shop is really really really cool. It is a great place to buy someone a gift. Everything here…read moreis like Japanese themed. They have a lot of stuff good for a home. This place is definitely expensive, would not recommend if you're broke, I'm not though. But yea I bought a soap shaped as a fish. I thought this was the coolest thing ever, I've never seen that before. Yea I paid $50 CAD for a soap. Yea that's absolutely ridiculous and yes you can call me stupid BUT at least it's cool though, amirite. Also, it smells good. But yea it's a gift, however I think I need to come back here and buy one for me. I think this is one of the coolest shops in gastown, this isn't a place you're going to read a review for and go, you just kinda walk into it like I did. Also, this place has really good books, I ended up buying the same book I saw here on amazon for half the price. But hey, at least I bought that fish soap.

Nothing too wow. But its interesting to look at. I mean its modern to go inside. But unless you…read morereally need to redesign your house then yeah maybe it would make sense to shop here. The product is ok, I mean I do find it does feel like going into a gift shop. Not sure I want to have the kind of stuff they sell in my house or maybe I am not too trendy. its nice artwork to look at.

I've walked by here so many times, but for some reason had never gone in. Yesterday my mom was…read morevisiting and wanted to check it out. Glad we did! Lots of cute and unique housewares and art. Friendly customer service too!

Staff took forever to process transactions with a lineup of people almost out the door. Absolutely…read moreno sense of urgency, workers were sitting behind the counter doing absolutely nothing. It was quite a frustrating and disappointing experience.

This is a Homesense + Winners combined store. My mum and I had gone in to do a winners run. We…read morefound a few decent stuff that were pretty good and things we liked at a decent cost. It seemed to be somewhat of a 'cleaner' store compared to some other locations I've seen. However, having said this, the customer service is terrible! We asked the same question to two different staff. We don't think they understood the what we were saying coz we initially got the blank stare of confusion from either of them. They also need more cashiers (or the ones that are already there need to work faster or manage their time better with the customer they have in front of them

This adorbs import shop on Commercial Drive drew me in with its bright colors and beautiful…read moredisplays. It's one of those shops I'm glad isn't close to my house or I'd be over there wayyy too often adding various colorful furniture, knick-knacks, and bric-a-brac to my stale beige apartment. The shop features two rooms devoted to all things imports. The first room is mainly small items, from jewelry and candles to clothing and other decor items. If you're looking for a gift for that hard-to-shop-for friend, this is the place. The second room is full of seriously gorgeous furniture and larger household decor items. Dressers, chairs, beds, dining sets, tapestries, lamps, rugs...it's all in here and it's all just begging you to dig out the ol' credit card and re-dec your place to look like you just returned from a six month excursion through Southeast Asia. The staff are super helpful, too. I was looking for a wall tapestry for my daughter (who is trying desperately to add a boho vibe to her bedroom). The store employee showed me the different sized tapestries and helped me pick one that most suited my kid's vibe. She said if my daughter didn't like it I was welcome to come back and exchange it for a different one. (Luckily, she liked it!) Someday when I win the Mega Millions I'm going to head to Wander and buy one-of-everything.

When the long time occupant of this retail space vacated the location there was a real gap, I…read moreadmit. But then newcomer Spirits Free arrived, and although at first it seemed the store had an identity crisis, leaving the sign blank with no name for months, the character of the shop, now aptly named 'Wander', really took an independent form. The space was brightened up considerably and filled with affordable merchandise from around the globe. Add nice music and an uncluttered layout and voila! You have an inviting, warm place to buy lovely things for yourself or gifts for friends. The merchandise includes home decor and objects of self adornment. From tribal style to Yoga style, there's something for everyone and every season. You can't just pass by, you have to wander in :)

I thought this place sells only pens so I've never stepped in. I'm so glad my friend wanted to…read morecheck it out when she was here visiting. It has more than just pens. There are stationery, some candles, body products and tea. I love the variety of tea available here. There are beautiful tea cups and tea pots too. It is a lovely shop with things which will make nice gifts. Great place to browse and get something for people or yourself.

Charming cozy luxurious boutique with a warm homely but still classy feel. The man who works the…read morecounter is friendly, polite, and in a business suit. According to other Yelpers, he seems to always be well-dressed. He also has a cute pet daschund who walks around the store. I love their tea selections here. My favorite is the Chocolate Strawberry tea bags in a tin can. I love loose leaf teas more, but I'm pretty lazy with cleaning out loose leaf teas, so I tend to get the tea cans with the tea bags. I alao enjoy browsing their soap, bath and skincare area. I love their Lollia and Tokyo Milk lotions, especially Tokyo Milk's "Rose", "Honey Moon" and "Let them Eat Cake" handcreams. Although a bit on the pricey side, this is my to-go to store for teas. The teas have strong great flavor, not like the weak tasting tea bags you get at grocery stores. I also like that there are no pushy sellers like the commission-hungry staff at Teavana, and the atmosphere at David's Tea stores feels minimal and cold. Nikaido feels so warm and friendly whenever I visit, and the staff leave me alone to browse for as long as I like. I highly recommend this boutique for tea lovers. You won't be disappointed!

Go here! You'll find something within your budget…read more Calming store, stocked with curated selection of Japanese art and cute products all around. On the lower floor there's a collection of clothing, which I admired but ultimately ignored. Friendly service. Credit accepted. If you bring in a beverage, leave it by the door (there's a little table for you).

A friend and I went in while in Gastown and was left with a bad taste. We both felt completely…read moreignored but watched the entire time... The older woman behind the counter was so completely unhelpful and spoke to us like we were not worthy. She barely showed any interest in us. I have purchased items here before and the younger woman (owner?) was wonderful. We continued shopping in Gastown and were greeted warmly in every store which made the experience standout even more. Thankfully there are other Japanese Lifestyle stores in Vancouver.

By the way, I'm not a tea lover at all, but If I ever became one, it's because of Rumi Rose…read moreGarden's tea! They have more than 35 different tea flavors and they don't make a show out of that :D Okay! the place looks so creepy for the outside, but nice and super clean from the inside! Their chairs are not that comfy but it's okey, The tea house, in addition to teas, offers wide rang of hot beverages (latte etc), pastries (cheesecake etc) and middle Eastern appetisers (eg. Humus). Of course their main thing is TEA! I had four different types and I was always blown away by it's magical flavor! to the extend that it made me hate other teas! it ruined me :S The Joint also have a ME grocery corner, the good side is that the place doesn't smell like other regular ME grocery shops :D very neat I have to say! They also have Sufi bookstore upstairs and they offer *free* SUFI meditation session every Wednesday @7.30 for 30 min. I tried the sessions twice, a small group of 7-10 from diverse ethnic backgrounds with nice music that they call "TASABEEH" and then you can have some tea before you leave. Really liked the place! check it out, esp the top floor. I gave it 4, though I thought it's more of 4.5 but I think the seating area could be improved to earn the full mark! Keep it up guys! p.s check Rumi's books upstairs, they're different !

Need more time to explore here but the first thing I noticed when I walked in the door was the…read moreSMELL! I loved it!! I don't know how to describe it other than, flavourful and exotic. A very peaceful place, I brought my lap top and got so much work done because I was just at ease. Nice staff, very quiet, great smell, great music...will definitely be back!