Chinatown Flea Market is where dollar stores got the idea to become dollar stores. You know that…read morewhole thing where China, the country, produces a broad range of knickknacks -- you know, everything the western world could ever desire? From cheap ceramic dishes, to those weird undergarments that have the unpleasant texture of dull sandpaper, to questionable dongles, to racks of unheard of Chinese pop star's bootlegged CDs, to all kinds of kitchen items -- this upstairs "market" is ballin'. Plan on spending more than a dollar for most sellable wares, but it's worth every penny for the sheer experience of shopping in a tiny bit of China right here in Vancouver.

Pssst, I have a secret. I'm only telling you cuz I think you're cool…read more.. It sits above Hon's in the mall that no one dares enter. And it has all the weirdest plain stuff you can imagine. Garlic crushers, cheap wallets, ICE CUBE TRAYS!, table top bells (for prompt service!), Chinese monopoly, Rugrats bobbleheads and many other assorted oddities, along with the usual household supplies. The owners are nice and somewhat eccentric and the store and mall are usually creepily silent. So whenever you're absolutely stuck trying to find some household tool, and looking for some serious weirdness, come here.

As a transit user, this dollarama is at a pretty convenient location because it's located directly…read moreacross the waterfront skytrain station and directly beside a bus stop that I use a lot. It's one of the smaller dollarama's so the selection isn't as good as another one a few blocks away that's bigger. On the bright side, they have a surprisingly large selection of children's books in the book section compared to other dollaramas. Good if you're needing cheap kids books. The items in the aisles were pretty well stocked and neatly organized. Overall the whole store was well kept compared to other dollarama's i've been to. I also like how they have a couple self-serve checkout machines so the lines are pretty short. (I wish every dollarama had these! Lines would be so much shorter) They had more checkout tills at the back mall-side but that area was closed at the time. The staff were pretty knowledgeable about where the items are located when I asked them for help. I had no problems getting what I needed and getting out quickly. Overall I wouldn't go out of my way to go to this Dollarama because of the selection is not as vast as the others but i would have a look in if i'm in the area. Big MEH. 3 stars.

Everything you need ( or don't really need - but it's Cheap ! )…read more Walk in for. 4$ phone charger, and walk out 60$ later . They have everything you can expect from a Dollar store - but watch the prices. Some items may START at a Dollar - but they do go up to 4$. They just installed self check outs, so it's quicker then before.

In a city full of chain stores and Aritzia-clad lookalikes, Chinatown Vintage is a welcome addition…read moreto my shopping rotation. Completely donations-based, the shop is nicely curated and features a great selection of affordable clothing, both lower-end and designer. I've found everything from Mango and Forever 21 to trendy labels such as Keepsake, Vince, and Moschino. They also carry housewares, shoes, and accessories. Last time I was in, I found an awesome cut crystal glass for only $5! What a steal. The girl working also told me about how all profits from the shop go towards the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation and its revitalization efforts in the neighbourhood. Super cool initiative. They use Square processing systems so cash and credit only. I'll be back soon!

From the owner: Owned and operated by the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, our shop offers a curated selection of…read morewomen's clothing, accessories, and housewares. All profits go towards the charity's ongoing projects and revitalization efforts in the neighbourhood.

I actually checked out the Frock Shoppe for the first time today! Not sure how I missed this place…read moreconsidering what a vintage freak I am. Anyhow, I love it. Really nice vintage store. It's set up nicely, it's clean, and organized well. My favourite part though, is that they have lots of gorgeous older pieces. You can tell that each piece is hand picked for the shop. So glad I finally stopped by!

Community makes me believe in vintage and thrift again. Sound dramatic? Maybe you haven't been…read morethrifting in Vancouver as a plus size woman! Vancouver's vintage and consignment is already notoriously expensive and caters almost exclusively to a small dress size. Community, a Vintage and Consignment that is run by a non-profit Downtown Eastside housing and resource society not only engages with the neighbourhood it lives in, but also works to diversify its size range to engage with shoppers of many sizes. It hires women from the neighbourhood to work in the business and portions of the proceeds go back into the neighbourhood, which feels great while you shop! The space is small but well utilized and well decorated. Great jewelry by local designers is on display and the clothes have a very consistent and curated turnover rate. And the prices!! Compared to Vancouvers vintage scene, Community is absolutely the fairest price I've found yet. These days even Value Village is getting pricey so to go to a shop where the selection is so well picked out and find something affordable feels great. Again, I'm a plus size shopper who finds an amazing score here 90% of the time. Pieces from Community make up probably 50% of my wardrobe. See you there this weekend!

LOVED IT HERE!! Went in for the insane collection of jewelry…read moreand stayed for Jannifer who was the most lovely woman ever. She helped me and my friend out gave us insanely good prices and was all around incredibly helpful!!!! If you're in the area please stop by here!

I bought my Halloween costume here! Ms. Lok is very helpful and willing show me the clothing she…read morehas. I bought a Chinese bathrobe $30, She even gave me a bracelet for free ! she gave me her business card, and said it's welcome to call her before visit! She is friendly with good service.

Love the customer service here. And I LOVE my dress. I don't live in Vancouver, but I felt strongly…read moreabout getting an authentic qipao from Chinatown. I stumbled upon this spot after dim sum and found a dress that I loved. Alterations were able to be done faster than scheduled, due to the fact I left Vancouver for the foreseeable future. She was so understanding and kind about it. Thank you so much!

Was in Vancouver for work, then a vacation with my husband, and found this store while exploring…read morethe city. My only complaint is that there are so many beautiful, high quality clothes it's hard to select which one(s) to buy. The shop keeper helped me find the perfect color and size jacket and I love it!

When I entered the Family Art Gallery, I happened upon two people in the process of framing a…read moremassive piece done in traditional Asian style, with tigers adorning the paper. It must have been at least fifteen feet long and clearly required the assistance of two people. After telling the proprietor, Ben Lau, that unfortunately, I had no need for any frames, he continued his monumental task and I continued to peruse the small store for some very interesting pieces done with paint, ink and embroidery. I was not in the shopping mood, but if you should need some exotic, cheap art work, have a gander in this store, there are some lovely pieces for under twenty dollars. Art always spruces up any space! If you should need supplies to make your own art, Family Art also sells those. Acrylic and oil paints, along with brushes as well as traditional Chinese brushes are all available at affordable prices.

I recently went into Chinatown in search of a blank scroll on which I was planning to have a friend…read moredo some calligraphy for me. I went to every place on the strip none of which had blank scrolls in the size I wanted, if they had them at all. That being said, each place had some reason why I wouldn't find exactly what I wanted at any other store and should just buy what they had even though it wasn't exactly what I wanted. It was misleading to say the least. The last store I ventured into was Family Art Gallery. Compared to some of the other stores, it didn't have as much variety, but the artwork itself was just as nice and it was much more affordably priced. Great for picking up lovely Asian art without breaking the bank. You can also have them do custom art and framing if you have something specific in mind. The art supplies they offered (yes, they had the exact scroll i wanted) were also more affordable than what I had seen at other stores. The scroll was less than half the price that i was offered at one other place. The store was being serviced by the owners it seemed and they did a great job of helping me find what I wanted without being overly pushy or tentative like I had seen at some of the other shops. Well worth a visit!

When I hear the words "vintage store in Gastown owned by local fashion-savant", I think of one…read morething: overpriced second hand clothing that I would normally love but won't based on moral objections to the obscene prices. But something piqued my interest when I heard of Community Thrift and Vintage. I knew this one would be different then the rest. Man was I right. One part social enterprise, one part thrift store, all parts awesome, this pretty little boutique is retail-with-a-conscious to the highest order. A firm believer that the "thrift" in "thrift store" should be observed, I was beyond relieved to walk into an unpretentious, well-curated, and cheap(!!) vintage shop. Adhering to my "no uglies" policy, this not-for-profit opts for natural fibres when choosing their wares, and has a strict no polyester rule (thankthelawd). With its reclaimed wood and exposed brick walls, its well-curated wares, and its social advocacy and support of the DTES, Community Thrift could easily upsell cool to the masses. But they don't. And I love them so much more for it.

Stumbled upon this little gem while walking through the area. The store is nicely decorated with NO…read moremusty smell. The selection was very hip & trendy, even though they label themselves as vintage. The abundance selection of scarves were impressive. I scored an authentic Coach wool scarf for $14 (Canadian dollars). It was in immaculate condition. I almost walked away with another scarf, but I had to control myself. I think if you're looking for a good selection of gently used unique scarves, this is the place to check out.

Right after when we just finished eating lunch at The Boss & Bakery Restaurant!!! It's a good thing…read morethat there was a G2 Canada Souvenir Store that a lot of Canadian Stuff which was just near by where we ate lunch at!!! If the G2 Canada Gift Shop wasn't there... Otherwise we would have gone crazy looking all around the Vancouver Canada Chinatown Area just to go looking for a good Vancouver Canada Gift Shop to shop at!!! I am so happy that this G2 Canada Souvenir Store was just right here!!! And didn't have to walk so far.. This would be my very 1st time ever shopping around at this Gift Shop... As soon as I walked in there was a lot of Canadian Souvenirs Stuff like Toys, T Shirts, Key Chains, Pins, Maple Syrups, and exc... I ended up buying myself some Canadian Souvenirs for myself as well!!! If there wasn't a time limit from our tour guide... I would stay a little bit longer at the G2 Canada Gift Sop and look at all the Canadian Stuff that G2 Canada Souvenir store has!!! If your a tourist just like me walking around at the Vancouver Canada Chinatown Area... And wanting to buy some nice looking Canadian Souvenirs my suggestions to you Yelpers out there go to the G2 Canada Gift Shop at the Vancouver's Canada Chinatown area... G2 Canada Souvenir Store for me is a really good place to go shop at!!! And who knows when will... I be back the next time to go shopping at this G2 Canada Souvenir Store at the Vancouver Canada Chinatown Area!!!

After buying a few gifts at a number of stores on the block (spreading the "love"), this was our…read morelast stop. This store has a wide selection of gifts and souvenirs with "Canada" or "Vancouver" on them. Their products like shirts, mugs, magnets and alike are of better quality. They also sell items with coast salish art great for gifting or to keep as your own. We purchased some t-shirts (5 for $20), mugs and maple syrup to bring back for friends and family. The lady owner and her father were very friendly and helpful. We even bought a mahjong set!

Scottish what!?…read more Kilts, hats, socks, jewellery and other imported Scottish frocks, novelties and pub items can be found in this little shop. The candy isle is the best. They have the toffies and sweets that you can only find in Europe. I love it! The kilts are a blast, and the clan items they carry are also really cool. Keychains, postcards, mugs and other really cool Scottish stuff needs to be picked up here.

The best candy shop that also sells a bunch of stuff for the Scottish at heart. Mostly imported…read moreScottish stuff like Kilts, socks etc. The real deal, not just the pretend crap. European sweets, especially English sweets (my best friend lives too far away). The people who run the shop are super sweet and friendly. Prices are reasonable. I love bringing friends here whenever I am in gastown. I love plaid. I want to be Scottish just so that I can wear plaid.