I loved their letter writing club! First Thursday of every month. Two seatings. I went to the…read more7:00-8:15pm and got in line at around 6:20pm to ensure a spot. A line forms quick so be sure to get there early, or you can grab a ticket for the next seating. The staff are so nice in explaining how to use the typewriter. There is scrap paper, letterhead paper and even envelopes. There's even tea! How wonderful.

What a cute shop!…read more This is a bit of a belated post, as we visited back in August. BUT, I wanted to delay the review because we ended up using one of their fun services, and I wanted to make sure we received the product in the end. So, hubby and I were casually walking down this street to window-shop, and noticed this shop (there's also a chance that hubby notated this shop down in his notes because they sell stationery, and we love stationery, sooo, there's that possibility). Walked in, was warmly greeted, and we perused what they had. Lots of creative juices flowing in there and great inspiration for one to take some of their stuff to create your own artistic visions. The main item that we did with them was to send a postcard back to ourselves, but sort of by "telegraph" (the postal service). We actually wrote out the postcard to our future selves, and they typed it out on a real typewriter, pasted it nicely onto the wooden postcard, and shipped it out to us internationally. We got it around two weeks later (Vancouver to California), and it was packaged in a nice padded brown envelope so it wasn't damaged along the way. It's now sitting on one of our travel/memento shelves! Would love to make another visit whenever we come back to Vancouver. Seriously, whenever there's a fun or unique service/experience, it's so nice to try it out; it's a gift for your future selves!

Amax has wonderful stationary products including notepads, journals, dayplanners, pens of all…read moresorts, toys, puzzles, stuffy's, cards, wrapping paper and so much more! Staff is very friendly and helpful as well.

Lovely stationery store! Good front space, but it actually is a fairly deep store filled with…read morestationery goods, toys, plushes, puzzles, lovely decorations, etc. I actually like that all of the stuff that the older kids (adults) would want are closer to the front, while things for smaller kids are in the back. It sort of helps keeping an eye on the kids to make sure they're in a certain area. Nice! They have a nice selection of fountain pens, including Kaweco, Sailor, Pilot. Tempted on some of the Sailor pens, but I ended up getting another Kaweco pen with an inverter. They also have inks, of course. Loved the selection of Jellycats and Amuseables. I didn't end up getting any (this time around), but we'll see. Lots of great fun quality gifts you can get at this store. The staff was great! One specific employee helped me out the most, and was able to find me the last of the stock of the specific pen I wanted, and answered all of the questions that hubby and I had. Very appreciative of her kindness. Prices were fair. Across the street is Buchan (another stationery store), but their selection of pens/inks are slightly different. Would come back.

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.

This is my new favorite store in Vancouver. I know, I know,…read moreit's not a new store. It's been around a long time. But it's new to me - and I FREAKIN' LOVE IT. I was wandering around Gastown the other day - I'm not often in the area, - and I stumbled upon this fabulous gift and card shop. It's small but wow, it packs a punch. I'm a sucker for stationery stores. I love greeting cards - the wittier, the more twisted, the better. I love funky household gift items (mostly for myself, truth be known!). I love fun tchotchkes that I can collect through the year and then put in my adult kids' Christmas stockings or give to them, out of the blue, to cheer them up. I love fun socks, clever games, colorful jigsaw puzzles, gorgeous wrapping papers and gift bags, Vancouver ornaments and Prosser art canvases. In other words, I love everything this store sells. They have a box that says "FREE" on it and it contains various items - all free. I got a small structured mylar-esque lunchbox that zippers up and has cute graphics of bike riders all over it. Totally new, with tags! I put all my purchases in it and carried it home, planning to give it to a friend who's a big bike enthusiast. SO nice. Another bonus is how incredibly nice the folks are who work here. As soon as I entered this place, I could see it was my kind of store, so I told the guy behind the counter that I love this store and I am going to be here a while (lol). He and I laughed and chatted and I browsed the store for a long, long time, getting a bunch of fun things along the way, chuckling at the funny (and some risqué) cards, admiring all the framing work they do (oh yeah, I should mention that they're essentially a framing shop!), and just loving everything about this fun shop.

What a great shop to find funny/unique cards and small gift items. The staff are wonderful and…read morekindly provided me with a Blue Jays balloon for my son. I come here for all of my birthday and other greeting cards.

I just love this store!…read more Many of the artisan or unique household accessories I've personally looked up online in the past few months were actually here on display, available for purchase! The types of items stocked here are totally down my alley, so I admit, I am biased. I love modern, clever, functional, non-fussy things, items with clean lines, nothing superfluous (I hate clutter. So things have to be practical!), smart and contemporary. It's like the buyer at this shop totally read my mind. I loved practically everything here. They have the coolest binoculars, lightweight puff blankets in a bag (light as a feather. Really!), candles, decanters, baskets, placemats and trivets and coasters, reflective tags and pins, cards, stunning jewelry, thick "butcher" aprons with the coolest hardware clips, organic baby linen bundles and gifts, contemporary tea infusers, glassware, adult card games and notebooks.... I could go on and on. Everything is cool here and beautiful to look at. The ladies who work here were all super nice and totally let us browse at our leisure. They were also very knowledgeable about all the merchandise. I've seen some of these items at local craft fairs, so I know they are locally made, by local artisans. There's a small section by the rear counter with sale items. Nice! This is an amazing shop, and the perfect place to get a hostess gift - or something for yourself!

Always find something new when we visit. Caroline is very inviting and most gracious "host" as we…read moreshopped. They even gift wrapped our items which saves me time when I get home. So if you're looking for a unique gift and still be within budget, visit Walrus on Cambie. You won't be disappointed.

Staff: The staff was okay. Neither rude nor overly friendly,…read morejust okay. Quality/Quantity: Tons and tons of great clothing, gifts, cards, and so much more. Gag gifts, clothes, customized clothing on site for messaging, etc. Just a really cool store. Value: Not bad. Overall: Super great find, don't miss stopping in.

Very awesome shop! A bunch of different things you can buy from a lot of different suppliers. Great…read moreatmosphere for browsing and they had a custom area where you could apply patches and embroidery onto items on site. I saw items for everyone with a lot of quirky and varying themes. We picked up quite a few souvenirs here! A lot of sales and good quality items.

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 :)

Absolutely love this store. Staff are extremely helpful and friendly and are always down for a…read morelittle fun chat. Super cool inventory that is always getting updated so there are a lot of cool finds. This store really aligns with the fantastic community that is the west end

Rude, tough-looking sales guy with an attitude: THE perfect ingredient for WORST customer service…read moreever! Seriously how did that guy end up here? He should work in the army, not in sales. I've been loving that store and shopping there for almost 10 years, but I'm sorry to say I can't set foot in there again. I'm trying to support small business as much as I can, but it makes me feel sick to give my money to such an obnoxious person. Good news is there are plenty of other stores in town that carry cute cards and quirky gifts. And for framing services, there is Fast Frame, a couple blocks up the street: will answer all your needs with a smile and uber friendly service.