Audiopile

If you are into vinyl or just music in general, you have got to check out Audiopile on The Drive.  They’ve got a huge selection of new and used records, plus used CDs. It is super well-organized so it is easy to find whatever you are looking for and the owner is totally knowledgeable on every kind of music imaginable. Oh yeah, and you can sell your old music there too if you are so inclined. 

2016 Commercial Drive
604.253.7453

Dream Designs

Dream Designs is one of my favorite shops on The Drive for home decor stuff. I am especially in love with their 60% bamboo towels which are soooooooo soft and fluffy, and are the richest, most gorgeous colours.  Bamboo is apparently a great fabric for towels because it is more absorbant than cotton, dries faster and has natural anti-bacterial qualities.

According to this article on Treehugger.com, the eco-credentials of bamboo are up for debate — converting the bamboo stalks into cellulose fiber so it can be woven into yarn apparently requires harsh chemicals.  In any case, these towels are mixed with 40% regular cotton and made in Portugal anyway, so in my personal opinion, I don’t think they could be considered all that eco-friendly anyway. But, environmental concerns aside, I can confirm that they look and feel great!

Prices are in-line with other high end towels – $10 for the facecloth, $40 for the bath towel or bath mat, $70 for the bath sheet. A bit of a splurge, but worth it (though an occasional sale would be nice!).

956 Commercial Drive
604.254.7030

Commercial Drive street banners recycled into shopping bags

Every year the Commercial Drive Business Association dresses up The Drive with colorful nylon street banners. While the banners look great and liven up the street, once they are reach the end of their life, they used to end up in the landfill. No more! This year, they were transformed into cool, reusable shopping bags. Designed and manufactured by Dream Designs, the bags come in two sizes ($9.95 and $14.95) and are available at the following stores along The Drive:

They are available in 2 sizes ($9.95 & $14.95) and 10 different colours from these Commercial Drive retailers:

A Small World Shop and Gallery, 2120 Commercial Drive, T: 604.215.0279
Barefoot Contessa, 1928 Commercial Drive, T: 604.255.9035
Donald’s Market, 2279 Commercial Drive, T: 604.255.1440
Drive Organics, 1047 Commercial Drive, T: 604.678.9665
Kali, 1000 Commercial Drive, T: 604.215.4568
Lucky Rooster, 1706 Charles Street, T: 604.251.9119
Mintage, 1714 Commercial Drive, T: 604.871.0022
Riot, 1395, Commercial Drive, T: 604.254.5073
Spa Kwus, #102-1638 E. Broadway, T: 604.879.8367
Spank, 1027 Commercial Drive, T: 604.255.1131
10,000 Villages, 1204 Commercial Drive, T: 604.323.9233
Unityoga Teahouse, 1672 E. 10th Avenue, T: 604.708.8369

Spank Shoes

Spank Shoes is The Drive’s newest shoe store. In fact, it is only one of two shoe stores on Commercial, the other being Kalena Shoes which specializes in high-end Italian leather footwear. 

Anyway, Spank carries trendy and fashion-forward stuff; brands like Jeffery Campbell, Seychelles, Poetic Licence, London Underground, etc.

I spotted this adorable eco-friendly polka-dot sneaker by Simple on a recent visit. The outsole and bottom are made from recycled car tire , the foot form is 100% post consumer paper pulp and they’re made with organic cotton. They’re also made without any animal products or byproducts, so supposed to be vegan and veggie-friendly. Love ‘em!

1181 Commercial Dr.
604.568.1229