Rebekka Zuckermann Kristiansen's Blog

As a tourist-going-on-Vancouverite I have seen many small independent shops and services around Vancouver (that is, whenever I find the magic, mysterious and rare time to get off campus). I can’t help but wonder to myself if these shops will ever stick around when they’re surrounded by large retail chains? After reading Julia Amelio’s blog post about Canada being a “Be Your Own Boss” nation, I must say it seems more that likely that these small businesses arising from the issue of that “BC has a small industry with many large firms, making it hard for newcomers to … get a job” will eventually yield as the more resourceful price takers outcompete the charming yet pricey indie shop on the corner, rendering BC to be like everywhere else – filled with noisy department stores.

Kitsilano, Vancouver

Coming from a nation (Norway) that has already experienced major growth (as Canada also has), and more precisely an area where indie shops have opened and inevitably closed time and time again, suffocating in between three malls all within a 6 km radius, I have to say that I can only imagine a future Vancouver with less of these lovely interesting stores (though still a charming city, surely).