Shopping through time in provincial capital
B.C.’s capital city is known for its countless historic buildings, which range from the grand, château-style Legislature and Fairmont Empress Hotel clustered around the Inner Harbour, to the Victorian cottages of James Bay and Edwardian mansions surrounded by sweeping gardens in Oak Bay.
But one of the most charming places to browse through history is also one of the best places to browse for, well, just about everything else, from tattoos to tapas to trendy fashions.
Lower Johnson Street — or LoJo as the neighbourhood is inevitably called — is the strip of candy-coloured buildings between Government and Wharf streets. Dating back to the 1850s, this Old Town neighbourhood once served prospectors on their way to and from the Gold Rush with everything they needed for celebration or commiseration: hotels, saloons, brothels, supply stores, even opium dens in Chinatown.
Like many historic neighbourhoods, this area had fallen into disrepair until preservationists took it on in the 1970s. They fixed up Market Square, rebranded Lower Johnson and the surrounding streets as “LoJo,” gave everything a lick of brightly coloured paint, and the independent boutiques and restaurants soon came flooding in.
Today, it is Victoria’s hippest place to spend a day.
In its dozens of shops, you can find everything from locally made clothing to designer shoes, handcrafted soaps, home décor, garden supplies, pretty paper, and that gift idea you didn’t know you needed. You can take a break at one of the many coffee shops and restaurants, including Willie’s Bakery, the city’s oldest bakery, with its lovely courtyard.
And don’t miss out on Chinatown, Canada’s oldest, and home to Fan Tan Alley, which is also Canada’s narrowest street, and even more boutiques and eateries.