RAILTOWN IS ROCKING VANCOUVER
Wedge between Chinatown, Gastown is becoming a leading-edge district
Edgy design shops. A place that makes breathable jeans for active British Columbians. And a cool café that serves everything from spicy scones to Texas barbecue.
Vancouver’s Railtown district is a place even some city cab drivers don’t recognize, but folks in the know are fully aware that tiny strip of land wedged between the Chinatown/Gastown neighbourhoods and the bustling harbour has become one of the city’s leading-edge districts.
“I’ve seen the neighbourhood grow up before my eyes,” said Railtown Café (railtowncafe. ca) owner Dan Olson. He makes fantastic scones with rosemary, thick New Orleans/Italian sandwiches called muffulettas and soft, tender brisket.
Around the corner you’ll find the gorgeously restored Settlement Building, home to Belgard Kitchen (belgardkitchen.com) and Postmark Brewery (postmarkbrewing.com), a craft beer spot. It features ceilings high enough for a tennis match and relics from its days as a stone masonry centre and steel plant.
“It’s quite insane to see what’s happening in the area,” says Postmark managing director Nate Rayment. “It was quite industrial, but now you find a lot of startups and design companies. There’s a younger demographic.”
At Postmark, they like their hops just fine, but they bring the alcohol levels down far below what some craft beer places serve up.
“The pendulum is swinging away from those big, hoppy (India pale ales),” brewmaster Dominic Giraldes tells me. “Personally I like the four pint rule. You should be able to drink four pints and not want to change to another style.”
Just down the road a bit are offices for Aritzia and Herschel Supply Co. backpacks. Nearby Dish & DUER (dishandduer.com) features a clothing line perfect for Vancouver with jeans for active folks. A worker tells me the denim is strong but breathable and flexible, making it great for folks who want to ride their bike to work and then go to a business meeting without having to change.
Railtown is a fantastic mix of cultures and styles, served up with a generous dose of industrial grit. To folks who worry about the impact on down-on-their-luck East Siders, it may have become a tad too precious.
At Groundswell Café (groundswellcommunity.ca), worker Amanda Kai explains how they train and mentor neighbourhood folks and also sell food and coffee.
“There are a lot of doctors and nurses and social workers in the area,” she says. “We support the support workers or take care of the caretakers, if you like. We’re kind of a community space and we rarely turn people away for lack of funds. You can just sit for 15 minutes and have a glass of water if you like.”
Kai said area folks are resigned to the area becoming more pol- ished, but she still worries about folks with lesser means who call the area home.
“We know gentrification is coming fast and furious. We can’t stop it. But we can build a bridge between communities and adapt to each other.”