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To Market

By Natalie Serafini

he Quay of my childhood was

a focal point for activity. It

tantalized all of the senses, with
the smell of fish, chatter of the crowd,
and the blur of people. Gradually
though, the Quay began to lose some
shops and the parking got worse. As
a result, the market faded over time
before closing down completely.

Since undergoing renovations,

the Quay has changed almost beyond
recognition. Although the Quay has
lost a lot of its energy, its allure is not
entirely gone. With a number of stores
already establishing themselves and
more businesses slotted to open within
a month or two, the Quay is making a
comeback.

14

Riverside market slowly goes back into business

What really prompted my
excursion down to the river was
the promise of crepes at Crepe
Des Amis. I was not disappointed,
least of all because it beats a trek
to downtown Vancouver for Cafe
Crepe. Crepe Des Amis offers a wide
selection of sweet crepes, such as the
Isabelle (milk chocolate and peanut
butter), while their savoury crepes
are also tempting, with options like
the Mediterranee (roasted chicken,
cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, cheddar
cheese and mediterranean dressing).
Their crepes are made from whole
wheat crepe batter and cooked right
in front of you, so you know exactly
what you’re eating. And if you’re not
that into crepes (no judgement, here),
you should still check out this brightly

 

painted restaurant for their frozen
yogurts and tofulatis.

Great Wall Tea Co. is a fantastic
little store with an enormous selection
of teas. A massive wall filled with
canisters offers over 150 different
flavours... pretty impressive or
intimidating, depending on how much
of a tea connoisseur you happen to
be. Seriously, you’re bound to find a
leaf you love! Talk to a sales person if
you’re not quite sure what to try; that’s
how I found my new favourite, white
chocolate chai. You can buy a cup to

have in store, or get a pack of loose leaf.

tea to go.

Tiny Finery is another interesting
store with very unique jewelry pieces.
The jewelry is handmade by the three
artists who run the store, and they

 

also sell work by other local artists.
There are soaps, moisturizers, reusable
thermos sleeves and countless other
trinkets in addition to the extensive
array of jewelry.

Donald’s Market, Emilio’s Deli,
and The Crab Shop are other corners
of the Quay that also have quality food
worth trying. These stores are also set
to be joined by Wild Rice restaurant’s
Chinese cuisine and KJM Urban
Gardens in the coming months.

From what I’ve seen so far, the
Quay shows a lot of promise for
becoming a hotbed for activity once
more. Admittedly, it’s quiet, sort of an
echo of its former self now, but with the
addition of some new stores, and old
and new customers, the Quay will not
disappoint.