5 retailers to occupy pop-up container shop in downtown Vancouver

Shipping container turned into retail space. (Westbank)

A glass-walled container shop at the plaza located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Thurlow Street and West Cordova Street in downtown Vancouver is set to host five different businesses over the coming month and a half.

Local developer Westbank says The Shipping Container Series, located next to its Shaw Tower property, is intended to be a showcase of new innovative retail experiences beyond the traditional brick-and-mortar format.

It will be a preview of the five permanent shipping container retail units planned for the ‘gateway entrances’ of Westbank’s Vancouver House tower underneath the north end of the Granville Street Bridge. These containers create a “micro retail unit” offering a flexible use of space.

As for the pop-up container next to Shaw Tower, it will host one vendor at a time with daily operating hours from 10 am to 6 pm, although some of these hours may vary depending on the vendor.

Here is the schedule of vendors at the tower plaza at 1067 West Cordova Street:

August 1 to 6: BETA5 Chocolates
August 7 to 13: Juice Truck collaboration with It’s To Die For by Erin Ireland
August 14 to 22: To be announced.
August 23 to 30: Vikram Vij’s At Home line, plus classic chai tea
August 31 to September 3: UNDRCARD Boxing Studio, with boxing classes, music, and boxing apparel
September 4 to 14: To be announced.

Such use of shipping containers for shops and food vendors are already in practice elsewhere in the world.

There will also be a new eatery opening soon inside a shipping container next to the Granville Public Market.

Vancouver House and its improved public realm spaces are set for a spring 2019 completion. It incorporates 80,000-sq-ft of retail space, including a new major grocery store.

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