Fabric, sewing notions, and costume supply store Dressew Supply on Hastings Street has been boarded up for the past two and a half years.
Dressew, originally founded in 1961, is still open for business despite the precautions they’ve taken, but you might have wondered why the Hastings storefront is still boarded up.
A recent tweet from Dressew revealed the answer to that question.
Wondering why our storefront is still boarded up after 2-1/2 years? pic.twitter.com/CxGaIyN5sw
— Dressew Supply (@dressew) September 10, 2022
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Daily Hive Urbanized recently exchanged emails with Dressew President David McKie about the tweet and to expand on the reasons behind boarding up the storefront.
The store decided to board up in March 2020.
“We had closed due to [COVID-19] two weeks earlier. Seeing how empty downtown became during those two weeks, we were immediately concerned with an increase in property crime,” McKie said.
He wasn’t the only one who had concerns. If you spent any time in downtown Vancouver during the height of the pandemic, it was common to see businesses boarding up their glass displays. Nordstrom was one of the major retailers that decided to board up.
“Having to close the store was stressful enough, I didn’t want to lose sleep worrying about the store at night.”
Thankfully, Dressew didn’t have any windows smashed before the building was secured.
Neighbouring businesses haven’t been as lucky.
@Dressew/Twitter
McKie mentioned that many people believe the store is closed due to the precautions they’ve taken.
“For us to remove the boards, at the very least, we would need to see our neighbourhood go one week without a shop window smashed. That hasn’t happened in the two and a half years our boards have been up.”
Message to the City of Vancouver
With a civic election less than a month from now, we asked McKie what he would say to the candidates vying for leadership of Vancouver.
“I would ask them to help small businesses in the city, we should not be punished for being victims of crime. Work with us, not against us, and use some common sense.”
McKie adds that these “small problems” occur because the more prominent issues haven’t been dealt with.
@Dressew/Twitter
“Lawlessness, homelessness, mental illness and income inequality are severely impacting Vancouver, and current solutions are visibly failing. A tiny amount of prolific offenders are causing countless damage at the expense of everyone else. Crime needs to be illegal, but we must help people first and foremost. Just being ‘tough on crime’ will only make things worse.”
Over the past two years, smashed and vandalized storefronts have been commonplace in downtown Vancouver and Downtown Eastside. For example, we spoke to one business owner in Gastown who asked the City of Vancouver to step up its efforts to protect businesses and prevent crime.
Here’s why. Pics taken Sept 10/22, all within one block of Dressew. pic.twitter.com/hQvZprG11M
— Dressew Supply (@dressew) September 10, 2022
“It is just heartbreaking to watch the situation downtown, so many people need help and aren’t getting it. I don’t understand what City Hall thinks Vancouver will be like in 5 years if they keep doing what they’re doing. No one will be able to afford to live or run a business here. Then what?”
Another tidbit Dressew revealed on Twitter is that it was fined for having graffiti on its dumpster. We’ve emailed the City of Vancouver to ask about this.
“I hope my staff doesn’t fear for their safety,” said McKie.
“We’ve had our share of violence in the store, same as every other business in Vancouver. But it’s important to recognize that the overwhelming majority of people are just trying to live their lives here, and while the neighbourhood may seem scary if you’re unfamiliar, it is just as safe as anywhere else in the city.”
Dressew Supply is open Tuesday to Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm.
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