The Unique Mount Pleasant Triangle Building – Arts and Independent Business Hub

My name is Danielle Peacock and I have lived close to the Triangle Building, at the intersection of Kingsway, Main and 7th Avenue in Mount Pleasant, since 1980. Since being built in 1947, the building has been home to countless independent businesses and many social, cultural and arts groups. It is steeped in the evolving story of the neighbourhood and has a spirit that I love. Having access to this varied and intimate kind of shopping experience has been one of the big pleasures the building has afforded me and the community over the years. One shop I went to often was Bain’s Candies and Fine Chocolates, which was in the tip of the building from 1948 until circa 2002. People still remember its long-time proprietor and confectioner Campbell Munro, who died in 2004 at the age of 94. I was once organizing Christmas gifts for children and he and his wife Dorothy made me special chocolates that were the first letter of each of the children’s names. Campbell and Dorothy were so lovely to deal with. In 2008, the space where Bain’s had been became Gene Cafe, named after the building manager who is still there. Gene provided much help to Gideon James, the creator and first owner of the cafe. One of Gene Cafe’s key features became the long, square, benches, which fit perfectly along the side of the building. The logs for them came from a logging site around Squamish, owned by one of Gideon’s relatives. Now known as Gene Coffee Bar, with different owners, these distinctive benches have been part of making Gene a continually popular place to hang out. Usually, if I walk by in the morning, I can count on seeing my long-standing friend Glenn Alteen, co-founder and long time but now retired director of grunt gallery, sitting outside with his buddies Lawrence and Ahmed. They have been regularly meeting there for years and I find something very comforting in this; maybe it’s seeing them carry on the centuries old custom of daily community connection. One of the essays in the Museum of Anthropology’s book documenting Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun’s exhibition Unceded Territories, is titled Social Forms of Engagement – Coffee with Yuxweluptun on the Main Street Side of Gene. It is by musician and writer Michael Turner, whose 1995 book Kingsway is a collection of poems that evolve around what is Vancouver’s oldest thoroughfare. With its unique shape, features and location, Gene is a treasured gathering spot for people not only in the neighbourhood, but city-wide. Now come with me as I tell you about the Kingsway and Main Street sides of the building, as well as the upstairs in parts 2, 3 and 4.

Kingsway, which begins on the eastern side of the Triangle Building, and cuts diagonally across Vancouver as it heads south to New Westminster, was originally an ancient indigenous trail. When a wagon road was built over it and opened in 1860, it was known as False Creek Trail and then Westminster Road. When the road was improved and paved, it re-opened in 1913 as Kingsway. The two businesses with storefronts along it are Budgies Burritos, established in 2005, and Dig It Select Vintage. Budgies has its own set of square wood benches and Macey Budgell, the restaurant’s owner, got them from the same guy as Gideon had for Gene Cafe. She recalled that when they were cut and ready, they were delivered to the building around 4 am in the morning! With their local origin and design, Macey sees the benches as having a very Pacific Northwest welcoming feel and I agree and love them. The Triangle Block was originally known as the Wosk Block, after the merchant, developer and philanthropist Ben Wosk, who was the original owner and had a furniture store there until 1960. It is a rare Vancouver example of the Streamline Moderne architectural style that developed out of 1930s Art Deco. It emphasized a horizontal orientation and curved lines and included features like corner windows and glass blocks, which can be found on the building. Under the building’s grey stucco is the original jade green, black and, on the front corner, red vitrolite, a pigmented structural glass popular from the 1920s to 50s for its ultra modern look. An exposed area of the entrance to Dig It Select Vintage reveals a section of this sleek material. The two cosy storefronts along Kingsway both have a downstairs section and a nook and cranny feel that adds to their charm. Two of my favourite pairs of pants came from Black Hole Designs, which was in the space where Dig It now is, in the late 1990s. I vividly remember the child-like excitement I felt when I went downstairs into the sort of secret space that was the change room. Macey says that a part of the soul of her business comes from the character of the building and Sandra Sanders, owner of Dig It Vintage, has noted that the buildings in the Triangular Block created by Broadway, Kingsway and Main Street, “are not perfect but people appreciate wabi sabi/shaby chic.” They sure do. Budgies and Dig It are representative of the kinds of creative, independent businesses the Triangle Building has been home to for decades. Now let’s find out about the businesses on Main Street.

In Mount Pleasant’s early days in the late 1880s, Main St was known as Westminster Avenue and was the only street heading south to the Fraser River from downtown Vancouver. Its name was changed in 1910 and Main Street probably has more independent businesses along its entirety than any other street in Vancouver. Beyond Gene Coffee Bar there are six. Did you know that independent businesses keep way more money in the local economy than multinationals and create more jobs? That’s one reason I love to shop at them. Another is getting to know the owners and staff. The social connection makes me happy. Blue Heron Creamery, who make dairy free cheese and have been in the two storefronts just past Gene for a few years, are moving. Although most of the businesses have been in their spaces for a long time, when the occasional vacancy has occurred it has usually been filled quickly. I look forward to seeing who moves in. Next along Main is Rath Art Supplies, first opened in Vancouver by Stan Rathburn in 2005. Theresa Frazao took ownership upon Stan’s retirement in 2018, after a three year internship with him. Stan was a great supporter of local artists, letting them display work in his windows and making custom canvas stretchers. Theresa has carried these traditions on, including employing carpenter Scotty Colin, who you can often hear building away at the back of the shop. Stan, who passed away in 2020, was adored by everyone, including their pets, like local artist Jennifer Chernecki’s dog Levee. Right from her very first show there, Stan and Levee became buddies. The community so appreciates the way Theresa is carrying on Stan’s legacy in her own way. Beside Rath is Midtown Mailbox and Business Centre, which has been around since the late 90s and then it’s The 8th Dimension Comic Store, celebrating its 5th anniversary. It moved in when RX Comics closed in 2017 after 14 years in business. I enjoy The 8th Dimension’s Facebook page to learn about all things Comics and am glad a comic store has been on the site for almost 20 years. In between the comic store and the legendary Pulpfiction Books, is the Wallflower Diner, which first opened in 2009, and has remained a popular watering hole, through the original and current owners. Wallflower describes itself as a place where Omnivores, Carnivores, Vegans, Vegetarians and Celiacs can all dine together in comfort. As an omnivore, I can attest to that, having been there often with my vegan and vegetarian friends. Wallflower was even made into a custom LEGO kit by Vancouver’s Heritage Bricks in July, 2020. In April, 2021, when so many restaurants were needing patio extensions to survive all the COVID restrictions, Wallflower didn’t qualify because of construction and parking protocols. Chris Brayshaw, owner of Pulpfiction, offered up some of his storefront space, which added two tables to Wallflower’s one. Eric Neilson, one of the owners of Wallflower, spoke about how important even three tables were and how grateful he was for his neighbour’s support. This is reflective of the tight and long-standing Triangle Building Community. Pulpfiction Books was established in June, 2000 and I love that its website makes a point of saying that their new, used, & out-of-print books are chosen by readers, not algorithms! Pulpfiction is connected to another venture in the building. But that happens upstairs. Join me for the last leg of the Triangle Building sound walk.