Net Loft, Vancouver

Situated right across from the Granville Island Public Market, just west of Edible Canada, Net Loft, with its instantly recognizable industrial-looking blue exterior, is one of Granville Island’s best-kept secrets! This rather unsuspecting, small shopping mall offers curious (and hungry) visitors a plethora of options. At a glance, it is quite easy to assume that Net Loft is yet another home for artisan goods, which is actually so and not quite so at the same time.

Inside its doors there is an array of shops, some of which have just as many “staple goods” as they do “splurge items”. If you are looking for kitchen ware, handcrafted fashions or gifts, or a quiet bite to eat, or would like to explore a very unique variety of specialty paper goods, then look no further. The local vendors have it all!

Market Kitchen, this sort of quaint Sur La Table is less of a showroom and more like a pantry of your own, where, alongside scrubbers, tart pans and tea balls, you will find some truly fun and unique items fit to add sparkle to your kitchen.

In the centre of Net Loft is a serene courtyard with the eponymous Net Loft Cafe. Here, you might want to pause a bit for some breakfast, lunch or dinner, especially given that this place is reserved for solo acoustic guitar acts (no vocals or non-musical acts, such as magicians, are allowed), which may be rather comforting on one of those hectic days in the Public Market.

And if you really get the kick out of pretty stationary, then the local Japanese paper shop Paper-Ya (“Ya” means “shop” in Japanese) will make your day for certain! Whether you have a wedding in the making or wish to wrap up a present, or in need of a greeting card or a notebook to write down some recipes, you will go “Paper…YEAH!!!” in here!