8312 replies to this topic

[VicHockeyFan]

Ya, I spent a lot of money at A & B.  Records, tapes and CDs, and a lot of home and car stereo equipment.  Money well-spent, happy to part with it.  I really liked it, and liked the professional sales people I dealt with in the equipment department.  Still see a few of them around town.

[VicHockeyFan]

St. Andrews Square. Victoria's smallest barber shop.  Once again my brilliant camera skills.

[Bingo]

How many chairs in there?

[sebberry]

How many chairs in there?

 

I don't see any yet.

[VicHockeyFan]

How many chairs in there?

 

I'm gonna guess two, tops.

[VicHockeyFan]

From Urban Sign Inc. - Brand spankin' new storefront signage for Capital Iron's new Langford location. We'll be adding more signage to this location in the weeks ahead, plus some lighting to make it pop!

[Mike K.]

Seeing is believing appears to have closed on Government Street. Earlier it was posted here that the West Shore Town Centre location had closed, so this leaves Mayfair. Anyone care to do a walk by?

[Baro]

I almost never get out to the malls but out of sheer chance I found my self in both Mayfair and WSTC the last weeks and I noticed this particular store closed both times.  I thought it was strange on a busy weekend that a store would be closed, and it seemed full of inventory and no sign it was out of business.  I saw it totally closed on a Sat afternoon over a week ago and the westshore one closed this last Saturday.

[Mike K.]

Looks like it's over for one of Victoria's oldest retailers. They were in business since the early 1990's.

[Nostalgic Victoria]

Ya, I spent a lot of money at A & B.  Records, tapes and CDs, and a lot of home and car stereo equipment.  Money well-spent, happy to part with it.  I really liked it, and liked the professional sales people I dealt with in the equipment department.  Still see a few of them around town.

 

That was my favorite place for buying tapes back in the day, and one of my favorite downtown browsing spots in general. The last CD I bought at the downtown A & B before it closed in 2008 was the Turtles' 20 Greatest Hits.

Edited by Nostalgic Victoria, 03 April 2014 - 10:25 PM.

[Mike K.]

Remember when they had customer appreciation events in the evenings? Good times.

[Matt R.]

One of my sisters worked there for a long time, I'm sure she didn't care for the 4 am wake up on Boxing Day, but I sure did like the family discount they offered. Discount was based on what colour the sticker was.

Fabulous store to kill an afternoon in. Couple hours in Island Fantasy, up to A&B then on to Lyle's.

Matt.

[VicHockeyFan]

One of my sisters worked there for a long time, I'm sure she didn't care for the 4 am wake up on Boxing Day, but I sure did like the family discount they offered. Discount was based on what colour the sticker was.

Fabulous store to kill an afternoon in. Couple hours in Island Fantasy, up to A&B then on to Lyle's.

Matt.

 

It was the only place you could get the Georgia Strait, back when it was a cool newspaper, and you needed to see what shows were coming to Vancouver (before the internet).  Ya had to get down there pretty early on Saturday to snag a copy.

[Bernard]

A&B sound was the main reason record prices in from the late 70s till the end of the 90s were significantly lower in BC than elsewhere.   In the early 80s the price of an LP in Vancouver was 40% cheaper than most of the rest of Canada.

[Holden West]

A defunct record store thread is here:

 

http://vibrantvictor...ct-music-stores

 

Yeah, I remember snagging a copy of the Georgia Straight there.

 

Interestingly, someone obtained A&B Sound's URL and is using it as an Amazon storefront for music, even if it's merely a shadow of its former glory.

 

http://absound.ca/

[VicHockeyFan]

✪ DOWNTOWN news from DVBA @mydvba
 

Maycock Eyecare (1318 Blanshard) is celebrating 65 years in business on Vancouver Island this year. The family company is locally owned and operated by the fourth generation of Maycock Opticians!

Silk Road Tea Store has been celebrating 22 years in business for the past month. Unfortunately contests closed on April 1 but you can still stop in and wish them a happy birthday next time you are on Government Street, or at the Victoria Public Market!

The Reef (533 Yates) turned 11 on April 1. And don't miss the final Reef Rum Night of the season coming up on April 17!

Happy 10th birthday to The Good Planet Company, downtown's sustainable lifestyle store at 764 Fort Street. 

We missed another birthday last month (March 22) and would like to send a belated Happy 3rd Anniversary to Empire Tattoo (1672 Douglas Street).

Venus Sophia Tea Room and Vegetarian Eatery turned three on April 2. Stop in and wish them a happy birthday at 540 Fisgard and stay tuned to their Facebook page for some special celebration giveaways.

designHouse Salon, on the Fisgard side of the Hudson Building, is turning two and is celebrating with a Day of Appreciation on April 17. 

✪ New Locations/Renovations

We would like to extend a big downtown welcome to the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority. As of April 6, GVHA has consolidated its corporate and marina operations in a new location at 1019 Wharf Street (formerly Microsoft). The corporate office was previously located at Ogden Point. The new location condenses office space, reduces travel between facilities and provides a convenient downtown location for clients.

Nezza Naturals is settling into their new home at 587 Johnson Street. Stop in and welcome them to LoJo!

Also on LoJo, Decade has moved from Government Street in with its sister store Flavour. You can find the new and expanded Flavour at 581 Johnson Street.

Paul's Diner at Paul's Motor Inn has reopened after a renovation earlier this year. It is under new management - Mr. Ross Clark, who also operates a successful business in Sidney.

Crust Bakery (730 Fort Street) has reopened after an extensive six-week renovation that reached all the way into the kitchen!

✪ Now Open

Camoflauge is newly opened at 1407 Government Street (formerly Decade). 

Skin Loft (formerly Biosundara) is new to 510 Yates (second floor) specializing in medical aesthetics.

Chester Fields is now open at 532 Herald Street. Extra points if you can figure out what they specialize in.

Lacey-Lou Tapas Lounge is now open at 1320 Broad Street. Lacey-Lou is an art lounge, tapas bar and tattoo studio all rolled into one!

If you have news about your business that you would like to share with your DVBA, please email lindsay@downtownvictoria.ca

 

[Mike K.]

Tattoo Zoo is moving to the 800 block of Fort Street from its Wharf Street location.

[VicHockeyFan]

These pods arrived on Herald St. last week.

 

[LocalMom]

Did someone forget to measure?!

[VicHockeyFan]

No, they got them in.  I think there are 5 or 7 total.