Cambie decaffeinated

The Vancouver Sun reports that parent company Kraft is closing the Dickson’s Coffee near Cambie & 8th Avenue. Thirty employees will lose their jobs, and the neighbourhood loses the aroma of fresh roasted coffee beans. I even noted the coffee scent in a story I wrote 18 years ago.

The intersection of Cambie and West Broadway, just a block or so from the Dickson’s plant is undergoing perhaps the most radical re-development of any urban space in Canada. Hundreds of new condominiums are being built above the most dense shopping area in the city. Home Depot, American Whole Foods, Best Buy, Canadian Tire, a BC Liquor Store and a Save-On-Foods all exist within a 3-block radius, just steps from the front doors of thousands of new and existing residents.

West Broadway is being referred to as Vancouver’s second downtown. The health care industry is rooted nearby, as is Vancouver City Hall. With the Canada Line passing through the area, and an east/west transit line proposed by the province, this community could become the busiest hub in the city within the next decade.

The price of industrial zoned land, among other factors, has had companies fleeing to the suburbs. Losing a business with deep local roots like Dickson’s is a blow, because Vancouver needs to retain as many jobs as possible to have a sustainable economy. Let’s hope a strong new enterprise takes its place.

I’ll sure miss the smell of coffee around there, though.

Feature image credit: Vancouver Archives