From haute couture to beaver pelts and gold nuggets, the variety of shopping in Canada will suite anyone's taste.
Robson Street in downtown Vancouver, BC has a long tradition of shopping history. Named after John Robson, B.C. Premier from 1889-1892, Robson Street shops started to spring up after the train tracks were laid along it in 1895. Post World War II, Robson Street became known as “Robsonsstrasse”, as a result of the many European pastry shops, delis and boutiques that opened.
Today, Robson hosts some of the hippest shopping in Canada, from top-end vintage to fresh-off-the-runway. A large number of international students now populate the surrounding areas, and the influences are easily seen. Korean barbeques and Japanese noodle shops are numerous on the street, even more so as one walks west towards English Bay.
Perhaps the most famous of Canadian shopping is in West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton, Alberta. Much more than just a mall, West Edmonton Mall is also an amusement park, ice skating rink, movie theatre, concert hall and much more. There are over 800 stores and services, 100 choices for getting a bite to eat, plus eight top-notch attractions. This is arguably the most impressive of Canada shopping, spanning the equivalent of 48 city blocks. When it's cold out in Edmonton, the West Edmonton Mall is a warm mini-city of fun and shopping.
You may be surprised to know that the world's largest
and longest underground shopping complex is in Toronto,
Ontario. Famed for entertainment, the Toronto Entertainment
District is also famous for spectacular shopping in Canada.
Called PATH, this underground shopping complex holds more
than 1,200 shops and services. It's even in the Guinness
Book of World Records! PATH stretches out 10 kilometers
(6.5 miles) and holds a hotel, one-of-a-kind shops, games,
restaurants and entertainment. Canada shopping all in
one long, underground stretch, this is what PATH offers.
For very unique Canadian shopping, head up to the Yukon to the Log Skyscraper Trading Post. Located in Whitehorse, Yukon, the Log Skyscraper is a four-storey log building located in the downtown district. The actual trading post is a two-storey log structure, right in from of the Skyscraper. Martin Berrigan, a Yukon pioneer in the 1940's built both structures. They are now designated as a Municipal Historic Site and are the most photographed building in the Yukon Territory.
At the Trading Post, shoppers can buy anything from a Klondike gold nugget to a lynx fur. Local handicrafts, Northern books and candy can also be purchased.
