Harbour City Highlights

Shopping

Nanaimo's Many Shopping Districts

Who would have imagined that a plump pale green porcelain cat would be the item you couldn’t resist on your first shopping trip to the fun and funky boutiques of downtown Nanaimo. The 6,400 square foot Flying Fish is Nanaimo’s largest furniture, kitchen, gift and home decor store, where wall art, decorative wrought iron hooks, the ultimate in kitchen gadgets and imported furnishings make this a must stop on your local shopping tour.

Nanaimo offers more than 5.5 million square feet of retail and service space and each year the city conducts an average of more than $1 billion in retail trade. Within walking distance of downtown Nanaimo there are three distinct shopping districts: The Arts District, the Old City Quarter and the Waterfront, each offering one-of-a-kind shops and services. First Nations and West Coast art, marine souvenirs and supplies, specialty book stores and colourful home and garden stores populate the Waterfront and Arts District.

Up the hill in the Old City Quarter, Lobelia’s Lair tempts shoppers with its imported semi-precious jewellery, talismans, “metaphysical treasures” and tarot readings. It’s all part of the Old City Quarter’s Heritage Mews retail buildings featuring everything from noodle houses, fine dining restaurants and stylish clothing boutiques to hair salons, an art gallery, teak handcrafted furniture store and one of the city’s best coffee shops.

The retail therapy doesn’t stop there; the major brand name retailers are all located north of Nanaimo at the city’s many fine malls including Country Club Centre, Nanaimo North Town Centre and Woodgrove Centre, the largest mall on Vancouver Island.

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