Victoria’s Big Belief in Small Grocers
A few years ago I wrote an article about all of the independent international grocery stores that you could visit downtown. You can read that article here (Though I will note that some of the places on that list have changed or closed). One of the things that I raised in that article was just the sheer number of small stores, and in that example, just in the downtown area, and yet all are supported by loyal customers. There is something more to this though, because when you look at the larger city of Victoria (Victoria, Esquimalt, Oak Bay and Saanich) the grocery scene is not completely dominated by large chain stores.
While I am sure that Victoria is not completely unique with regard to the amount of small international or corner stores, it actually might be when you move up a level to medium sized grocery stores. By this I mean those smaller grocery stores where you could actually do a full grocery shop. Growing up in suburban lower mainland, apart from fresh grocers, if you wanted to get some groceries, you went to one of the big chain stores. Back then it was Safeway or Super Valu. Even today, when I visit the lower mainland for the most part you see Save on Foods, Thrifty’s or Safeway. Victoria is different and has become more so in the last couple of decades. When I moved here, I was interested to find the grocery scene dominated at the time by Thrifty’s and Fairways. Both chain stores that didn’t exist in Vancouver. Since then, while those chains still exist (except that Thrifty’s was purchased by Sobeys) there has been an influx of independent chains and individual stores. These local stores have risen to even greater prominence in the last few months with locals looking for opportunities to purchase products sourced from outside the United States. I thought I would go through some of them, though it won’t be an exhaustive list.
Red Barn Market
Red Barn Market started in 2002 from a single store on West Saanich Road. Today there are eight stores around Victoria. Known for there amazing sandwich counter, you can still get pretty much anything you need at one of their stores. I go to the one on Oak Bay Avenue quite regularly. One of the things I like about them is that each store is unique and in some cases quite a cool shopping experience, from the tiny one on Vanalman to the large one in Esquimalt.
Old Farm Market
The Old Farm Market has a similar origin story to Red Barn. It started from one farm market store in Duncan in the late 1990’s. There was new ownership just before the pandemic, but they have kept the store the same. I have stopped there many times over the years as their vegetable prices were always amazing.
When Old Farm Market decided to open a store in Oak Bay I was really surprised, but happy to have another fresh vegetable option. The store is actually quite large and I have never been there when it isn’t busy with customers. The Old Farm Market currently has just the one location in Victoria, but also maintains their store in Duncan and there is also one in Courtenay.
The Root Cellar
The Root Cellar opened in 2008 at Blenkinsop and McKenzie. There was a grocer there previously but I can’t remember the name of it. It has been a very popular place since it opened. A few years ago they opened a second store in Cook Street Village where Oxford Foods used to be. Like Red Barn and Old Farm Market, it is a veggie first store, but you can get pretty much anything you could need there for your grocery list. The one in Cook Street Village has more of a full grocery store feel over the one out in Saanich though.
Urban Grocer
The Urban Grocer store is the newest on this list, opening in 2021. This is a small store that does have a good selection of fresh vegetables, but different to the others so far, is more of a full grocery store than a farm market style store. The Urban Grocer has been in the news quite a bit recently due their hard line on importing fruits and vegetables pretty much 100% from places other than the United States in response to tariffs. This has been a popular trajectory for the store and I know that I have been trying to do my vegetable shopping at the very least here over Save-On or Thrifty’s.
Pepper’s Foods
Pepper’s Foods in Cadboro Bay has been the village grocery store for 56 years, though it was originally called Shop Easy and was owned by local Victorian, John Pepper. It was later bought by another local and renamed Pepper’s in honour of the original owner. Like Urban Grocer, Pepper’s is more of a small scale full grocery store than a veggie first one like the Old Farm Market. It is a popular place to get snacks and food before having a picnic in Gyro Park next door.
Specialty Stores
In addition to the full grocery stores listed above there are a couple of decent sized specialty stores that deserve mention in this article. While you certainly couldn’t do a full shop at any of them, if you are needing something specific then you sometimes have nowhere else to go besides The Market Garden in Vic West or The Fig Mediterranean Delicatessen in the Shelbourne Valley or the Local General Store in Haultain Corners. All of these stores have absolutely amazing selections of items. Market Garden can be seen as almost a food gallery or museum. I could wander through that store every day. For olives, The Fig is amazing and if you pass by it is almost wrong not to stop in grab some. If you are wanting that one special ingredient to move your dinner from pedestrian to a masterpiece then stopping in at the Local General Store is the place to go.
I may have missed a couple of places on this list and I would love to hear if I did. For a city of Victoria’s size, I really think that this amount of small grocery stores is both surprising and impressive. Maybe it is being on an island or maybe it is the want for Victorians to really buy local. For whatever reason, the ability to shop in a place outside the regular list of grocery stores is a real benefit. I should say that due to their size, most of these stores are not going to be the cheapest place to shop for all of your grocery needs, but there are often deals to be had at all of them that will undercut the big stores. If you think you know why Victoria has such large and growing number of independent grocery stores, please let me know in the comments. I hope we continue to see this trend grow.
