Post #175661 by Tikiwahine on Fri, Jul 29, 2005 5:12 PM

Greetings!

Yesterday I decided to take all of you with me on my daily thrift store route. Via photographs, I will take you on a strange and mysterious journey three blocks to my thrift store, which normally brings forth a bevy of tiki treasure. Not today, unfortunately. Which is why this post is in 'beyond' tiki.

First off, This is the view from my office windows. For those that don't know, I run a mail order department and web site out of a small office in the classroom/gallery area of a quilt shop. It's located in an outdoor courtyard called Market Square.(my desk is located to the right of this photograph, behind a large quilted backdrop at the moment)

They are just setting up the main stage for the Latin Carribean Festival, 10 feet from my desk, which will run for the next week.

There's this great sign I spotted today, it reads "Market Square has a zero tolerance level for drugs(including marijuana)". That tells you a little about how relaxed people are up here, many don't even consider pot a drug.(it's a herb, man!)

Next we come to Goodfellas Cigar shop. Note 'Cuban cigars' on their sign, this place is right next door to the quilt shop, so anytime I have a hankering for the other type of fatty....

Right across the street is Swan's Pub, hotel and brewery. Great beers, great food. They always do their window boxes up so nicely in the summertime.

Looking back before I cross the street are some pretty Victorian buildings on the west side of Market Square.

Across from the pub in the other direction is the Janion Hotel, a creepy sort of place, it's been boarded up for a very long time.

A little further along we come to a shop selling scooters, man these things are hot right now!

Across the street again is the Street Link Emergency Shelter, all sorts of interesting people usually hang about over there.

Crossing the street I look up Fizgard to the Gates of Harmonious Interest, and Chinatown which flanks both sides. All sorts of neat stuff to see up there. Our Chinatown is the oldest in Canada, if not North America and is home to underground smuggling tunnels, former opium dens and the smallest alley in the world(seen in the movie 'Bird on a Wire')

Almost there, we come to Chintz and Company. Smack dab between the streetlink and Value Village, it's a super posh fancy schmancy furniture store where you can get leopard print or leather ANYTHING!

Right across from Value Village is a Rattan shop, I will be checking it out in further detail when I'm in need of some furniture for the home bar.

And here we are at the Value Village.

The only thing of interest today was a fabulous Conquistador print, I could not leave without photographing it.

I hope you've enjoyed my little tour of Victoria(or three blocks of it anyhow) Here's hoping your daily trips are full of mugs and goodies!