On Tuesday, Sept. 8, work began on infrastructure upgrades to downtown Vancouver’s Davie Village. The project is intended to “create more space for people and support businesses,” per the City of Vancouver, but some local businesses are speaking out with concerns over negative impacts on their operations. One such business is Little Sister’s Book and Art Emporium.
“Little Sister’s is part of what has built Davie Street. It is part of the heart of Davie Street,” said owner Parm Gill. “If you are gonna go in and cut out the organs of the community that you wanna build the infrastructure for, it is no longer Davie Street. It is no longer a village. It is not the same community.”
The heart of a community
Since opening in 1983, the 2SLGBTQIA+ bookstore has stood through the AIDS crisis, a court case with Customs Canada and multiple bomb attacks. Through it all, it has remained steadfast in providing educational resources, personal wellness products and a safe space for self exploration. Davie Village has long served as a hub for Vancouver’s queer community, and Little Sister’s was recently recognized by Canada Post’s Places of Pride stamp series in recognition of its contributions to queer history in Canada.
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What does the project entail?
The Davie Village project aims to strengthen public life and support local businesses between Jervis Street and Thurlow Street. One of the main upgrades is widened sidewalks to improve walkability and accessibility.
“Once complete in spring 2028, the improvements will create a more welcoming and accessible Davie Village, supporting businesses and making it easier for people to visit, shop and access services in this busy commercial area,” said the City of Vancouver.
How are businesses being impacted?
Gill reported that, on Sept. 17, the construction crew had closed off both sidewalks on either side of the street, meaning that foot traffic was entirely closed off from Little Sister’s, preventing both customers and employees from accessing the store. One employee was reportedly reprimanded by construction workers for trying to get to work. When Gill inquired with the construction crew, he said he was met with an “adversarial” response that there was nothing that could be done.
Gill said that the majority of the store’s revenue is from in-person purchases, reporting losses up to 40 per cent compared to last year since construction began. “I have lost thousands of dollars this week that would have gone toward sustaining my employees during down season.” If this trend continues, he said Little Sister’s “can’t stay open more than another month.”
Neighbouring businesses are also struggling; sales are down across numerous establishments, water shut-offs have inhibited a local laundromat and Master Donair recently sold its business following the start of construction.
When BCBusiness reached out, the City responded that, “during water service upgrades to improve underground infrastructure and prepare the area for the planned street improvements, crews encountered unexpected complexities that caused temporary pedestrian access challenges. Sidewalk access was promptly restored when it was deemed safe for pedestrians.”
A call to action
While Gill is not necessarily critical of the upgrades themselves and expected some closures, he raised longer-term concerns about how effectively the City is consulting businesses throughout the Davie Village project. “If it’s this bad now, it’s only gonna get worse.” Gill is now calling on the City to provide immediate property tax relief (Little Sister’s pays close to $100,000 per year and prepaid six months of it), direct financial grant support for affected businesses and better coordination of sidewalk closures moving forward. He is also inviting mayoral candidates to visit Davie Village and “make concrete commitments on this, not just express sympathy.”
The City told BCBusiness it does not offer financial or tax relief specifically for businesses affected by the Davie Village Upgrades—or other major infrastructure projects—but pointed to the Development Potential Relief Program and targeted land assessment averaging as measures that could ease the impact. It added that it is supporting Davie businesses through “Businesses are Open” signage, on-site traffic control, social media traffic advisories and direct outreach, including notification letters, phone calls and in-person visits.
For now, Gill hopes that Little Sister’s’ new e-commerce platform will help offset some of the losses incurred over the past couple of weeks.
