THE TALK OF THE TOWN

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What Do We Have For You This Month?

Welcome to “The Talk of The Town” for October, 2026. Click on the following links to find:

  • West End News & Notes: A Park Board candidates forum, a fond farewell to community centre friend, a fundraiser for a local business owner, and more …

  • Word On The Street: Openings, closing, and promises of things to come.

  • Hidden Treasure Hunt: Be the first to email us identifying the location of this West End “Hidden Treasure” and win your choice of a $50 coffee shop gift card.

  • West End Street & Lane Names: Vancouver’s streets and lanes each has their own history. Here’s the story of Burrard Street.

  • West End / Coal Harbour In The News: In case you missed it, here’s a round-up of last month’s news stories from our community.

(click images to enlarge)

West End News & Notes

A CLARIFICATION ON A 50-METER POOL
ABC Makes A New Promise

ABC IS NOW PROMISING A FULL 50-METER POOL FOR THE AQUATIC CENTRE REPLACEMENT.

In the “Vancouver Civic Election” section of this issue of The West End Journal you will find that ABC answered one of the four questions we asked all parties,  about their views and proposed actions on “Plans for a much smaller pool at a new Aquatic Centre" by stating “ABC understands why West End residents and swimmers are concerned about replacing the existing 50-metre Vancouver Aquatic Centre pool with a 25-metre pool. The facility is aging and requires major renewal, and the approved project will provide residents with a modern aquatic facility that includes swimming, diving, leisure and wellness amenities, fitness space, and improved accessibility. At the same time, Vancouver is a growing city, and we believe our long-term approach must add net-new aquatic capacity rather than simply replace existing infrastructure one-for-one. That is why the City’s 2027–2030 capital planning work includes exploring a new year-round 50-metre competition pool, including potential locations and funding arrangements. Our goal is a stronger city-wide aquatic network that supports competitive swimming and diving, lessons, recreation, and community use.”

On Tuesday, September 29, ABC appeared to have had second thoughts and announced that the new pool at the current Aquatic Centre would include a replacement 50-metre pool. 

As there was not enough time to ask ABC to revise their original response, we have let it stand, and included this note for clarification. You can find the answers to our four questions to all parties in the “A Tale of Two Elections” section noted on our home page.

𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗕𝗢𝗔𝗥𝗗 𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗨𝗠
11 a.m. Saturday, October 3 at the West End Community Centre

A public forum with Park Board candidates in the upcoming October 17 civic election will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, October 3 in the Auditorium of the West End Community Centre (870 Denman). Of the 35 candidates for commissioner 17 have confirmed their attendance.

With so many parties and candidates running, it was decided to focus on Park Board candidates as community centres are run under a Joint Operating Agreement with the Park Board, and Park Board commissioners have more impact on centre operations than other elected officials.

The forum will be run in a speed-dating format, with groups of voters sitting at table of eight or ten and each candidate spending time at each table.

See you there!

$3 MILLION SHAVED OFF HERITAGE HOUSE PRICE
The Geary House on Broughton is on the Market

A for-sale 120+-year-old West End Heritage Class B house at 993 Broughton has had its asking price slashed by $3 million .

The geary house at 993 broughton.

The Geary House, as it is known, was built in 1905, the house and has undergone recent renovations when the interior was redone, giving it a modern look with while preserving Edwardian design features.

In 2025 it was listed at $12.88 million, but that price was recently cut down to $9.98 million.

The house has five bedrooms and six bathrooms spread over three storeys and 4,100 square feet of living space. In the recent renovation, the attic was turned into a new bedroom.

Any offers?

Debbie Coulson.

DEBBIE COULSON
In Memorium

Debbie Coulson, the longtime business manager of the West End Community Centre Association (WECCA), passed away on August 8 while vacationing on Vancouver Island. She was 65 years old. Her passing is deeply felt by her colleagues, partner, family, friends, and the many people whose lives she touched.

For more than ten years Debbie was an integral part od the West End community. She supported the operations of the West End and Coal Harbrour Community Centres and Barclay Manor, and played a vital role in the day-to-day work of the Association. Debbie managed WECCA’s financial matters, contributed to its communications and social media, and worked closely with Vancouver Park Board and City of Vancouver staff to navigate the many complexities of the Association’s operations.

Beyond her professional contributions, Debbie was a valued colleague and friend whose dedication, knowledge, and commitment to our community will be greatly missed.

Debbie was closely involved in planning last month’s celebration of the West End Community Centre (WECC) and Joe Fortes Library’s 50th anniversary and was very much looking foreward to being part of it. A tribute to her service was displayed in the WECC lobby during the celebration and for a week afterward, where folks were invited to write cards of appreciation and condolence to her family.

Thank you Debbie. You are missed.

HELP SAVE DENMAN SHOE REPAIR

HuengSeo Kim is keeping the family business going while his son daniel recovers from eye surgery. (KDM Photo)

Last August the owner of Denman Shoe Repair at 982 Denman, Daniel Kim, was admitted to hospital for emergency surgery for a detached retina. The surgery went well and Daniel is now resting in recovery mode. In addition to the business Daniel has two young daughters, ages 8 and 2, and is also a pastor at a Korean church in Burnaby. During his recovery period he will need to step down from both of these work roles.

The Denman Shoe Repair was founded by Daniel’s father, HeungSeo Kim in 2011 and they have been serving West End clients for nearly 15 years.

West Ender Kevin Millsip launched a Go-Fund-Me campaign to raise enough funds to keep the business afloat during Kim’s surgery and recovery time, ensuring that the business didn’t have to close. At the time of this writing the campaign had raised just over $12,000 of a $14,000 goal.

The West End Journal dropped into the store on September 30, seeing the door was open, and met Daniel’s father, who is keeping the business open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons for a few hours. He informed us that Daniel is doing well but that he needs a bit more recovery time and will probably be returning to the shop sometime in November.

The costs of doing business of course continue to acrue. If you can make a donation to the fundraiser here.

Word On The Street

KEEPING UP?

There have been so many additions to the West End - Coal Harbour restaurant scene in recent months, and sadly too many closures, that it’s been a challenge to keep up. Here are a few of the latest developments. We’ll try to share a more complete list next month.

NEW TO YOU

MELO
1428 Robson
12pm-9pm Everyday

One of Vancouver’s top donut shops recently opened its newest location at 1428 Robson..

This Korean brioche donut shop first opened back in 2019 in Chinatown and has built its name on fluffy cream-filled rounds it makes from scratch across a two day process.

The Robson location features two floors. The ground floor is mostly counter and kitchen, with two display cases angled so you can read every flavour card before you order.

The donut lineup includes matcha, cereal milk, strawberry and cream, tiramisu, and nutella. What’s special at this Robson location are the donut sandwiches and financiers.

The financiers, small French almond cakes, include fig cream cheese, caramel pecan, chocolate, and gorgonzola. The savoury donut include a truffle ham cheese, a basil tomato salami, and a fruit sando, each split and packed like a sandwich rather than filled like a pastry.

NUAN NUAN BEEF NOODLE HOUSE
805 Denman / Replacing Holy Guacamole

The corner at Denman and Robson that lost the Mexican spot Holy Guacamole Mexican Grill last winter is apparently getting a beef noodle soup instead.

Nuan Nuan Beef Noodle House has put its signage up in the window. At press time the sign read "Opening Soon. Now Hiring," with kitchen helpers and servers wanted.

It also calls itself "Vancouver's Favourite Noodles," which seems an interesting claim to make before serving a single bowl on Denman. We were unable to find any other restaurants by that name in Metro Vancouver.

Nuan nuan translates to “warm warm,” and someone who know tells us that the Chinese tagline next to the name expands on that to : 一碗好麵, 暖心暖胃, or “a good bowl of noodles, warming the heart and the stomach.”

There is no opening date yet, and no website or social media accounts so far. If your interested in applying for a position, the email is nuannuansignaturenoodles@gmail.com.

THE WEST END BUTCHER & DELI
1340 Davie St. Vancouver, BC V6E 1N6
Tuesday - Sunday - 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

the west end butcher & deli on davie.

The West End Butcher is an independently owned shop started by partners Ben and Jesse who have lived in Vancouver’s West End for a decade. The idea for this shop came out ofTHEIR desire to build something to help their new family grow and flourish here in Vancouver while giving back to the community they met, fell in love and started their family in.

They describe their venture as “a neighbourhood butcher shop with a mission to offer high quality products sourced from all over BC at a range of prices because we know groceries need to be affordable.”

They make their own soups and stews and ready-to-eat meals for busy professionals and families who need a quick, nutritious and delicious homemade dinner and if you’re looking for a tasty lunch our deli sandwiches are perfect on the go. 

They partner with other BC owned independent businesses to offer customers a wide range of locally made products, including tallow based skin care and other items you might not expect in a butcher shop!

SAY FAREWELL
We Barely Knew Ye

Kuro Kasu came and went in ten months.

KURO KATSU

Ten months is all the West End gave Vancouver's first dedicated gyukatsu restaurant, KURO Katsu at 1471 Robson Street.

That is the difference between a restaurant having a bad week and a restaurant being finished. Google tags it permanently closed, and no goodbye post ever went up.

Katsu in October 2025 with a first-in-the-city pitch: panko-crusted beef fried rare, finished by the diner on a small tabletop grill. 

The same owner ran Kyochon Chicken in the space before it and converted their own restaurant to make the bet. The bet lasted less than a year, and the city is back to zero dedicated gyukatsu restaurants.

SUSHI ABOARD ON DENMAN.

SUSHI ABOARD
1047 Denman

The West End’s, and possibly Vancouver’s, first and only bullet-train sushi restaurant closed its doors on Denman early last month. It was a fun dining experience, which opened in 2020. 

Prior to Sushi Aboard, the address was home to a series of restaurants, including Grove Inn, Fusion Bay Vietnamese & Western Cuisine, and Cacao 70.

According to an Instagram post, the Sushi Aboard team is “hard at work” prepping a new location for its operations. "We’re currently hard at work behind the scenes getting our next location ready! The journey isn’t over—we’re just prepping for the next chapter," reads the post.

"We want to send a massive thank you to our local West End community and every single customer who has walked through our doors over the years,”

To date there has been no information as to the location of that next chapter.

West End Street & Lane Names

admiral Sir Harry Burrard Neale.

BURRARD STREET

West End street names were established when Lauchlan Hamilton laid out the street grid in the late 1800s, and — while some are contemporarily contentious — they have remained. In 2017 the City started naming eight of the lane ways that run east and west through the West End in honour of notable Vancouver citizens, recognizing their achievements and contributions to our community.

Here’s the story behind Burrard Street.

The street is named for Burrard Inlet, at its northern terminus, which in turn is named for Admiral Sir Harry Burrard-Neale. named in his honour by Captain George Vancouver in June 1792, during his expedition of exploration in the Pacifric Northwest. Burrard-Neale never visited the north-west coast and has no other connection to the region or the inlet named in his honour.

Burrard was a Royal Navy officer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1790 and 1835. He was the son of William Burrard, the governor of Yarmouth Castle on the Isle of Wight, and a nephew of Sir Harry Burrard, 1st Baronet of Walhampton, whom he succeeded in 1791. In 1795, he adopted the additional name of Neale on his marriage to Grace, daughter of Robert Neale of shaw House, Wiltshire.

Search his name online to learn more about his life and career.

Hidden Treasure Hunt

IDENTIFY THIS PHOTO …
Win A $50 Coffee Shop Gift Card

The first reader to contact editor@thewestendjournal.ca and correctly identify the location of this image will win a $50 gift card to their choice of Blenz, Delaney’s, Melriche’s, Waves, J.J. Bean, or Greenhorn Cafe.

So if you recognize this unique piece of art write in now!

The answer, and the clue to the next contest, will appear in our November issue.

The photos and information in the answers were originally published in TWEJ several years ago as part of our “Hidden Treasures” series by Vancouver author Dianne Maguire.

Water feature at 1888 Alberni

LAST MONTH’S WINNER IS …
Congratulations Marie M.

The impressive building at 1888 Alberni, at the corner of Gilford, is one of the taller edifices in the area, with its pointed, shiny cone-topped roof. The water feature is an interesting contrast to the brick and glass architecture of this 1992 structure. Older pictures of the building suggest that this water feature is a more recent installation. Shielded from the corner traffic by rich groupings of foliage, the river rock-filled stream bed is hidden from the street. Spouts of water shooting into the air are spaced around the curve of the building. On the other side of the entrance, a similar arrangement echoes the splashes.

West End / Coal Harbour In The News