Business owners in Vancouver pay municipal property taxes at almost six times the rate paid by residents. This is roughly double most neighbouring municipalities, and the national average.
On March 13, 2008, Vancouver City Council voted to shift proptery tax from commercial to residential properties by 1% per year for the next 5 years, which will provide some relief to Vancouver business owners.
Watch the video to find out why this is so important for the vitality of our neighbourhoods — residential and commercial.
Where to shop; where to eat; where to go! Find complete up-to-date listings of Drive businesses and view a map of their locations on the Drive.
Check out our Drive BIA merchandise!
We've got great looking shirts, shopping bags, post cards and much more.
Commercial Drive's Italian roots, complemented by its multi-national diversity, and vibrant art community makes for a treasure trove of shopping finds and experiences! – the perfect fusion of community, art, and commerce!
It's no wonder the Utne Reader ranks Commercial Drive among North America's 15 hippest neighbourhoods.
Italian Day on the Drive! Sunday, June 10, 2012 from 12pm to 8pm on Commercial Drive, Vancouver BC!
Come celebrate 'all that is Italian' from Venables to the Grandview cut on Commercial Drive, Vancouver's original 'Little Italy'. Join over 50,000 attendees on June 10th 2012 from noon until 8pm as 'La Dolce Vita' hits the street in style to include food, entertainment, fashion, specialty products, activities and much more. Share the spirit, pride and tradition as we pay tribute to the Italian community and the contributions made to this city. Viva l'Italia e benvenuti a tutti! Read more
Illuminaires Innovation Competition
Is your inner creative genius BURSTING to conquer the world?
Are you ready to inspire the masses with your life-changing ideas
and creative masterpieces?
Public Dreams has the opportunity for YOU!
New this year, Public Dreams is offering a very special opportunity for the most innovative minds in the Lower Mainland to be invited to square off against each other in this one-of-a-kind illuminated structure competition at Illuminares Lantern Festival 2012.
Together with a team of professionals, including an engineer and emerging artist, companies or ‘bodies of people’ will create their version of an illuminated sculpture, to be on display at the Festival, July 21st, 2012, at Trout Lake for thousands of viewers!
Visit the Public Dreams event site for details
Commercial Drive BIA partnering with EYA on community orchard project
The Environmental Youth Alliance (EYA), will collaborate with the Commercial Drive Business Society and the City of Vancouver to develop a large, 1.2 acre vacant plot of city owned land in the Cedar Cottage neighbourhood. Approximately 200 new trees and over 150 fruiting shrubs will be planted on the site which already has 9 apple trees dating back to the early 1900s.
Read all about it on the Drive (old school — cover to cover, ink on paper)!
While Kindles and the internet may be the last straw for mega chains like Borders, indy-bookstores are alive and well on Commercial Drive. Pulpfiction's recent opening of their 3rd location, bumps the count on the Drive to 4, including Abraham's, Canterbury Tales and Peoples Co-op.
photo of Pulpfiction owner, Chris Brayshaw, courtesy of Georgia Straight
Famoso opens April 18, 2012
Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria opens April 18th, bringing (more!) authentic Neapolitan pizza to Commercial Drive! The authentic thin-crust pizza is baked for 90 seconds in their fire-roasting Italian pizza oven. Traditional pizza with innovative service. Check it out at 1380 Commercial Drive or visit their website.
Falconetti's East Side Grill on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives with Guy Fieri
Watch the sneak preview here, but better yet, join the premiere broadcast party Friday, February 10 at Falconetti's East Side Grill. Then, when you get a hankerin' while you're watching you can satisfy that craving at this great little sausage joint, right here on Commercial Drive!
Umbrellas & Shopping Bags from our Banners are in stores January 3, 2012!
Our banner umbrellas are guaranteed to shed the blues and the rain! Our beautiful, durable nylon shopping bags made by the Kettle Friendship Society are a must-have for shopping on the Drive. Both are in Commercial Drive stores January 3, 2012 and when you buy one, you're also building new public green space in the neighbourhood! Read more
"This is so brilliant, it makes me warm and fuzzy all over." trendhunter.com
"Tell us your stories about the Drive for a chance to win $500
Our new "Take the Drive…" ad campaign is focused on the close-knit, urban village flavour of the Drive and we'd like to hear your stories about those kind of connections. Business to business; shop to customer; merchant to neighbourhood.
Don't worry about writing professional ad copy, just send us your suggestions and we'll take it from there. Thanks!
Federico's Supper Club wins 2 of 9 Dine Out Vancouver awards!
Tourism Vancouver's 2012 Dine Out Vancouver Festival was the most successful to date, with local and visiting foodies flocking to 232 participating restaurants around the city and enjoying a feast of prix fixe menus, daily culinary events and special hotel rates.
Throughout the 17 days of the festival, diners voted for their favourite Dine Out experiences and Federico's Supper Club won both the Best $38 menu and Best experience.
According to Rick Antonson, Tourism Vancouver's president and CEO, "We're well on the way to achieving our goal of turning Dine Out Vancouver into one of the world's foremost culinary festivals."
Jessi Cruickshank: My perfect Saturday, Commercial Drive
Best known for her role on The Hills After Show, the L.A.-based Etalk TV host, producer and writer, shares her favourite hometown hangouts in Chatelaine's November issue. Read more
Our 2011 list of winners for The Georgia Straight's Best of Vancouver!
Results are in! Commercial Drive is definitely loved by Vancouverites whether they live here or not. Thanks Vancouver! Read more
Seeking Souk
Mulberry jam from Damascus. Harissa from Tunisia. Rosewater from Lebanon. Halloumi cheese from Cyprus. These are but a few of the myriad exotic delicacies that populate the shelves of Mediterranean Specialty Foods on Commercial Drive. Presiding over this gourmet’s nirvana is Jack Elmasu, a Palestinian-born Vancouverite by way of San Francisco and utterly charming man. Read more
Jennie Wang, winner of Italian Day Vespa contest
The result is in and Jennie Wang is the proud owner of a new Vespa, generously donated by Ali Pirbhai, owner of Vespa Metro Vancouver
The raffle was just one of the great features of the June 5 Italian Day on Commercial Drive. The event was a great success, with over 50,000 people taking in great Italian food, fashion and live entertainment.
The Daily Catch on Commercial Drive is Vancouver's only fish market with 100% sustainably harvested catch
Dylan McCulloch and Ryan Johnson — 2 twenty-something entrepreneurs from the Sunshine Coast have launched the only fresh fish market in the City that sells nothing but 100% sustainable product according to Ocean Wise (2011 Georgia Straight's Best of Vancouver: Best Fresh Seafood Store).
Federico's Supper Club has been awarded the “Ospitalità Italiana Seal – Italian Restaurants in the world”.
This 1997 initiative from the Italian Chambers of Commerce in Italy promotes the traditions of Italian agricultural, food products and gastronomic culture. It is estimated that only 612 restaurants worldwide have been recognized with this prestigious award. Congratulations Federico!
Take the Drive to coffee country!
Steve Whysall's Vancouver Sun article reminisces about "...a time before Starbucks and Blenz, when the only place for a decent cup of coffee was at an Italian café on Commercial Drive."
Today, despite the proliferation of Starbucks and Blenz, Steve points out that "...many people still travel across town specifically to enjoy an espresso at one of the classic Italian coffee bars on The Drive."
The results are in and Commercial Drive was a hit! Read more
The Drive's Evolution
Evolution 107.9's Meghan McBain interviews Ian McSorley, Commercial Drive BIA's marketing committee chair and gives a snapshot of what makes the Drive the most unique, creative neighbourhood in Vancouver. Listen to the interview
The Drive knows how to "Put a Cork In It"!
To most of us the wine cork is just that last little obstacle between us and a glass of fine wine. Once it's out of the bottle, more often than not, it makes its way into the trash. Well last summer the restaurants of Commercial Drive decided to drop those natural bottle stoppers into containers supplied by the "Put a Cork In It" cork recycling program.
Visit putacorkinit.ca for a complete list of participating locations and more information on the environmental benefits of keeping this 100% recyclable material out of the solid waste stream. (2011 Georgia Straight's Best of Vancouver: Best use of a cork!)
"Deliciousness on the Drive" in Edible Vancouver's Autumn issue
If ever there was a team of qualified foodie aficionados it would be the editorial team of Edible Vancouver. Their review of Commercial Drive produce vendors, restaurants, delis and cafes is a great read!
The Drive to Succeed
The area stretching a few blocks on either side of 1st Avenue along Vancouver's Commercial Drive has earned its contemporary reputation as "the Drive" for being one of the city's most colourful neighbourhoods–a diverse melting pot that seems to attract every segment of society. But for the three decades that followed the Second World War, Commercial Drive had a distinctive Italian flavour to it. Read Article
Cook the 'Hood: A Cookbook with a Difference
Contributed by socially-conscious local businesses, these close-guarded cooking secrets of Commercial Drive’s best eateries include a wide selection of fabulous recipes that truly captures the vibe of the neighbourhood. Read more
Italian Motorcycle Club
The Italian Motorcycle Club has some of the best Italian motorcycles you'll find anywhere. You'll occasionally find this collection parked curb-side in front of Café Calabria, just south of 1st Avenue.
A similarly impressive fleet of motor scooters is often found curb-side in front of Continental Coffee, just across the street at 2nd Avenue.
Just 2 of the popular meeting spots on the Drive for Vancouver's 2-wheel motor-heads! Ducati, Moto Guzzi, Bimota, Cagiva, Laverda, Vespas — pretty impressive.
Actress Jennifer Beals' Commercial Drive
Jennifer Beals was propelled to fame as a welder in the 1983 film Flashdance. Now whe's better known as workaholic Bette Porter in The L Word. Read about her home town's Commercial Drive as reported in Air Canada's in-flight magazine, EnRoute!
Sexy fun on the Drive Gets National Exposure! Chatelaine magazine directs its readers to womynsware.com and their Sex Toy Guide in their Valentine's issue! "Womyns'Ware, in Vancouver, takes women's health seriously. ...Womyns'Ware is picky about its products: It rigorously tests vibrators, for instance. It also offers sexual self-esteem seminars online, and its annual Sex Toy Guide is free on its website or $5 for a print version. (Even better: That $5 goes toward your next purchase.)"
Federico's Supper Club wins 2 of 9 Dine Out Vancouver awards!
Italian Motorcycle Club
