Convenience Stores
A small independent shop on Minoru Boulevard in the city center, handy for snacks, drinks and last-minute items, and used by neighbors as a parcel drop-off point. Prices are not always posted, so it is worth asking before you reach the till.
Parcel drop-off is worth more than it sounds. Anyone living in a tower without a secure parcel room has had a package left in a lobby or dragged back to a depot on the far side of the city, and neighbors use B & R's on Minoru Boulevard for exactly that. The rest of it is snacks, drinks and the things you need right now rather than on Saturday.
Richmond's retail is overwhelmingly organized around malls and plazas, which works well for a planned trip and badly for a small immediate one. A shop on a residential block is a different kind of infrastructure, and it only survives if the people living around it actually use it rather than driving past on the way to somewhere larger.
There is one honest note to add: prices are not always posted, so it is worth asking before you get to the till. That is common in small independent shops and it is not a trick, but convenience pricing is real and it is better to know what you are paying than to find out afterwards.
Minoru Boulevard runs parallel to No. 3 Road one block west, past Minoru Park, the aquatic centre, the older apartment blocks and the newer towers behind them. It is one of the more pleasant streets in City Centre to walk, which is not a high bar in this part of Richmond but is true nonetheless. This is the sort of stop you make without planning it, on the way back from the park with a kid who has decided they need a drink.
In the City Centre neighbourhood of Richmond.
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Other convenience stores and nearby businesses in the Richmond directory.
A Westminster Highway bar and grill named after a regular who has eaten there daily for over thirty-five years. Big local wine, craft beer and spirits list, screens throughout and a patio. Opens early for takeout and runs through the evening.
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Ground-floor studio on Minoru Boulevard between Lansdowne and Richmond Centre, handy if you work downtown Richmond. Cuts, color and styling by appointment, with transit and mall parking both a couple of minutes away.
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Richmond locksmith and security shop on Minoru Boulevard, trading under the long-established Al Scott Lock & Safe name. Covers key cutting, deadbolts and door hardware, safes and vaults, plus alarms, cameras and access control for businesses.
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A restaurant and bar on Minoru Boulevard serving Pacific Northwest cooking from breakfast through dinner, with cocktails, BC wine and local beer. Live music on Thursdays and free parking. Handy to Richmond Centre, Minoru Park and the hospital.
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Casual Shanghainese spot on Westminster Highway known around Richmond for soup dumplings and pan-fried pork buns at prices that stay reasonable. Small room, quick turnover, and portions built for sharing across the table.
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Compact pharmacy on Westminster Highway in the City Centre, near the civic precinct and Minoru Park. Straightforward prescription dispensing and pharmacist advice during weekday business hours only, in a wheelchair accessible ground-floor unit.
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