Find a vendor
Where can I find a street vendor?
Street vendors can be found in locations where there is a lot of foot traffic, such as outside Skytrain stations and in front of busy retail outlets. At the following locations, usually on street corners, you will be able to find vendors.
Where there is a vendor name listed, it usually means the vendor sells Megaphone magazine throughout the year, and this is their reserved spot. If they are not at the location other vendors are permitted to sell there. If a day and time is listed, that is when that particular vendor will most likely be there.
You are most likely to find a vendor on a day when it's not raining. However, we do urge you to consider buying your calendar on a rainy day as those are the days when vendors sell fewer calendars.
Vendors should display their 2011/12 vendor ID which gives them permission to sell the calendar and book on the streets of Vancouver and North Vancouver.
The following locations are the most likely places to find a vendor, or check out this map that a local Vancouver blog made up:
Kitsilano:
Outside IGA Marketplace, Macdonald & West 16th (Martin)
Outside Shoppers Drug Mart, Broadway & Carnarvon (Richard)
Outside Capers Whole Foods, West 4th Avenue & Vine (Danny)
Outside B.C. Liquor Store, Maple & Broadway (Richard from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Granville Island:
Near the market (Vince)
Other West Side:
Cambie & Broadway, NW corner (Sid)
Cambie & 19th (Bob)
East Boulevard & West 41st Avenue (Patrick Y.)
East Side:
Outside Mountain Equipment Coop, Broadway & Columbia Street (Melwyn)
Commercial Drive:
Commercial Drive & Broadway, SE corner (Peter on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday)
Commercial Drive & 1st Avenue (Eric on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday)
Commercial Drive & 1st Avenue (Richard on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday)
Commercial Drive & Kitchener (Eric on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday)
Note: Another place to find a calendar vendor is outside the B.C. Liquor Store near Grant and Commercial
Downtown:
Robson & Howe Streets (Peter on Thursday, Friday and Saturday)
Burrard & West Hastings Streets (Ray)
Granville & West Hastings Streets (Patrick D.)
Richards & Cordova & Water Streets (Joe)
West Georgia & Burrard (Ron)
Outside the Railway Club, Dunsmuir & Richards (LJ)
Abbott & Cordova Streets (Suzanne)
Note: Other places to find vendors are outside Waterfront Station, the corner of Granvile and West Georgia Streets (outside London Drugs), the corner of Howe and Robson Streets (Chapters) and other high foot-traffic areas.
West End:
Denman & Nelson Streets (Richard on Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday)
Look out a vendor on Davie Street near Shoppers Drug Mart and outside the B.C. Liquor Store on Bute near Davie.
North Vancouver:
Lonsdale & 15th Street (Garvin)
Megaphone
As mentioned above, many Hope in Shadows vendors also sell Megaphone, Vancouver's street newspaper. For a listing of specific locations where you can find a Megaphone vendor visit their website.
Why buy from a street vendor?
The Hope in Shadows Vendor Program creates accessible employment opportunities for people impacted by poverty and marginalization. Vendors earn a $10 profit for every $20 calendar or book sold.
Why do only some vendors have a Hope in Shadows bag and cap?
Vendors are given a bag after buying 10 calendars from the main Hope in Shadows depot (121 Heatley Avenue). In the same way, they earn a cap or touque after buying 5 more calendars. These rules are to give value to the uniform and ensure that the active vendors get the uniform items, as we train more people than we have bags and caps. If a vendor does not have a bag or cap it might mean they have not been selling for long, or choose not to wear them, as they are not compulsory.
