Favorite Vancouver souvineer

[VermeulT]

I have more than enough "stuff" in my house - but I'd like to bring back something special and unique from my cruise that starts in Vancouver.  Also stopping in Ketchikan, Haines, ISP, Anchorage, Homer, Valdez and Juneau.

What is something that you've bought for yourself or a gift that you were happy with?

[martincath]

You can still acquire Olympic mittens from HBC - and this year they've released a limited-edition 10th anniversary pair. The mittens were the single most popular souvenir to take home from the games for everyone - athletes, media, spectators and locals alike - so they kept making them with just shy of $4 a pair supporting athlete funding programs across the country.

 

If you want more of an arty thing, First Nations work springs to mind immediately. Personally I've always found Inuit sculpture really interesting (and a solid piece of rock rarely gets damaged during travel) - but if you want to stick to regional items from the Vancouver area there are plenty of those too. I'd suggest the gallery inside Swachays Lodge on Pender - they have a resident artist program, you might even be able to speak to the person who made a piece. Potentially you could buy a piece from a different local artist at every one of your stops up the coast, all with their own unique little slice of culture.

[VermeulT]

10 minutes ago, martincath said:

You can still acquire Olympic mittens from HBC - and this year they've released a limited-edition 10th anniversary pair. The mittens were the single most popular souvenir to take home from the games for everyone - athletes, media, spectators and locals alike - so they kept making them with just shy of $4 a pair supporting athlete funding programs across the country.

 

 

This is awesome.  It didn't occur to me that there would still be swag available.  I work for an NBC station and will just have finished the Toyko games before my cruise.  This would be perfect.  Thank you.

[martincath]

1 minute ago, VermeulT said:

This is awesome.  It didn't occur to me that there would still be swag available.  I work for an NBC station and will just have finished the Toyko games before my cruise.  This would be perfect.  Thank you.

No worries - the regular red mittens are redesigned and rereleased each year, but if you want the limited-edition anniversary black ones you may want to look into mail order ASAP, as I have no idea how many are being made of those and they might sell out fast. There's quite a lot of 10th anniversary stuff going on from next week locally. HBC website page with current items is here.

[Langley Cruisers]

I'm embarrassed to admit this - but as a local, one of my most favourite possessions is a small set of wind chimes purchased right in downtown. I'm sure they are not locally made - they just remind me of here. 😊 They are small in size and the bottom piece that catches the wind and makes them chime is a... wait for it... seagull. The seagull itself is made of glass and the chimes are small and metallic, not obnoxious at all. I hang it outside from spring to fall.The seagull is well known around these parts and they make the most incredible sound. I absolutely love them. 🕊️

 

My daughter bought them at (her words) "a little kitschy souvenir gift shop right in downtown Vancouver". I think it may be one very close to the pier. 

 

Hey, you asked. 😁

[Earl Rosebery]

First Nations silver.  Earrings, pins , bracelets .  Either in Vancouver or Alaska.

[scottbee]

On 2/9/2020 at 9:40 PM, Earl Rosebery said:

First Nations silver.  Earrings, pins , bracelets .  Either in Vancouver or Alaska.

 

Or Jade, a fairly distinct northwest semi-precious gemstone