Asian Business Boom on Victoria Drive
Researching a decade-long history of Asian businesses on a strip of Victoria Drive
      Throughout the five years of my high school life, I had taken the exact same route everyday to and from school.  A major part of my route was straight up Victoria Drive from 22nd Avenue to 54th Avenue.  In those five years of passing by the same stores everyday, I had noticed a boom of Asian businesses, in the area which spans from approximately 41st Avenue to 44th Avenue.  I had also heard people say that this area was beginning to look like a mini-Chinatown, and sure enough today many Chinese people who are familiar with the area refer to it as "Little Chinatown".

       I wanted to find out whether my observation was accurate.  This would involve some searching in the Vancouver City Directories, in order to find out how long the stores have been at their current locations and to find out what existed there before.  Growth of businesses brings a growth in traffic and in people around the community.  I also intended to find out what effects this may have on the Victoria Drive / South Vancouver community.  Its comparison to Chinatown also sounded like interesting research.  Finally, the future of this area remains a question for me to explore - is this the height of its growth or will it really turn into a second Chinatown?

       Because it would be too much work in the allotted time to cover every Asian store down the stretch, I limited my research to food-related businesses such as supermarkets, restaurants, and bakeries.  After many, many interviews with business owners, employees, customers, and just random people on the street, I gathered and compiled the answers and opinions....
Historical Research of Some of the Asian Businesses
The Effects of a "Business Boom" on a Community
Little Chinatown
A Second Chinatown?
Created by Kaori Lau, April 2004
[email protected]
Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

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