The Hidden Lives Behind Coquitlam’s Corner Stores Project

Coquitlam Heritage in partnership with Place des Arts will being opening a new exhibit featuring the stories of Coquitlam’s corner stores and people behind them. The exhibit will take place at Place des Arts on March 31, 2023.

Corner stores constitute a cornerstone of a thriving community, their operation are essential to the collective well-being of all community members. However, the significance of corner stores are underestimated.

Unlike chain stores, each corner store has its own unique history, offers individual blend products, and maintains a deep connection with the local community and its residents. Many never realized the value of corner stores, until these stores disappear. Given the evolving urban landscape and development, many corner stores in today’s Coquitlam may not be around in the near future.

It is important to collect the stories of corner stores, as they offer a window into our community life and the evolving urban and cultural landscape. These corner stores deserve a place in our community memory.

For this exhibit, Coquitlam Heritage interviewed a group of corner store owners who have been serving our community. In addition, to have enhanced visual representations of each corner store in this Exhibit, we have worked with Jonathan Desmond, a distinguished professional photographer in Metro Vancouver.

The exhibit The Corner Store Project will will highlight Blue Mountain Produce, Door Treats, Euro Food Tri-City, Goody’s Convenience Store, Marmont Market, Ridgemont Foods, Shana’s Flowers, Shiraz Farm Market, Tri City Snacks N More. It runs from March 31 to May 25, 2023 in the Atrium of Place Des Arts.