I covered the opening of the new Urban Fare for Canadian Grocer Magazine last Friday. I’m always surprised that this store with its $40 bottles of olive oil, bread flown in from Paris, and wine bars comes out of the Overwaitea Food Group, the same company that operates Save-on-Foods, Buy-Low and PriceMart.
It is of course part of the Jim Pattison empire, and Jimmy, who is ranked by Forbes as the third wealthiest person in Canada and the 173rdin the world, was at the back of the store chatting to staff. His heir apparent Glen Clark, the former NDP premier of BC, was standing by the rotisserie chicken, while Bob Rennie, Condo king was stoked to have an upmarket grocery store to help push sales to young families, singles and the newly retired.
Urban Fare is in what was once the Athlete’s Village built for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, and now remarketed as “The Village at False Creek.”
The OFG group has transformed the former athlete’s infirmary and tweaked its concept for this fourth Urban Fare store. This one is an Express, and has about half the footprint of a regular store, but comes with a 50-seat restaurant area lit by antique mason jars. Here you can sip a latte or a pinot gris from Blasted Church, grab an arrabiatta with chorizo sausage or one of the 200 varieties of international cheeses, while lounging in an overstuffed leather chair and looking out at the newly restored Salt Building. 
The store has the same touches as other Urban Fares—wood floors and reclaimed wood shelves, and pithy sayings on the wall such as: “A bagel is a doughnut with the sin removed.” But this one has a twist which is really impressive. Staff have recycled the bricks from the Pantages Theatre on Hastings Street—the one that died from neglect last year—and built an archway smack in the middle of the store.
The OFG has made an impressive effort to stock local suppliers in all its stores, but this Urban Fare is really interesting. Erin Ireland started To Die for Banana Bread out of her Deep Cove kitchen, stocked local cafes and is now selling her line of bread at the store. She’s joined with Vij’s frozen Indian food, Whistler Chocolates, Fraser Valley Gourmet and Feast Middle Eastern that hand makes “comfort food” from Vancouver.
And, thanks to the Overwaitea Food Group for supplying the photos.
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