Mr. Lee’s General Store

I really love this store, and would love to give it five stars, but the last time I was in I was treated so rudely by the clerk working, that I haven’t been back in months.
I get that some main street posers still equate not giving a shit with being cool, but seriously? If I’m looking to support your small business, and am ready to drop $ 100+ on quality goods, it would be nice to be treated with an ounce or two of courtesy.

I saw this place by accident while walking along Broadway. It looked nifty and I was intrigued by a «general store and habidashery» in Vancouver so I went inside.
The first thing I noticed were the soaps and lotions that smelled so delicious and manly. Then I noticed all the nice shirts, jackets, boots, wallets, toiletries and some unique items. In the back there were some great mens’ hats hanging off hooks.
I only looked around this time, though I was tempted to buy one of the fabulous smelling lotions. This place would be a great one to go to for gifts for the guy who is hard to buy for, or a guy you just can’t see yourself buying him something from a department store.

I felt like I was 9 again. Looking in my dad’s closet with boyhood curiosity at all the strange contraptions intended for shaving, grooming, shoe polishing, and the things that made one a man. Things that didn’t have names, and things that had names that meant nothing at the time. 30 years later, I found myself in the same predicament looking at these peculiarities, except this time I realized that I was ready for them. Wonderful smelling soaps, after shave lotions, foot balms, postcards, patches, knives, heck… tea, Stumptown coffee, man purses, WWII style bags, shoes, belts and all the yesteryear-​style what-​have-​yous that made men men once. All in this little unassuming store which you could pass by a dozen times without realizing it was even there. Look for it, between the pet hospital and the congee house, and be a curious kid again.

I heard about this store a long time ago and found myself in the area recently (Congee Noodle House, yum!). The store is inset from the street and I actually had a bit of a tough time finding it and walked past it twice! Oops!
Once I actually found it, I was in heaven. This store is small, but chock full of lovely unique items that would make a great gift for that hard to buy for guy. I found myself poking around every little corner, amazed at what I could find.
Love that they carry Stumptown coffee ever since I had some in Portland. Also love the wide variety of hard-​to-​find candy, bags, knick knacks. There are also a ton of vintage items which make you feel like you’re taking a trip through time.

Named after the corner store that used to be there, this General store and Haberdashery sells… everything. I had a tough time selecting a sub category for this but if I had to pick one, it would be a Gentleman’s store for fine things. Among such fine things are traditional double-​edge safety razors and shaving gear as well as Stumptown coffee shipped fresh (weekly) from Stumptown roasters down south (Portland and Seattle — not sure which location they source from).
I believe this store is an off-​shoot of the barber shop downstairs and next door so they know their shaves and gear. I’m just a newbie at wet-​shaving but love that they have the gear I need. And with a stock of fresh espresso beans, I don’t have to drive to Seattle to get them — not that I go to Seattle with the sole purpose of picking up beans — I don’t need an excuse to go.
Prices in general are not bad — I do a lot of online shopping and price comparisons — they, like every other brick and mortar store, are priced over what you can find on the net BUT not by much and the hassle and sometimes shipping costs make it a tough choice to just drive over and get what you want… er…need. It’s also a cool spot to just check out.
IF you’re stuck for a gift for that special man in your life, or your co-​worker, or boss, or me, let me know, this is the best place to start.