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West End: West Valley Market a neighbourhood institution

When you own your own business, and that business is open seven days a week, from morning to night, the days can seem very long. But when your store is in the West End and your customers become your friends, your days can get a whole lot brighter.
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When you own your own business, and that business is open seven days a week, from morning to night, the days can seem very long.

But when your store is in the West End and your customers become your friends, your days can get a whole lot brighter.

The one thing that keeps me going it is the customers. Theyre fantastic, says Fanny Lo, who runs West Valley Produce with her husband Andrew and son Colin. They say something nice and that makes my day. Im not tired any more.

Thirty-eight years ago, Andrew Lo found an old house for sale on Bute Street, just off Davie. It wasnt the house he liked; it was its location across from a BC Liquor Store. He also loved the neighborhood which had just experienced a huge growth spurt. He bought the house, tore it down and built the grocery store which soon became a neighborhood fixture.

For 30 years, he ran it mostly on his own, with Colin and his brother Nick helping out after school and on weekends. Then, eight years ago, Colin, who has a degree in marketing from UBC, and Fanny, who used to work at Sun Life, joined him.

West Valley Produce is as eclectic as the neighborhood. In the front its a typical fruit and vegetable store, but once youre inside, one room leads to a warren of shelves of products from around the world. All cultures and cuisines find a home here.

Vancouver is a melting pot, says Colin, who loves that the West End is such a mix of people. There arent ethnic products. Its all mainstream. Theres nothing out of the norm now. You wont walk in and think, Wow, what is this?

While there are larger, well-supported grocery stores nearby, West Valley Produce also fills the niche for people who seek out that neighborhood feel. Some customers come once or twice a day, stopping by the store for a chat as much as to buy something. Most of the staff and customers know one another, and now second-generation shoppers are dropping by the store.

Businesses like ours serve a purpose, says Colin. Competition is always a source of pressure, but theres still a place for us as long as you grow with the times and are reflective of the market.

We listen to the neighborhood and we care. Weve been here for so long.

As time passes, Colin is making most of the major decisions. You can never replace my fathers experience but at the same time I have a marketing degree from UBC so we have to combine our strengths to grow the business, he says. You cant have one without the other. We both have to understand that. Its how it is. Its how its always been. And its how it will be.