I love this town, but it occurs to me that in some ways I don't fit in well here.
There is something about the West Coast trend for tearing down old buildings and replacing them with sparkly new ones that rubs me the wrong way. I like to feel the echoes of history in a space, to wonder about those who moved through it before me.
My affection for Andrew's on Eighth - which opened late in April in a 100-year-old building in the Victoria Park neighbourhood of North Van - is a given. The coffee shop is tucked into the main floor of what was once the Henderson Block at the corner of East Eighth and St. Andrews Avenue. Built in 1912 by Californian John Dierssen, the two-storey structure features four square turrets, shingles and a recessed doorway on the corner. It's easy to identify by the cartoon blue hue bestowed upon it by the previous owner, but the restoration of the building continues; eventually it will be treated to a more traditional exterior paint job.
Although the work isn't yet complete, the retail outlets on the ground floor are now open for business.
I stopped in at Andrew's to grab a latté and breakfast on my way to work recently. Open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday, it's an ideal spot for weekday commuters, coffee dates and Sunday run clubs.
Java lovers and heritage buffs will feel equally at home here.
The original fir floors have been uncovered and refinished; the soft wood, still nicked and scuffed, speaks of the hundreds of footsteps taken across it.
Customers can linger over a copy of the daily newspaper, or over the book Vanishing Vancouver: The Last 25 Years, by historian Michael Kluckner.
Beans are sourced from North Vancouver Moja Coffee, which specializes in fair trade, organic coffee beans, roasted in their own facility on Rupert Street. The food is made by the café's companion catering business, The Banqueting Table, which employs single mothers and women returning to the workforce.
My large latté was rich and roasty, creamy with milk and the sweetness of vanilla, and my breakfast croissant was a gooey confection of buttery toasted croissant layered with thick, crispy bacon and egg.
I had them pack a bag for home filled with a decadent chocolate croissant, a pillowy strawberry scone and a high-rise muffin, high-fibre berry muffin, all baked on site. The bill for all of it added up just shy of $18.
These were good eats, service was prompt, and the space is vintage . . . just the way I like it. Andrew's on Eighth is at 279 East Eighth St., North Vancouver; 604-980-3088.
