Started From the Bottom

Kindred’s journey began in a basement—605 1/2 Main Street, to be exact—back in September 2020. It was a tumultuous time, to say the least. Just three months after opening, we were offered the chance to emerge from our basement home and relocate to 606 Main Street in the historic Schofield building. We jumped at the opportunity, and it’s been quite the ride since then!

Let me tell you a bit about why I love this building so much. Mary C. Schofield (1876-1954) is recognized as the first female bank director in Washington. A native of Germany and a Vancouver resident since 1855, she was married to Nicholas Schofield, who operated a general merchandise store starting in the 1860s. By the 1880s and ’90s, Mary was running her own store at Sixth and Main Streets. I guess you could say Mary and I are Kindred spirits.

That said, the reality is this building has been neglected for too long and is in desperate need of repair. I love the idea of preserving this piece of history for Vancouver. We deserve vibrant, active buildings—not ones that are covered in netting because chunks of plaster could fall off and injure passersby. I hope we all continue to ask important questions about the future of this historical building. Is it fair that landlords can own a piece of history, neglect it, and choose not to register it as a historical site—only to knock it down when it becomes too expensive to fix? If you want to learn more about what’s happening with this building and other major projects around town, head over to Be Heard Vancouver.

As for us at Kindred, we’ll remain open during our regular hours, Thursday through Sunday, until October 26th. That will be our last official day (and Ronald Records’ last day too). We’ll be hosting a Halloween market on our final day, and we’re already dreaming up a special holiday market after the move.

To help with the move, we’re running a gift card sale — Buy $50, get $10 / Buy $100, get $25 — you can order online, just add both denominations to your cart and the freebie will automatically be removed. Every little bit helps as we prepare for this next chapter!

After we close, our focus will be on hustling up to Uptown Village at 2213 Main Street, with the goal of opening in time for the holidays (no pressure, right?).

Ronald Records will also be moving out to their brand-new space—hooray! It’s the end of an era for sure, but it’s been nothing short of spectacular sharing this space with them over the last two years. Now it’s their turn to shine and take things to the next level. “Started from the bottom, now we're here!” Shine on, friends!

Thank you for all your support—it means the world. Stay tuned as we enter this exciting new phase!

Oh, did I mention all of our Bulk is 20% off!? In store only, while supplies last.