Lukes General Store

Hipster heaven. I honestly don’t know if I’m cool enough to be in this place but I visited it anyway.
Recently I was treated to an event at Luke’s General Store for the launch of their latest addition, sandwiches from Acorn. The invite was simple enough, come sample some sandwiches, beer and enjoy a live DJ in the process. Who could say no to something like that? Thank you Unilocal for the tickets!
This two story general store is located along West Hastings, an area that has been reinventing itself in recent years into one of the funkiest places in the city. As such, Luke’s is a perfect addition to the area. For such a small shop, they manage to feature a wide range of items. They sell Four Barrel coffee from San Francisco, donuts from Cartems Donuts, vinyl records, and several unique personal products.
I was surprised to see that the various toiletries where all from Western countries, such as Australia, Canada, Italy and the USA. I was also happy to see that these products indicated that they weren’t tested on animals, which is a huge selling point with me. Seriously, if your product has so many synthetic items in it that you aren’t sure if it’s safe for human use then I’m not interested in it, period.
Seeing all the unique soaps, lotions and balms here made me regret that I’ve already finished my holiday shopping for this year. If you’re looking for some unique and practical items, it’s definitely worth checking out. I think I’ll be back for some smudging sticks for sure.
Although it’s called a general store, don’t expect to be able to get everything you could need here. It’s really more of a coffee shop/​novelty store.

Luke’s is absolutely a winner. The space and the quality of goods are what makes them worthy of my 1,000^th review. I knew of Four Barrel Coffee from SF but this was my first sampling of it. Definitely great coffee. Gotta say though, that I’m not a fan of importing the roasted bean. Keeping it local is important to me and there are so many good roasters here in Vancouver, plus it makes economic logic to buy locally roasted.
Inside this café-​market it’s bright and welcoming. My eyes darted all over the shelves to the many varieties of coffee and hilarious but quality made mugs. Upstairs, a local marketplace of tempting merch. I’m too broke to buy, but if I could, it’d be easy to drop some cash up there.
Baked goodies look great, but if you’re Gfree like me, pick em up next door at Smallflower. Luke’s doesn’t frown on you if you bring it into the café when you order coffee.

Coffee &a shopping one stop shop. Selections of variety of vinyl records :) music & coffee all the way! Hippie place w friendly barista, no syrup flavour coffee here but try their Spanish latte alike coffee here~ recommended !

The best flat white in Vancouver! Cool little shop and very chilled out. Great to hang out or get some work done!

Very cool little shop — delicious and unique donuts, lots of carefully-​selected items for purchase both coffee-​related and not. Friendly service and a comfortable interior — we enjoyed the visit.

So many fun things to buy — this place really takes the idea of a general store into the 21^st Century.
Boyfriend and I stopped by for a coffee on our way home from checking out fishing supplies — I definitely needed a little boost by this point! I ordered two Americanos, one decaf, and we wandered the shelves loaded with goodies while we waited. From pasta sauce to coffee pots to local butter these folks have everything! Had I not already paid for the coffees, I would have added about 100 items to our order!
And then there’s upstairs — a ton of gorgeous vinyl records that make me wish I had a record player, soaps, clothes — you name it, they’ve got it. And all high quality, funky, and unique.
The store has that very chic, minimalist feel that’s SO West Coast to me, and they also have a long table in the centre, and a couple of window stools from where you can enjoy your coffee while watching the world go by.
And did I mention that their coffee is fantastic? No? Well it is! Bad coffees I drink with milk to take the edge off the bitterness, but Luke’s requires nothing but a lid to stop me guzzling it all when it’s still piping hot! Smooth and not acidic, this stuff is TASTY!
I definitely recommend stopping in — even if you’re not looking for something specific you’re bound to find 5 different things you just HAVE to have!

Visiting from out of town i happened across this place. The staff were really friendly and gave me plenty of tips about things to see and do in town. The coffee was very well made and the whiskey bacon donut was a proper treat. They also have a really nice record department upstairs.

This is a mixture of goods and coffee. They sell records, household items, concert tickets, pretty looking donuts (almost too pretty to eat), and coffee. Was walking by and decided to give this place a try, and overall, purchased a household item, an espresso, and a chocolate bar. A very small seating area. A very hip place for this little cute space.

Came here for to meet some friends. This place is very unique. By the door, there’s a rack of coffee equipment merchandise, like the chemex and the aeropress. The rest of the «store» is upstairs in the back, which sells records and other hipster stuff.
Latte:
— Good espresso flavor
Overall:
Good coffee. Experiencing this place once is enough.

So after an awesome night here at a Unilocal elite event, I swore to come back to shop and buy Christmas gifts (for myself) and I did. Two jars of Elman’s pickles the best pickles ever, bison pepperoni sticks, bag of Four barrel coffee beans and a latte later, Im hooked! Oh did I forget to mention they carry Cartems doughnuts! Oh yes they do! Love this place. Two levels of awesomeness, a café /​general store. Don’t be fooled by the «general store» this place is hip and cool you’ll finds unique things like vinyl records, vinyl record players, wool blankets, organic soaps, slippers, mugs, yummy treats from gluten free pasta, pasta sauces, cheese oh yummy cheese and so much more. When my supply of pickles run out, I will be back!

A wonderful little shop. Definitely a little pretentious and expensive but a really nice place to browse. You can’t leave without a few odds and ends.
And the vinyl collection! Small but awesome! If Zulu doesn’t have what you’re looking for, come here.
The Four Barrel coffee is amazing — and a great value for the quality compared to Revolver. Come. Enjoy!

Just attended my first ever Unilocal Elite event, and I’m glad it was at Lukes General Store! I have been meaning to check out this shop since reading about it on Scout Magazine awhile back. It was nice to see a cool space that sells a variety of high quality items ranging from Four Barrel coffees, Cartems donuts, The Farm House dairy products, Beast & Brine meats, and lifestyle goods including vinyl records, Baggu bags, Pendleton blankets, Malin + Goetz toiletries, and more. With its family backstory and Calgarian roots, this is definitely a great addition to Vancouver and the Gastown neighbourhood.
Thanks to Ayla at Unilocal and the Lukes team for organizing such a fun event!

They relocated from their temporary location in Chinatown to a permanent location on West Hastings next to acme café.
Notable changes include:

There was a woman who was either really angry or had some mental health issues who decided to perch on the seating outside of the store.
She started screaming at the top of her lungs and swearing at any passerby.
This obviously interrupted, «business as usual.»
Instead of calling the cops, Clint/​Luke came out of the store to greet the lady and have a chat with her. He was really cool about it. Offered her a drink.
She didn’t stop yelling or cursing.
But nobody in the store ever called the cops or tried to kick the poor lady off the stoop.
Good thing because her husband finally found her later on.
These are decent people running a decent shop of chic «expensive junk» that you just wanna throw together in your shabby chic home.
I love this place. they have excellent coffee*, excellent people and excellent loitering space.
(Seriously– best coffee in the neighbourhood/​DTES, chinatown or gastown– I’ll walk many blocks out of my way to go to Luke’s when I’m in the area. The barista is charming as heck too).

2 words come to mind here: Vintage, and Coffee.
Parking isn’t the best here (stupid meters), but there are some free spots if you walk a few blocks to the E.
Yes, the place is vintage and hipster. The stuff they sell is feel-​good stuff from the past — this is the stuff your parents threw out during the 1980s and 1990s. Cassette decks. Zack Morris phones. Globes. Yo-​yos. Typewriters. Yes, you could’ve sold or donated your loot to this store instead of the trash heap. And if you’re older (30+), this place will bring a huge smile to your face as you walk down Memory Lane.
The front of the store has a nice coffee stand and some seats. The mocha here (special mention) is one of the best I’ve had in town, and ambience is nice and cozy. One of my new favourite coffee spots now. Well, until too many people find out about it.

Thanks to Unilocal I have discovered another cool coffee/​antique shop in the new and up and coming Chinatown neighbourhood.
Right across from Bestie, one of the coolest sausage and beer joints in town, Luke’s store offers antique items that you could find in your grandma’s attic.
The opening party was full of cool people and as Unilocal elite we were treated to an awesome gift bag full of Stumptown coffee and a bag of hair products. I have yet to make my espresso so watch out for my review update on this post.
As always Jody, our CM extraordinare, brought a lot of energy with her and made us feel welcome!
I tried the hot chocolate as didn’t want to feel caffeinated that late in the night, which was delightful. It was pure chocolate, not sugar, and felt very refreshing.
The beer was from 33 Acres, Pale Ale and Lager, both refreshing but felt heavy afterwards like I’d had a couple of burgers.
The event was great for socializing and the owner seemed very welcoming and was humble.
Needless to say I have found my new coffee joint while in Chinatown.

Yum! Stumptown coffee :) this space is fun, lots to look through! Great curated pieces, lots of great art for the home. It will be interesting to come back when they have the barbershop up and running. The bath products smell amazing, cilantro and grapefruit, mm!

Don’t be fooled by the title, it’s more than just a «general store» if you even want to call it that. I found out about this place as it appeared on the front page of Unilocal on February 21, 2014.
It’s a combination of an antique store and a coffee shop.
The location of this place is less to be desired. The outside is unassuming. It took me a while to get the concept when I went inside. There are so many treasures inside.
This shop is 3 shops in one: Lukes General store, Studio 126 and a Lab in the back. The divisions aren’t clear but everything in the store is amazing.
I am not an antique person, however, this store has/​had cool things that I actually would/​wanted to buy like vintage cameras, photos, notebooks, type writers, glass marbles etc.
I walked away with the best gem in ages, a frog, a Tadpole, a Tadpole egg and a teenage frog all in Formaldehyde. I got the full life cycle for $ 20. It’s a great conversation piece.
I always wanted a pet frog, however, wasn’t ready for the commitment. Now I have a frog that I don’t have to feed. I don’t have to worry about it dying during those extended days out of town.
I asked a random stranger in the shop to name my frog. We decided on Henry. No relation to Henry the 3^rd.
They had other animals in Formaldehyde as well as some taxidermied animals.
There are drawers in the shop. You’re encouraged to look in those drawers. This one of the rare times in which I was granted permission to look into a stranger’s drawer.
The coffee shop serves and sells Portland’s best.Stumptown. Now whenever I have a craving for Portland coffee I don’t have to go to Portland to get it.
Where else in Vancouver can you go home with a cup of Stumptown coffee and a Formaldehyde frog?
All in the owners in the shop are super friendly, warm and proud of their shop.

The Crown Jewels are here somewhere I’m sure, if not then your next coolest piece of furniture, camping gear, retro home addition, pair of boots, fine chocolate, personal care products or maybe the best cuppa Joe in a long time. Sitting cozy amongst Chinatown’s tasty restaurants you will find Luke (Clint) and his general store since 1951 at some other location Im guessing. He’s the bearded chap with the large personality of fun and laughs. The barista is stoking up fine cups of Stumptown roasted coffee while Luke sells himself and his goods. We need more stores like this around town. Sip and shop… Luke may the force be with you!!!

Here we are celebrating the grand opening of this new store (though the store logo says since 1951, I assume it’s been in existence elsewhere?) tonight.
This is an interesting combination of an antique store plus a hip coffee joint, who sources from the Stumptown of Portland, OR. I tried their Caffè macchiato, as well as a Latte with almond milk, both are excellent coffee drinks, especially love their latte art, which they were able to produce even with a crowd audience tonight!
For the party, they invited the 33 Brewing Co to show case their 2 beers: — California Common (steam brew) and a Pale Ale, SO thought they both fit the styles as expected. For $ 5 each they are a great deal (though comp. for Elites at the pre-​party).
The best part is checking out the antiques the owner Clint sourced, I was going around the store trying to figure out what some of the most curious looking items are, old type writers are available in dozens, old metal fans (way cool, looks just like the distressed images in Tim Holtz stamp and die cutter sets), a HUGE cellphone similar to the ones in «Saved by the Bell» used by Zach Morris, old barber shop chairs, woodworking equipment, and last century medical devices aplenty…
Oh, there’s a Macintosh (circa 1984-​ish?)!!
definitely a place to check out if you are looking to «hipster-​up» your apt or small business store front! =D