The Punjabi Market, also known as

Little India Little India (also known as Indian Street, India Bazaar, or India Town) is an Indian people, Indian or South Asian sociocultural environment outside India or the Indian subcontinent. It especially refers to an area with a significant concentra ...

, is a commercial district and ethnic enclave in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. Officially recognized by the city as being primarily a major

South Asian South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

, Indo-Canadian and Punjabi population business community and cultural area, the ''Punjabi District'' is roughly a six block section of Main Street around 49th Avenue in the Sunset neighbourhood. The Market marked its 50th anniversary on May 31, 2020, virtually due to the COVID pandemic.

History

Early immigration

The first South Asian immigrants from

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

landed in Vancouver in the 1890s. One early Indian settlement came by the name of

Paldi Paldi may refer to: *Paldi (Ahmedabad) Paldi is an area located in South Western Ahmedabad, India. Corporate offices and city centres of many national and international companies like ICICI Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland, Religare, Claris, ...

after a village near

Hoshiarpur Hoshiarpur () is a city and a Municipal corporations in India, municipal corporation in Hoshiarpur district in the Doaba region of the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. It was founded, according to tradition, during the early part of the ...

in Punjab. They settled down in Kitsilano near First Avenue and Burrard Street, where many worked in

lumber mill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimens ...

s and at construction sites throughout the

Lower Mainland The Lower Mainland is a geographic and cultural region of the mainland coast of British Columbia that generally comprises the regional districts of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Home to approximately 3.05million people as of the 2021 ...

. Indians who later immigrated to Vancouver are believed to have suffered the same treatment given to the Chinese (

Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

) and Japanese (

Japantown is a common name for Japanese communities in cities and towns outside Japan. Alternatively, a Japantown may be called J-town, Little Tokyo or , the first two being common names for Japantown, San Francisco, Japantown, San Jose and Little ...

). They were subject to the

bias Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that is inaccurate, closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individ ...

and animosities of the predominantly

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

majority and occupied distinct and discrete quarters of the city. Most of the new residents sought established homes and to earn reasonably secure incomes. They settled in the area near 49th Avenue and Main Street and many established restaurants and businesses there and throughout the city to make a living. The settlers brought with them distinctive habits and attitudes that influenced the choice of food, work and recreational activity.

Establishment

Over time, the neighbourhood had become predominantly Indo-Canadian and on May 31, 1970, Sucha Singh and Harbans Kaur Claire opened the first shop on Main St, which would be joined by dozens more, between 48th and 50th avenues. The Claire's owned and ran Shan Sharees and Drapery. In recognition of the cultural and business importance of the market, the first bilingual street-signs in Punjabi and English were installed in 1993 at the corner of 49th avenue and Main Street.

Present day

Presently, the Punjabi Market is in a period of transformation. Gradually beginning in the 1980s, the

suburbanization Suburbanization (American English), also spelled suburbanisation (British English), is a population shift from historic core cities or rural areas into suburbs. Most suburbs are built in a formation of (sub)urban sprawl. As a consequence ...

of the South Asian community in Vancouver caused many to relocate from South Vancouver east towards

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

and

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...

due to high rents and housing prices on relatively small properties. Enticed by cheaper housing for larger properties, new waves of South Asian immigrants in the 1990s and 2000s also preferred to settle in Surrey and Delta. Coupled with high retail rents and the geographical shift in the consumer base, the decline of the Punjabi Market in South Vancouver as a prominent South Asian inner-city district has occurred over the past two decades, with reports in 2013 citing growing retail vacancies. The market has evolved from the traditional food, clothing and jewellery stores to a more diverse offering, which now includes a licensed cannabis shop. Small businesses have been a hallmark of the market throughout the years, but are facing headwinds. Recent development of commercial space has brought chain stores such as a Tim Hortons into the heart of the market. In 2016, the City of Vancouver first engaged a study and a community planning process to review neighbourhood policies impacting arts, culture, retail and public spaces. In October 2019 six community engagement events were held taking feedback about priorities for residents and business owners. The City of Vancouver staff produce
a summary
which included public priorities and 8 recommended actions for Council to consider for the near term. The recommended actions included: Historic Context Statement, Cultural Grants, Vancouver Plan Activities, Near Term Public Realm Improvements, 50th Anniversary Proclamation, Community Art in Public Realm-Call for Artists, Commercial Area Capacity Building Work and Business to Business Support, and Long Term Community Stewardship Partnership.

Punjabi District

Over the years, the neighbourhood became increasingly popular among the nearly 300,000

residents in the city as a focal point for culture and commerce. There are a number of Indian restaurants, sweet shops, and grocers representing cuisine from varying parts of the subcontinent; as well as other businesses that cater to an Indo-Canadian community and tourists alike. The market has become a shopping destination for many weddings because of the numerous Indian ethnic clothing and bridal goods that are available. There is also a significant number of jewelry stores lining the strip, said to be the highest concentration of jewellers in the nation.

Events

Beginning in 1979, the Khalsa Diwan society at the Ross Street

Gurdwara A gurdwara or gurudwara () is a place of assembly and place of worship, worship in Sikhism, but its normal meaning is "place of guru" or "home of guru". Sikhism, Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths and rel ...

has celebrated

Vaisakhi Vaisakhi, also known as Baisakhi or Mesadi, marks the first day of the month of Vaisakh and is traditionally celebrated annually on 13 April or sometimes 14 April. It is seen as a spring harvest celebration primarily in Punjab and Northern In ...

each year in April with a public celebration. Festivities include Vancouver's largest annual one-day parade, where up to 300,000 people come together from to celebrate the birth of the Sikh religion. Many restaurants and households near the strip offer local food tasting and other goods during the event. The City of Vancouver has granted the Vaisakhi Parade Civic Parades Category in 2013, which is reserved for events with >100,000 attendees.

Notes

External links

Punjabi Market Collective
{{Ethnic enclaves Asian-Canadian culture in Vancouver Ethnic enclaves in British Columbia Indian diaspora in Canada Little Indias Neighbourhoods in Vancouver Punjabi-Canadian culture