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Welcome to In The Village on False Creek, a unique project inspired by Live@YVR and 365 Days of Dining. I've moved my family into this community with my mission being to showcase the myriad of things that make it awesome by bringing you a weekly scoop! |
London Drugs just opened their newest location (their 75th store in Canada!) in the Village! Yesterday I had the great pleasure of being toured through it by the company's Senior Vice President and COO, Clint Mahlman, who is pictured here walking into the store here with Communications Professional Extraordinaire, Wendy Hartley. Clint's personal story is an interesting one that I'll share with you in an upcoming 50 Coffees feature, but today I'm going to tell about how excited I am that this piece of the retail puzzle in our Village has fallen into place.
Since we moved in almost 4 months ago, almost every time I was in need of something in the house I would think to the London Drugs that was being completed and which had the sign "GRAND OPENING, AUGUST 31st" on the exterior. Every time I'd say to my wife "I'm going to the store to get [anything]", I would say to myself, as I was getting into my car, "I can't wait until the London Drugs opens. They would have this [anything]! That'll be so convenient when they open.". I overheard one of my neighbours sharing a similar sentiment today when they expressed that now that London Drugs is open they "might not ever leave the Village again", and while it was obviously an exaggeration their point was that our neighbourhood has really reached a milestone here.
Come with me inside the new store...
The first thing you walk into is the cosmetics and fragrances section which is something I admittedly know almost nothing about, but Clint shared with me that their selection of nail polish shown in this display is nothing short of incredible for those who wear nail polish. This is the tip of the iceberg in this section, but the most visually appealing so you'll have to come down to the Village to check out the rest.
Something I know a little bit more about than cosmetics is/are electronics and cameras, both of which I was happily surprised to see are well represented in this store.
As a London Drugs shopper for many years I've bought three Canon point and shoot cameras from them since this web site was born in 2008. Looking in the glass under the counter I saw that the Village location has the same trusty G12 that I shot all of the photos for this very post on. I bought it from the Woodwards location a couple of months back. Meta!
I was also surprised to see computers are well represented. The Macintosh that I bought from London Drugs, which I'm writing this post on? Yes, this location sells it!
And they would also be able to service it should something go awry. Again; unexpected awesomeness. My front door is a 2 minute walk from their front door, then about 30 seconds to this dropoff window for repairs. Very convenient.
And as I told Clint during our tour, I'm absolutely thrilled that they have a photo counter here. Months ago I discovered that when you go to LondonDrugs.com and upload your photos to get printed, at the end of the process there is no bill to be paid. They don't ask for any form of payment in advance, you simply select the location you want to pick up your prints you've ordered at and you pay when you pick them up, which is old school in a good way! I love it.
Though smaller than most locations at 17,200 square feet, there are 7 large aisles like this one pictured below, and a few smaller ones towards the back. They are stocked with things I will never need to leave the Village for again.
And hey, full pharmacy!
And our very own blood pressure checker.
And perhaps the greatest thing about this place beyond the convenience is the fact that they care. This location will achieve 95% waste diversion from landfills when they open, which is three years ahead of their 2015 target. And with the company being a pioneer in waste diversion (they've recycled more than 147,000 pounds of Styrofoam since 2007 and you can see more in the graphic below) they fit perfectly into our LEED certified community.
Come down to The Village on False Creek for the grand opening celebrations today and tomorrow! We'll be celebrating for months to come.
