About Granville Island
Seafood City is located in the heart of Granville Island's public market under the Granville Street Bridge.
Granville Island is owned by the Government of Canada, and was developed in the early 1970s as an arts and cultural site. Since then, it has become a popular tourist destination, hosting several thousand visitors a year.
100 years ago, Granville Island wasn't an island at all. Rather, it was a couple of sandbars underneath the originally an industrial site. In 1915, the city of Vancouver launched a plan to build an industrial site underneath the new Granville Street bridge, connected to the mainland by a narrow road and railway line. By 1930, more than 1,200 workers were employed by the factories on Granville Island.
In the years after the second world war, however, the factories on Granville Island were in decline. The entire Island was run-down, derelict, and dangerous. After lenghty discussion (and a few disputes!) the decision was made to transform Granville Island from an industrial site to a public space.
Today, Granville island is home to a variety of arts and cultural shops, including the Arts Club Theatre, the Granville Island Hotel, and Emily Carr School of Art + Design.
Last but not least, Granville Island is also home of the renowned Granville Island Brewing Company, whose fine products go remarkably well with our seafood.
The public market
The public market is the heart of granville island. Inside, you can find a variety of food and crafts vendors, including grocers, butchers, bakers, delis, and much more.
Over the past several years, the market has gained a reputation for selling top-quality foodstuffs. Local chefs - both professional and amateur - routinely shop the market for the freshest ingredients.
For visitors to Vancouver, the market is a natural tourist destination. Inside the hustle and bustle of market activity is the perfect place to gain an understanding of life on the West Coast.