Article content continued

He notes that the closure of Cardero Grocery also represents the possible loss of a certain type of housing – commercial at ground level, residential on the second floor – should the building be torn down and redeveloped into a tower.

“It’s approaching uniqueness because so many similar places have disappeared. It is one of a generation of buildings that modified house forms and created what were the original live-work spaces,” he said.

“They were individually operated as opposed to corporate and most importantly were a way for Asian families to become established during a period of racial restrictions.”

In 2010, local photographer Gregory Geipel started taking photos of the many corner shops throughout the Lower Mainland as a tribute to Sherelli’s, a shop close to Geipel’s own childhood home in South Burnaby that closed before he was able to photograph it.

“It was the closest store to us. Your mom needed milk, so she gave you some milk money and then you used that extra change to buy five-cent candies and whatnot — that’s the same story with a lot of people, I find,” said Geipel, 32. “And then everyone has a story about the shop owners as well. Sherelli was an odd man that everybody knew. It wasn’t the store, it was more the people who ran it.”

Photo by Photo credit: / Gregory Geipel

While he’s been trying to photograph as many shops as he can, more than half of the ones he has already photographed have since closed.

“Cherish the ones that you have when you can and hope that they stay around forever,” he said.

Sadly, Cardero Grocery won’t be around forever, but it’s something Ng appears to have accepted. When asked how she had seen the area change over the years and whether it was for better or for worse, she said change couldn’t be stopped.

“Either way, because the world has to move, right? Sometimes too fast.”

sip@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/stephanie_ip

With photo research by librarian Carolyn Soltau

CLICK HEREto report a typo.

Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com