Tip Top Tailors

This building at 314 West Hastings Street is often mistaken for an old movie theatre, but it was actually built in 1948 specifically for Tip Top Tailors.  The interior of the store was just as striking as the unique exterior, often using catwalks to stage fashion shows. Surprisingly, the building went up for sale a mere six years after it was built, and has had a variety of tenants ever since. Current plans are to redevelop the block for rental apartments, while preserving the look of some of the original buildings, including Tip Top's curved aluminum façade. (1949 photo from Vancouver Photo Archives).