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Indigenous Artists
Indigenous Artists
Local Artists 
Local Artists 
1 1 1 6  G ov e r n m e n t  S t
Victoria, BC 
V8W 1Y2
Oak Bay Village, about four 
kilometres west of downtown, is 
separated from Victoria by what 
locals lovingly call the Tweed 
Curtain. Visitors won’t encounter any 
visible barrier at the Foul Bay Road 
bounder at Oak Bay Avenue, though. 
In fact, they’ll see businesses with 
Oak Bay in their names before 
reaching Oak Bay proper.
“There’s lots of independent shops 
that people won’t see anywhere 
else,” says Heather Leary, managing 
director of the Oak Bay Business 
Improvement Association.
Those shops include Nicholas 
Randall, (nicholasrandall.com), 
an eclectic boutique whose wares 
include towels that proclaim, “What 
happens in Oak Bay stays in Oak Bay.”
Other unique stores include 
independent Ivy’s Book Shop, 
2188 Oak Bay Ave. (ivysbookshop.
com); Ottavio Italian Bakery, 
Delicatessen & Cafe, 2272 Oak 
Bay Ave. (ottaviovictoria.com); 
Village Butcher, 2032 Oak Bay Ave. 
(villagebutcher.ca); and Bark, Bath & 
Beyond Pet Boutique, 2041 Oak Bay 
Ave. (barkpetboutique.com). 
A recent addition to the village is 
Lazy Susan’s, 2039 Oak Bay Ave. 
“They sell a curated mix of vintage 
and new but kitschy stuff,” Leary says.
Among the events taking 
place in Oak Bay Village are 
summer markets on the second 
Wednesdays of June, July, August 
and September. More details can 
be found at oakbaytourism.com or 
visitoakbayvillage.ca. 
Shopping Behind 
the Tweed Curtain
“We have a fairly robust program 
of events from June right through to 
the end of the year,” Leary says.
And Beyond the City
Other shopping districts include 
Cook Street, affectionately called 
Cooksilano after the Vancouver’s 
tony Kitsilano neighborhood, 
Quadra Village, Uptown Shopping 
Centre (shopuptown.ca) and 
Shelbourne Plaza in neighbouring 
Saanich. Major malls within a five-
kilometre radius of downtown include 
Hillside Centre (hillsidecentre.com), 
Mayfair Shopping Centre 
(mayfairshoppingcentre.com), and 
Tillicum Centre (tillicumcentre.ca). 
ABOVE LEFT: Oak Bay’s summer markets draw crowds.
(Destination Greater Victoria)
ABOVE RIGHT: Penny Farthing Pub is a focal point of Oak Bay 
Village, a short hop from downtown on Grayline Sightseeing’s 
Hop On Hop Off bus (sightseeingvictoria.com).
(Destination Greater Victoria)

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