The Naam

Built in 1920, this building is currently occupied by The Naam – the oldest vegetarian restaurant in Vancouver.

Once a very common type of shop in the city, the building has horizontal board siding, an indented centred doorway, two upstairs apartments and a wooden cornice. It was built in 1920, and originally had three addresses: 2722 and 2724 were the two storefronts, and 2726 was the two apartments above. Albert H. Brereton’s dry goods shop was the first tenant at 2722, followed in the 1930s by a bakery. A later, long-term occupant was G. Soon’s Sincere Cleaners in the 1950s. Its last occupant before The Naam was the 4th Avenue Fish and Chips shop. On the 2724 side, Rainbow Beauty Salon operated from the 1930s into the late 1950s, followed by the Pakistan-India Trading Importers.

When the Naam restaurant opened in 1968, it became a popular place of meeting for those involved in the counterculture movement, anti-war activists and advocates of environmental protection. The Naam’s popularity among its clientele reflected Kitsilano’s status as a “hippie neighbourhood”.

Since The Naam has occupied the building, there have been few modifications done to the site. The patio was added in the 1990s while the exterior still retains its original colours and rustic wooden structure.

Source

History of Vancouver Restaurants, a Chronology and Memories (Mia Stainsby, Vancouver Sun), Restaurants that Changed Vancouver: The Naam (Katherine Burnett and Lenore Newman)

More information

https://www.heritagesitefinder.ca/place-that-matters/the-naam/