Shop Hop: The Coast Goods Brings Vacation Vibes to East Van

If you’ve ever walked into the Coast Goods on Victoria Drive and disocvered an aesthetic so impeccable that you found yourself wondering, “Does an interior designer run this shop?”—you were right.

Before she spruced up this historic corner shop with the perfect shade of peachy-pink, Tanya McLean spent years running her successful interior design studio, Mango Design Co., out of a Gastown office. But by the time the pandemic rolled around, she was starting to burn out on the deadline-oriented, high-stress work. “I was always putting out fires,” she recalls. “I wanted to access more creativity and have human connections instead of being behind a computer all day.”

So when McLean’s friend reached out with the news that she was shuttering her retail shop, Monarchy, McLean spotted an opportunity to shift gears. “I’d worked in retail through design school and had spent decades formulating ideas for a shop of my own one day,” she says. Thanks to her work designing plenty of homes in the neighbourhood for young families, she had a hunch that a design-y home and lifestyle shop would be more than welcome on the block; she lived nearby, too, and was well aware of what the area was missing. With the help of her daughter Hannah Gibson (“There’s no way I would’ve pulled it together so quickly without her”), she transformed the 100-year-old space with fresh Baltic birch plywood shelving and a beachy palette of dreamy aqua, sunset pink, sunshine gold and whites. An eye-catching, coastal-inspired mural on the exterior by Lori Popadiuk uses the same palette.

Though Coast stocks a range of home and lifestyle products (cutting boards, art prints, cocktail mixers), the loose visual theme, if it wasn’t obvious, is “beach”—what McLean calls a “surfy Scandi” vibe, inspired by extensive travels and Australian interior design. “The beach is where I want to be. I always feel better when I’m there. Hannah and I are total beach bums,” she says. “We wanted to capture the feeling of being somewhere else; a holiday in a store.” Driftwood- coloured pottery lines the shelves; weavings, artwork and cotton beach towels are hung proudly throughout the shop. There’s a big focus on local brands, as well as products with a sustainable bent. Natural candles and self-care products round out the selection.

But as beautiful and stress-free as McLean has made her little oasis with her magic design powers, it’s ultimately the people who make every day feel like a vacation. Regulars meet here to wander around with friends or take the baby for a stroll; friendly neighbours bring their dogs by to say hi. “My mom had always worked in department stores and thought I was crazy to want to go back into the retail world, but when she came to help us out at the shop the first year, she was so surprised at how lovely and refreshing our customers are,” says McLean, laughing. “She was like, ‘Do you ever get a grouchy one?’” 1302 Victoria Dr. | thecoastgoods.ca

Best Bets: Shopping Picks

Product picks from the Coast Goods’ owner Tanya McLean and our editors.

MCLEAN’S PICK: Slowtide Poncho in Ginny Guava ($95)

Slip on this hooded terrycloth robe and then slip off your wet swimwear. “It makes changing on the go and in public a breeze,” says McLean. Plus, it’s made from sustainably sourced cotton.

MCLEAN’S PICK: Ciel Glue Surf Art Prints ($70)

These collage-based prints bring an artsy spin to your gallery wall; the retro-inspired works come in poppy hues that can work in either contemporary or vintage-y spaces.

EDITORS’ PICK: The Hobbyist Cold Plunge Mist ($44)

Spritz the bracing blend of wintergreen, eucalyptus and peppermint into the hot water stream to bring the steam room experience to the shower.

MCLEAN’S PICK: Franca NYC Vase ($170)

Handmade in New York, the vessel is finished with a custom- tinted “sand”  porcelain—and makes a great utensil crock.

EDITORS’ PICK: Lifesaver Bag in Coast-to-Coast Stripe ($15)

This heavy-duty nylon shopping bag—made from offcuts of Vagabond hammocks—packs up teeny-tiny; we love the cheery, colourful striped pattern.

MCLEAN’S PICK: Business and Pleasure Hemingway Coupe ($38)

The vacuum-insulated cups take inspiration from vintage barware. Use ’em for coffee or cocktails during your next camping trip.

EDITORS’ PICK: Villager Salt Spring Island Puzzle ($32)

Skip the ferry wait and make this pretty, 1,000-piece puzzle instead. The illo is by Bowen Island artist Anja Jane.