Downtown Blog

Olive the Senses – a large, open shop tucked into the laneway behind The Hudson Building at 1701 Douglas Street – is a unique tasting experience for any food lover. Specializing in fresh, high quality extra virgin olive oil, Olive the Senses brings the best olive oils from around the world to Downtown Victoria’s doorstep.

Niomi Wood is very passionate about shoes, and her aptly named women’s shoe store Head over Heels is an homage to the best in shoes as works of art.

With floor to ceiling windows for optimum ogling – and there’s rarely a woman that passes by without stopping to look – Niomi’s choice of location in The Atrium (at 1323 Blanshard Street) lends the store the look of an art gallery with stark, white pillars of varying heights showing off colourful sandals, flats, heels and wedges.

Kermit the Frog may often be quoted saying, “It's not easy being green” but when it comes to Downtown Victoria… he’s wrong! It couldn’t be easier, being green and sustainable downtown.

Victoria has recently been named Canada's "Most Romantic City" by Amazon.ca (a title we also earned in 2011), and there are certainly no shortage of lovely downtown places to express your own Victoria romance. Flowers, chocolates, and jewellery are all available in plentiful supply downtown and of course there are no shortage of dining options, but for those looking to fully embrace this romantic date, we have compiled a few traditional and not-so-traditional options for you to consider. Warning, this post is for romantics only!