COVID-19 forces sale of iconic Vancouver Chinatown restaurant
Posted October 1, 2020 12:37 pm.
Last Updated October 1, 2020 12:39 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — The COVID-19 pandemic is claiming another Vancouver business. Gold Stone Bakery and Restaurant, a beloved Chinatown eatery, is being sold after more than 30 years on Keefer Street due to the ongoing health crisis.
The Hong-Kong-style diner, built in 1986, is listed on Realtor.com for $500,000.
Gold Stone had temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic a few months ago.
It is another blow to businesses that continue to struggle through the pandemic.
“Gold Stone is a pillar of our community. I’ve been going ever since I can remember. It’s not just a restaurant leaving, it also feels like part of our identity is leaving,” says artist Pearl Low.
What if I started a GoFundMe page to save Goldstone Cafe from leaving Chinatown….. This place wasn't just any place. It's a huge centre of gravity that holds our community together… A community that seems to keep being threatened by gentrification and now, Covid too.. pic.twitter.com/ngCeSFWZR1
— Pearl Low | 劉寶珠???? (they/them) (@Fumi_chun) October 1, 2020
Low says Chinatown businesses aren’t just facing the threat of COVID-19 right now, but also the increasing threat of gentrification.
“Small businesses aren’t just commercial businesses that provide us food. They hold faces for us to make relationships, build bridges and exchange culture,” says Low.
What I hope for people to start realizing is the importance of protecting local and/or small businesses. These spaces are not simply commercial spaces, they're part of our identities and what makes up our communities. Covid has been highlighting this now more than ever before.
— Pearl Low | 劉寶珠???? (they/them) (@Fumi_chun) October 1, 2020
She hopes that Gold Stone’s sale will push the community to protect Chinatown’s small businesses and retain the area’s identity.
The restaurant was owned by a single family since its founding in the 1980s, according to broker Raymond Cheung. He confirmed the venue was being sold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gold Stone was listed multiple times as part of Chinatown’s ‘intangible history’ in a 2015 Heritage BC report. Its ‘award-winning’ egg tarts were also listed prominently in a Vancouver Heritage Foundation guide.
The news that it was being sold was met with shock on social media.
What Would Pork Chop on Rice Be without Gold Stone?
#ChinatownYVR #LongLiveGoldstoneBakeryandRestaurant #139KeeferStreet pic.twitter.com/glKTYG6Iik
— jane shi | 皮爬高 (semi-hiatus) (@pipagaopoetry) October 1, 2020
“My heart is broken like an egg tart dropped to the floor,” one person writes on Twitter.
“Such sad news,” another Tweet reads. “I wonder what will end up replacing it and what its role in the community will be.”
Such sad news. I wonder what will end up replacing it and what its role in the community will be. Here is the one photo I have on hand. https://t.co/Yxh1RNd9OS
— Heather Joan Tam (@HeatherJoanTam) October 1, 2020
