About Us

Established in 1995
Welcome to Kitsilano Hempco

This old red building goes back to the original Kitsilano hippie days, when Fourth Avenue was nick-named "Rainbow Road". Yodih, one of our current regulars, lived above the store when it was the Golden Lotus, one of Vancouver's first vegetarian restaurants. One can see their old psychedelic mandala ads in early issues of the Georgia Straight.With an ashram upstairs and sitar music wafting onto fourth avenue, the Golden Lotus was a full-fledged north-west hippie phenomenon which carried an esoteric blend of food, books and music. Across the road, a sound and light gallery projected trippy light shows and head shops lined the Avenue. Several successful Vancouver businesses sprang from the early Lotus collective: The Naam, Banyen Books, and Life Stream Natural Foods. Later this building was home to Black Swan Records, who commissioned the mural of King Oliver still visible on the west wall. Black Swan (still in operation a few blocks west of here, on Broadway), is a great source for rare jazz, blues and folk music records.

With the arrival of us hempsters, this colourful building once again began to wave its freak flag high!

We added an intricately carved bench by local artist Michael Rose and pulled off the old awning on the front to discover a series of original finger paintings on the upper windows.These symbolic images are:

1) the dove of peace, carrying an olive branch;2) the i-ching 3) the yin yang 4) third eye/all seeing. Yodih tells us they were done by her friend Rosie, back in 1968. Inside, we developed a juice bar, catering on many occasions to various gatherings of hemp delegates. During the early hemp - boom in Vancouver ('95-97), several large Hemp Symposiums took place, attracting the friendly international hemp community . While people were in town for the symposium, they would inevitably gather at Kits Hempco and HempBC (who were downtown). Ad hoc performances by such characters as Doctor Sumac, Donnie Wirtshafter (Ohio Hempery), Larry Dupree (The Hemp Club), Dylan (Je L'ai), Alice and Eric (Zima Crisp), Nick (Still Eagle), the boys from Eco Dragon, and Agua Das (the hemp scream and bio-diesel guru)would be played out in the happy hemp frontier atmosphere we had going. Half way through the afternoon-day after the symposium ended- Woody Harrelson and several friends showed up (Frankel Bros. and Gretchen from Cascade Hempco). After several rounds of wheatgrass, juices and our vegan toasties Woody sat down to a game of chess. After a smoking match, a drum jam spontaneously errupted. On his way out Woody said that Kits Hempco was " the coolest" hempstore he'd every seen. Must have been the smoothies!

Another regular celebrity visitor has been Vancouver local Tommy Chong (best known for his collaborations with Cheech!) He came in one day and bought a marijuana leaf bandana. One day a props manager for the new Chong movie (Best Buds) came in looking for original eyecatching pipes to use in the film. We supplied a few for the shoot and suggested that they find a way to incorporate our pedal-powered smoothie bike; they came back with a new scene inspired by the bike. It depicts Chong in a dream sequence at a stoner's customized home gym, where he grinds buds while riding his "exercise" bike. Look for Kitsilano Hempco in the credits when it comes out. We were invited to the wrap party at the Big Bamboo; the smoothie bike was cheered when we arrived, carrying it over our heads to pass through the throngs of partying people. We sat with Chong and turned him onto some of our Toasted Hempseed Chocolate bars and hemp milk smoothies.

Ye Olde Kitsilano Hempco

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The juicebar started in Kits Hempco grew to take up half the store over time. The smoothie demand required more space. So when Gypsy Caravan moved out of the space three doors east, we knew it was time to expand. Now the Green V has come into its own as a full-fledged environmental convenience store, including internet access, tree-free photocopier, earth-conscious magazines and energy alternative products.

Green V Organics -recently expanded to fill the whole store and Hempco has moved three doors east.

Green V Organics - Environmental Convenience Juicebar/Cafe on Vancouver's west side.

The new home of Kits Hemp 2918 west fourth Vancouver B.C.

This is the new Kits Hemp location (notice new theme colour- blue). We put down a hardwood floor using nice salvaged ceiling beams from a house destined to be demolished. If you are ever in Vancouver, definately check out our groovy neighbourhood-it is a pocket of cool laidback energy with stores like P.D's Hotshop, Naam restaurant, The House Gallery, Nyala Restaurant and Amethyst Creations..