The Lowdown on LoJo
Forget shopping malls: Victoria shopping is all about funky vintage boutiques, outdoor storefronts, colourful building faces, and 19th-century cobblestone. You’ll find all this and more on Lower Johnson Street (or LoJo as we like to call it). LoJo truly has something for everyone: trendsetters and fashionistas will love the locally owned boutiques and vintage clothing shops, foodies will love the great selection of to-go goodies, environmentalists will love the selection of hemp and organic clothing, and history buffs will love the cobbled streets and old-fashioned architecture.
The area that is now Lower Johnson Street sprang up during the gold rush of the late nineteenth century. Settlers flooded to the area during this period and left behind historic architecture and authentic cobblestone streets. Today, the colourful historic buildings, funky vintage vibe, and fabulous selection of shops make LoJo one of the quirkiest corners of downtown Victoria. Here's just a short list of what you'll find when you visit!
Saltspring Soapworks
This Saltspring Island-based soap and bodyworks shop has all you could ever want in organic soaps, scrubs, and spa products. There are only three stores: one on Saltspring Island, one in Duncan, and one on LoJo. Their freshly made local products make great gifts! Check out their website for more info.
Smoking Lily
Smoking Lily is only the size of a closet…but don’t let that stop you from having a look inside! All of their clothing is sewn and designed by a small group of local women who only buy local or Canadian supplies.
Zydeco Gifts
Have you ever received a greeting card that’s too hilarious to have come from a Hallmark store? Or a quirky gift that’s so perfect and bizarre you wonder where on earth it came from? The secret’s out—you can find these sorts of things at Zydeco Gifts. Drop by to grab a historical action figure, choose from hundreds of different types of rubber duckies, and check out virtually any other cheeky novelty item you could imagine.
Salts Boutique
Salts Boutique takes eco-friendly to a new level with their line of hemp, soy, organic cotton and organic wool clothing. Like Victoria itself, this store is fashionable, laid-back, and environmentally conscious.
Other shops on LoJo include Bliss Boutique, Flavour, Addiction, American Apparel, Lululemon, Urz Boutique, and more.
If all this shopping is making you hungry, check out B.C.’s oldest bakery at Willie’s Bakery and Café at the end of Johnson Street, taste fine Italian food at Il Terrazzo, or pop across the street to Market Square for more choices.
Happy shopping!
Posted December 02, 2011 by Kara Johancsik