About

The East West Market Story

The original East West Market has been serving the Vancouver community since 1996, until the original owner retired and David Lee Kwen purchased the store, making it what it is today. David was raised in Trinidad and Tobago along with eight siblings, and he helped his family run a local grocery store throughout his childhood. His family moved to Canada when he was 14, and he continued to hone his customer service skills in the subsequent years. This upbringing has given David a deep understanding of how to make every customer feel like family. He understands that a local grocer can truly be a cornerstone of a community because food and grocery shopping brings people from all walks of life together.

When David purchased East West Market, his goal was to enrich the community. He is passionate about giving back and he focuses heavily on charitable giving, environmental awareness, sustainability, and cultivating a feeling of connectedness and unity. The success and popularity of this location has encouraged David to expand East West Markets reach with additional locations. Adding more locations allows us to take our message to more communities, and helps us further our mission of promoting sustainability and local economy support. Our first new location is in Kerrisdale and offers customers the same level of friendly, personalized service that they have come to expect from the original store.

Our Philosophy

At East West Market, we consider every person who walks through our door to be part of our family. We want to be known not only for our stellar selection of goods, but also for the feeling of belonging and community shopping that our store cultivates. We put a lot of emphasis on shopping sustainably and minimizing our carbon footprint, and we are never ones to turn a blind eye to someone in need. East West Market works closely with local charities and non-profits which support the local community.

Our Mission

Above all else, East West Market aims to deliver the best, most unique variety of top-quality grocery staples and specialty items. We always listen to customer requests and do our best to source international delicacies and hard-to-find items. We see ourselves as being part of a global community, and we want to help foster a warm and welcoming environment that lends itself to compassion, charity, and conscious consumption.

CLIO Awards Viral Embarrassing Bag Campaign

In 2019 we released embarrassing plastic bags with logos such as, "Wart Ointment Wholesale", "The Colon Care Co-Op", and "Into The Weird Adult Video Emporium". This viral campaign encouraged customers to bring their own reusable shopping bags into the store and avoid sporting shameful slogans. 

CLIO Awards Video Link