Cancel

Open app

Search

Salt Spring Model Railway Show

4.0 (2 reviews)

Salt Spring Model Railway Show Photos

More like Salt Spring Model Railway Show

Recommended Reviews - Salt Spring Model Railway Show

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

7 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Verify this business for free

Get access to customer & competitor insights.

Verify this business

Fan Tan Alley - 09.04.23 Fan Tan Alley

Fan Tan Alley

3.9(47 reviews)
50.1 km

Fan Tan Alley, one of the narrowest streets in Canada and is only three to six feet wide and 240…read morefeet long, that runs between Fisgard Street and Pandora Avenue (formerly Cormorant Street). It came into being between 1885 and 1920 as Chinese and Western landowners initially constructed buildings fronting on Fisgard and Cormorant, then over time filled in the spaces behind with new building. "Fan Tan" is named after a game played in gambling dens above the alley. The lower storefronts housed opium dens, restaurants, and shops. Opium was legal in Canada until 1908, but gambling was not. Trap doors to second floors and locked gates at each end of the alley helped slow down police during raids on the illegal gambling dens. Today, Fan Tan Alley is a neat shopping street with several locally owned stores. The shops are small in size, but each offers something different. Products available in Fan Tan Alley range from ice cream and other treats to vintage records and trendy clothing. Another key feature of Fan Tan Alley is its architecture. A significant amount of the exterior has a brick finish. The old buildings appear extra tall thanks to the street's narrow width.

fan tan alley feels like a secret the city almost doesn't want you to find…read more you can wander through victoria's chinatown without noticing it, then suddenly there it is: an impossibly narrow passage wedged between old brick buildings. stepping in feels less like entering an alley and more like slipping behind the curtain of the city. its name comes from fan tan, a gambling game once played in hidden rooms nearby. a century ago, this alley was alive with apartments, businesses, clan halls, gambling dens, and opium rooms, all connected by stairways, courtyards, and passageways mostly invisible from the street. while some activity was secretive, the bigger story is the community that thrived here despite discrimination and exclusion. for generations of chinese immigrants, fan tan alley offered work, friendship, support, and a sense of belonging. the buildings and hidden courtyards weren't just functional, they were the backbone of a community carving out its own space in a world that often shut them out. the narrow alley, tiny doorways, upper windows, and unusual fractional addresses like "1/2" all hint at the dense, layered way life was lived here. today, fan tan alley hums with a quieter energy. independent shops, galleries, studios, and cafés occupy spaces that once hid games, meetings, and everyday life. the history isn't confined to plaques or museum displays, it lingers in the narrow passage, the hidden courtyards, and the oddly numbered doorways. for all the stories of gambling dens and opium rooms, what remains most striking is the sense that this was, above all, a place where people built lives. walking through it feels less like seeing a landmark and more like stumbling across a piece of history that never quite disappeared.

Photos
Fan Tan Alley
Fan Tan Alley - 09.04.23

09.04.23

Fan Tan Alley

See all

Salt Spring Model Railway Show - localflavor - Updated June 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...