Unfortunately I will not be coming back after several incredibly rude interactions with particular…read moreemployees that have a track record of awful service.

I still remember the original store, Galloway's decades ago on Robson Street. Now renamed Goodway's…read more(due to new owner), it is still the same decades later with quality products and great customer service. As soon as you walk in, you can smell the array of spices sold here. You'll find an ample variety of nuts, grains, flours, & imported items. If you are needing a specific spice or ingredient to make that special dish, this is the place to go. This place has ingredients for all types of cooks including gluten-free, vegans, vegetarians, etc. The staff is helpful and friendly. They have different store hours (see attached photo). They are located on Sixth street in New Westminster (just across the street from Royal City Centre Shopping). There's parking on the street or just as easy, park in the Royal City Shopping Centre for free. Exit at the doors near the food court and Goodway's is across the street.

I came to Aberdeen Mall to have tea with a girlfriend and we did some browsing in the mall. This…read morewas one of the stores that we visited. I came here to browse and check out prices. It just took me a while to get over the smell since it is a herbal store. Very little English, however, they were very pleasant and helpful int their attitude.

I like Nature's Essence because they have a good solid selection of high quality health products…read moreand supplements at the lowest prices. Although, the selection isn't the biggest, their prices are truly the lowest I've ever seen for similar products sold elsewhere.

Was there yesterday, friendly & helpful. Found what I was looking for, and wasn't too expensive.read more

We came here looking for Chrysanthemum tea. We went to a grocery store nearby prior to coming here…read moreand the products were not as good looking as what is being sold here. The owner was friendly. The store is very small but it has everything that you expect to find at a Chinese herbal store.

We came to Granville Island this afternoon to do our big shop and support local businesses when we…read morecame and re-discovered The Grainry. We'd last visited about a year before in search of authentic Portuguese piri-piri (which they have, FYI) and decided it was time to restock the spice collection at home with all of this home cooking. While the shop is closed to customers as a precaution against COVID-19, the staff were extremely attentive, friendly and helpful in helping find products or giving recommendations as I wasn't sure what we needed to restock. I'm pretty sure it was the owner helping me out (as he seemed to do the buying for the shop) - it was awesome as he's clearly a foodie and passionate about using the best quality ingredients. He gave me about 5 different suggestions for different spices to use on steaks, beef and chicken all based on some of his favourite combinations. We tend to go for more Latin and Iberian cuisines, so it was cool getting new ideas on how to incorporate Middle Eastern and North African flavours! We only ended up buying a couple of staples this time (onion powder, garlic powder, green oregano, chiles de árbol and liquid smoke), but we're planning on looking in our cupboards and going back to restock in a couple of days with a comprehensive list. We're happy to support small local businesses, and we're happy to add The Grainry to our repertoire. Super friendly, knowledgable staff, great selection of products with new stuff coming in all the time, and the prices are totally reasonable. Definitely check it out! My only constructive feedback would be that, since customers can't go into the shop at the moment, to have a full list of products both on their website and available to look at onsite. Most folks may already know what they want when they come, though I think there are a few of us who get inspired by what we find! :)

Great Selection of Grains and Spices clearly marked and priced. Prices are Market Driven so if you…read morewant it they got it and if you need it you will pay for it. Now on to why I am a Fan. The Owner has a Dark and Biting Sense of humor. The Owner has earned the right to broadcast his opinions from behind his cash register. Yes you can buy the same stuff in little packages form Whole Foods but you never get the Owners take on why David Petraeus's must resign from his CIA posting regarding his extramarital affair Then on to what Bill Clinton was precisely guilty of. You would never get this prospective for Whole Food market staff. Check this place out!

I love honey. Especially am a huge fan of the healing antiviral properties of manuka honey and am…read morenow also a huge fan of the honey salve and lotion from Honey Shoppe at both this Main Street Location and at The Shipyards. The lotion and salve have been skin savers and so good, the salve in particular is my go to for insect bites. Thank you for explaining the healing properties well, being so understanding, cautious and caring.

I've went initially went there to purchase beeswax candles which are practically impossible to find…read morein the general marketplace. It was a very good and satisfying experience as the staff was friendly. The store is also filled with a lot of honey products. Everything is set out to view their wide range of B.C. Canada-based beehive goods. !

I wondered what kind of tea store I would be going to. My GF kept telling me that I had to go there…read moreand there was this tea set that she really really wanted to buy. I was skeptic to say the least. A tea shop here in Richmond? You gotta be kidding. Well, it was pretty fancy. Small, cozy and smelled wonderful. The aroma of all those different blends from green to black to redbush. Gunsmoke tea, infused fruity tea's and more. Wall to wall tea and items that go with serving it. And of course like the little princess that she is. She wanted the best that she could find. A Japanese glass tea set. Don't ask me how much it cost, but it was enough, they all remembered me the next time I went in. "Oh! I remember you! You came in here with your girlfriend and bought the tea set and some tea cups.!" Yes yes.yes. So now that fancy tea set sits on her fancy counter in the kitchen. We will have to try the tea in it someday. So this is to say that this place also has a wonderful collection of tea and china ware. If you like tea's and love your tea parties. Drop on by and check out the wares. I'm sure you won't be able to leave empty handed. I know I did.

* "German" tea in Richmond? *…read more This little shop was a very pleasant surprise. From the outside it doesn't look like much, tucked into a small spot in a Chinese strip mall. But when I went inside I was greeted by a very pleasant person that immediately brought me a small tasting cup of cranberry tea imported from Germany. Yes, Germany. All of the teas in this shop come from a wholesaler in Germany. Go figure. They specialize in herbal and fruit blends and have an incredible variety. I'm not normally a fan of herbal or fruit teas, and cranberry tea would normally not be something I like. But this was delicious. It wasn't overpowering at all, yet had distinct cranberry overtones. Perhaps it also helps that they serve the samples in real tea cups that highlight the flavour instead of some sort of disposable cup that ruins the flavour. They have a nice presentation of all of their teas, with small glass samplers for smelling in front of each larger tin. The fruit teas are their largest selection, with some very interesting blends you don't normally see. But they also have a selection of Honeybush teas, Rooibos, Green Rooibos, various Estate Teas, flavoured black teas, flavoured green teas, white teas, and even a small selection of Japanese and Taiwanese teas. They apparently even stock some of the Taiwanese spring high mountain teas when they are in season. A very impressive selection. I counted close to 100 teas available. I found an earl gray that was made with green tea instead of black. It had a very pleasant aroma, and it was an interesting twist for me. When I asked for 100 grams, the kind server said that it was on sale and gave a 25% discount. Go figure! It came very nicely packed in an airtight package, which was placed inside of a larger box with two metal re-sealers. They also provide brewing instructions customized for each of their teas so you can get the best flavour. This is a really nice place. I'm still a little confused about why ALL the teas come through Germany - including the teas from Asia. But as long as the product quality is good I suppose they have a reason?!?!?!

I am a big fan of South China Seas at Granville Island and I actually went all the way to this…read morelocation from the west side to see what they had to offer. I found this shop in an unlikely place in the middle of a housing neighbourhood near Commercial Drive. The shop is quite small to my surprise but that's probably because I didn't see the kitchen. It's well stocked with uncommon spices and herbs such as fresh galangal and fresh green peppercorns and other rare ingredients. They also sell paella kits, mortar and pestle, cookbooks and more. However, I find the selections very similar to the Granville location and there's really no incentive for me to travel all the way to Victoria Drive. But if you live in the east side, this is great place for people to get a hold of ingredients they've never tried before without having to squeeze their car into the already crowded Granville Island. Pop some galangal into soups or use coconut water in your stew. Life is indeed too short for boring food.

Cute, clean shop with awesome service and a great selection of exotic ingredients from all over the…read moreworld. Came here in hopes of finding a few hard-to-source chiles for an enchilada sauce; left with two bags full of amazing imports. Mexican cheeses, fresh and dried chiles, corn tortillas, hot sauce, tomatillos -- this place is paradise. Even better, the woman behind the till (owner perhaps?) was super knowledgeable and loaded us up with some extra freebies of produce she couldn't sell. We will be back!