Wonderbucks Stores Ltd

When you first move out or settle in a new city, purchasing everyday housewares for your new pad is inevitable, and if you’re on a budget, you’ll likely head to the dollar store to pick up a shower curtain and a can opener. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for and that can opener probably won’t last more than a week. Conversely, spending a fortune on such items seems silly.

This is what Bernie Moschenross and his wife Frances had in mind when they opened up Wonderbucks in 1998. They wanted to provide people with better quality items at a reasonable price and with the customer service you don’t often find at dollar stores.

“We came up with a concept that was different,” Bernie explains. “We knew in Vancouver dollar stores that were open at the time were junk heaps with one grumpy guy sitting at the cash desk and we thought, 'we can do this a lot better.'”

With nearly 6,000 square feet of retail space, the store has a wide selection of items — home décor, housewares, art supplies, live plants and everything you need to start up in a new home — and the owners always strive to keep their customers happy.

“The business has changed over the years because of the needs of people on the Drive," says Bernie. "It’s a transient community of renters, a lot of people moving in and out. We know they need a new shower curtain, dish drainers, throw cushions and we provide those things at a better quality then you would get at a dollar store at a reasonable price.”