VANCOUVER – Before Vancouver’s independent, small convenience stores fade from the landscape, one local photographer has made it his mission to take pictures of the establishments, The Province reports.

“People develop a loyalty to these stores and go there,” said Jason Statler, an architectural photographer who started cataloguing the mom-and-pop stores two months ago. “They say, ‘Oh I love that place, or the guy is really friendly, or they have amazing hard-to-find soda pops.’” 

Many of these convenience stores reside in residential areas, tucked away in older buildings. Thus far, Statler has captured more than a dozen stores with his camera, six of which have appeared in a series At Your Convenience on the blog Vancouver is Awesome.

One of the first to be photographed was Vernon Drive Market, owned by Anna Mak, along with her husband Floyd Wong. For a dozen years, the pair have run the store, which opened its doors in 1927. The store stocks women’s purses, canned products and homemade sandwiches.

“Customers say they’re the best in town,” said Mak, who added that small stores like Vernon Drive Market struggle to compete against bigger chains. “Many aren’t able to survive, but I hope people in the neighborhood will always continue to support us,” she said.

Statler has a ways to go to photograph the city’s approximately 100 independent convenience stores, but he might have to hurry before some stores are gone. “I know of some locations, but when I go to photograph them, they’re not there any more,” he said.