THE VOICE | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2021

4

Bodegas are
Vancouver s
new ‘five-star"
convenience

stores Dw.

BT.

| EDITOR SENA LAW

Trip down memory lane 4

Tim Voss, owner of Lucky's Exotic Bodega, and store manager Ahmed Shehata pose for a photo with some products at their store. | AUREN VANDERDEEN PHOTO

odern bodegas are connecting the South Vancouver
community and bringing nostalgia to customers
through childhood snacks.

Bodega refers to a small mart or grocery store
that originated in New York. During the COVID-19 pandemic,
several of the specialty snacks shops opened in Vancouver and
quickly gained popularity. Lucky’s Exotic Bodega was one of them.

Lucky’s first location opened near Playland in October 2020.
The shelves of the New York-style bodega are packed with
specialty products like the flavoured Pickle-in-a-Pouch, collectible
Pokémon Oreos and even oyster-flavoured chips from Thailand.

Tim Voss, the owner of Lucky’s, said he wanted to create a
welcoming store, where the community can come together and
bond.

“The idea behind the exotic snacks came from wanting to do
something different, something that's not the same old conve-

nience store.”

When it comes to the reasoning behind the popularity modern
bodegas have gained in recent years, Voss said nostalgia plays a
big role.

Lucky’s offers many childhood snacks that are hard to find else-
where, an example being Dunkaroos, which haven't been available
locally in sometime.

“Dunkaroos were a big part of our childhood, and we all enjoyed
Dunkaroos, and it went away,” Voss said. “It reminds us of those
good days, the days we were younger when we were having fun
playing with our bikes.”

Ahmed Shehata, the store manager at Lucky’s 41st Avenue loca-
tion which opened last July, said the variety of nostalgic snacks is
a huge attraction for customers.

“These are some things that I see and I'm like wow, I remember
going to the convenience store when I was younger.”

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Lucky’s Exotic Bodega’s storefront showcases its glol
sourced snacks, streetwear, high-end sneakers and cigare
Shehata said Lucky’s is like a “five-star 7-Eleven” that pro

an elevated experience compared to regular convenience sto

FANN SYER |