Meet the Artist Illustrating Your Favourite Vancouver Storefronts

Looking through a gallery of Mikayla Hong’s art feels like playing a special Vancouver edition of I Spy. There’s the rosy concrete of Welk’s General Store, the Naam’s classic green awning, the glowing string lights of Tacofino’s Gastown patio. “Drawing local businesses was my way of showing support,” explains Hong, who started posting her illustrations of Vancouver storefronts and restaurants on Instagram (@artbedo) at the beginning of the pandemic.

Hong was completing her master’s degree in biomedical engineering (!) online when she posted the drawing of Mount Pleasant’s Federal Store that started it all. The post got a lot of attention, most notably from the Federal Store team, who shared it to their own audience. Since then, she’s created an impressive collection of Vancouver-focused art—some commissioned work, but also lots of illustrations that resonate with her specifically.

“I not only consider how the building looks visually, but how it emotionally connects with people,” says Hong. “Some of these longstanding businesses, although they are not the most architecturally stunning, people in the neighbourhood recognize and connect to them.”

Hong’s portfolio of local drawings includes both buzzy local spots like Phnom Penh (“I love their chicken wings!”) and now-closed neighbourhood faves like Wo Fat Co., a Chinatown bakery that her own great-grandfather opened in 1923. Her mother and aunt helped her with the latter, advising on shelf placement and suggesting the addition of fresh-baked almond cookies in the window.

Beyond her joyfully specific art, Hong supports the places she draws by donating a portion of her proceeds from selling prints, stickers and arts to local charities like the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre and the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation. Find her portfolio of work online at artbedo.com.