There’s a FreshCo new addition to Vancouver’s Bow Mac sign

The historic Bow Mac sign in Vancouver has a new addition: a giant FreshCo sign streaming down the side.

But the original sign underneath is looking anything but fresh.

The 67-year-old sign appears rusty, with fading paint and graffiti at both the bottom and top.

The bright lime green colour of the FreshCo sign makes for a stark contrast with the washed-out blue and red of the original sign.

Putting a sign for a new business over top of the Bow Mac sign has always had its detractors. Toys “R” Us built the first sign on top of the sign in 1997.

It was part of a heritage agreement the city of Vancouver reached with the owner of 1154 West Broadway in 1997, when the Bow Mac sign was threatened with demolition.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” said Gina Fiorillo, who was walking by the sign this week. “It’s an eyesore and should be gone.”

But heritage advocate John Atkin said the Bow Mac sign is an important piece of Vancouver history.

“I think it’s worth keeping just because nobody knows that Broadway was Auto Row for many years,” said Atkin.

“Bow Mac has a history. It’s where Jimmy Pattison got his career start.”

The 29-metre high sign was a landmark when it was switched on May 25, 1959. Not only was it the tallest sign in Vancouver, Guinness World Records once dubbed it the tallest free-standing neon sign in North America.

The car dealership it advertised is long gone, but the sign remains.

The Bow Mac sign is taller than would be allowed today, so Toys “R” Us got to have a much bigger sign when the heritage deal went through. As part of the deal, the building owner agreed to “secure rehabilitation and maintenance” of the sign “for the duration of the Toys ‘R’ Us tenancy lease.”

The City of Vancouver said by email, “The property owner is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the Bow Mac sign. City staff will continue to monitor the status of maintenance work to ensure conditions of the heritage sign agreement are being met and determine if any further action is required.”

The site is owned by Pengo Enterprises, which hasn’t responded to queries left through its law firm. Pengo was formerly known as Toyo Enterprises, which purchased the 1154 West Broadway site for $5.2 million in 1995.

According to B.C. Assessment, the lot is half the city block. It was assessed at $34.56 million in 2026, which is a 31 per cent drop from 2025, when it was assessed at $50.1 million.

The site had been a Toys “R” Us until 2025, when the chain closed the store. The 29,000 sq. ft. store is slated to open as a FreshCo on Nov. 12. FreshCo is a discount grocery chain brand owned by Sobeys.

The Bow Mac sign was built for Bowell McLean, a car dealership that occupied the West Broadway site when Broadway was filled with car dealers. The general manager of Bow Mac in 1959 was Jimmy Pattison, who commissioned the big sign. It was built by Neon Products, a company that Pattison later acquired after he left Bow Mac to begin building his business empire.

jmackie@postmedia.com