Storguard Yaletown, at 864 Cambie Street, is downtown Vancouver self storage inside the Mainland Building, a brick warehouse built in 1910 on the northern edge of historic Yaletown. It holds more than 1,100 climate-controlled indoor units in about 65 sizes, from 2′×3′ cube lockers to rooms of about 170 square feet, with two freight elevators, three loading bays, staff on site 8am–6pm every day and monitored security 24/7. It's steps from the Cambie Street Bridge, BC Place and Rogers Arena.
History = a 1910 warehouse + railway spurs out back + the same job for more than a century
Selection = 1,100+ units + about 65 sizes + cube and mezzanine lockers
Convenience = downtown, off the Cambie Street Bridge + two freight elevators + three loading bays
Character = red brick, a fire it survived, and a past that includes chewing gum and chocolate
Storage With a Head Start
Most storage buildings were built for storage in the last few decades. This one was built to store things in 1910, and it has been doing some version of that job ever since.
It has held wholesale goods, chewing gum, chocolate and furniture. Today it holds the belongings of people who live and work downtown. Here's the story of the building, the neighbourhood around it, and why a warehouse this old still makes a very good place to keep your things.
Before the Building: How Yaletown Got Its Name
A railway deal on False Creek
In 1886, the City of Vancouver struck a deal with the Canadian Pacific Railway: move your rail yards and repair shops to the north shore of False Creek, and the city won't collect your taxes. The CPR agreed. Its yards, and many of its workers, came down from the town of Yale in the Fraser Canyon, and the neighbourhood took the name Yaletown.
Brick warehouses on rail platforms
The rail yards drew industry. The city laid out a warehouse district, and solid brick warehouses went up on raised rail platforms. Railway spurs ran down the lanes behind them, so goods could be loaded straight from a railcar into a warehouse.
The lane behind our block was one of them. It once carried two parallel spurs serving the warehouses on Cambie and Beatty streets. For decades this was the warehouse district for much of western Canada: lumber, tea, coffee, textiles, barrels and steel goods all moved through here.
1910: The Mainland Building Goes Up
Built for the Mainland Trust Company
In 1910, the Mainland Trust Company hired builder George Snider to put up a warehouse on Cambie Street. It cost $45,000, a serious sum at the time, and it became known as the Mainland Building.
Next door, at 842–852 Cambie, the Tingley Building went up for F.C. Tingley, who ran Barnard's Express with his brother. Snider may have designed both. A City of Vancouver Archives photo from 1913 shows the pair standing side by side, much as they look today, minus the ornate rooftop pediments that have since come down.
"The Fireproof Building"
In 1912, the southern 33 feet of the building, numbered 860–864 Cambie, was offered for lease on its own for $80 a month, advertised as part of "the Fireproof Building."
That claim was put to the test.
Gum, chocolate and the Bay
In 1942, fire swept through the Mainland Building. Sixteen fire trucks responded and eight firefighters were injured. The tenants at the time included the William Wrigley Jr. Company, Fry-Cadbury and the Hudson's Bay Company, which stored furniture here. Newspaper reports described melted chocolate, scattered packs of chewing gum and charred, waterlogged furniture.
The building survived and was repaired, and it went back to work. (Chocolate seems to follow Storguard around: our Vancouver location's 1937 Canada Packers building was later home to a chocolatier. Read that story here.)
Trucks change the neighbourhood
After the Second World War, trucks took over from railcars, and wholesalers moved out to the suburbs and the highways. Warehouse building in Yaletown stopped, and the district went quiet.
From Warehouse to Storage, Without Changing Jobs
Many Yaletown warehouses found new lives as lofts, offices, shops and restaurants, especially after Expo 86 and the city's 1991 Central Area Plan, which set out to keep the area's heritage buildings while the neighbourhood around them grew up.
The Mainland Building took a shorter path. By 1975 it was Lok Box Storage No. 1. Today it is Storguard Yaletown, also known to many downtown residents as Yaletown Mini Storage. More than a century after it was built to store goods, it still stores them.
The brick walls, the deep floors and the Edwardian freight elevators are still here. Reviewers often mention them.
About 65 Sizes, Built for Condo Living
Condo storage lockers don't stretch far. Storguard Yaletown holds more than 1,100 indoor units in about 65 sizes, so there's usually a size between "a few boxes" and "a whole room".
Cubes: lockers from 2′×3′ to 4′×4′, for documents, keepsakes, seasonal gear and a few boxes.
Mezzanine lockers: raised lockers, from about 4′×7′ to 5′×11′, good for bins, bikes and sports gear.
Main-floor units: near the loading bays and the office, from 3′×5′ lockers to 13′×13′ rooms. The convenience choice.
Upper-floor units: a wide spread of sizes on the floors above, reached by freight elevator, up to rooms of about 170 square feet. The savings choice.
Every unit is indoors and climate-controlled (heated), and Yaletown has no drive-up units. We also rent a small number of mailboxes; ask at the office. Not sure what fits? Start with our Size Guide, or ask the team.
Built for Moving Day Downtown
Moving downtown means tight streets and tighter schedules. The building helps.
Three loading bays, so you're not unloading from the curb.
Two freight elevators to every floor.
Dollies and carts free to use.
Packing supplies and boxes for sale in the office.
Parcel and delivery acceptance, handy for businesses and people who are never home.
Keypad entry and 24/7 video monitoring, with cameras inside and out. You pick up your personal access code in person on your first visit.
Hours and Access
Office and storage access: 8am to 6pm every day, with staff on site.
Closed on statutory holidays.
Staffed hours are part of how we keep the building secure: when the doors are open, our team is here.
Getting Here
You'll find us at 864 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 2P6, on the 800 block of Cambie, where Yaletown meets the downtown core.
Just off the Cambie Street Bridge.
A short walk from BC Place and Rogers Arena.
SkyTrain-accessible, a short walk from Stadium–Chinatown and Yaletown–Roundhouse stations.
Serving downtown, Yaletown and the West End.
864 Cambie Street: A Timeline
1886: Vancouver agrees not to tax the CPR if it moves its yards to False Creek. Workers arrive from Yale, BC, and Yaletown is born.
1910: the Mainland Building goes up for the Mainland Trust Company, built by George Snider for $45,000.
1912: 860–864 Cambie is offered for lease at $80 a month as part of "the Fireproof Building."
1913: a City of Vancouver Archives photo shows the building and its neighbour largely as built.
1942: fire damages the building; Wrigley's, Fry-Cadbury and the Hudson's Bay Company are tenants.
1950s: trucking replaces rail, and the Yaletown warehouse boom ends.
1975: the building is Lok Box Storage No. 1.
1986 and 1991: Expo 86 and the Central Area Plan reshape the neighbourhood around it.
Today: Storguard Yaletown, still storing things, more than a century later.
Why We Keep Buildings Like This
Storguard has been locally owned and Canadian for decades. Decisions are made here, by people who live in the neighbourhoods we serve, not at a head office in another country.
That's why this building matters to us. It was built to keep a growing city's goods safe, and it still does, for the people who live and work downtown today. Real staff on site every day, a building with a story, and a team that knows your unit: storage that treats you like a neighbour, not a number.
Checklist: Before Your First Visit
Measure your largest items, then check the Size Guide.
Just boxes, bins or seasonal gear? Ask about a cube or mezzanine locker.
Furniture? Ask for a main-floor unit near the loading bays, or save with an upper-floor unit.
Moving downtown? Book your moving truck for office hours, when the loading bays and freight elevators are staffed.
Reserve online; reservations are free.
Plan your first visit during office hours to pick up your access code.
Bring a good lock, and keep a list of what you store. Locks and packing supplies are for sale at the front desk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Storguard Yaletown in a heritage building? Yes. It's in the Mainland Building, a brick warehouse built in 1910 for the Mainland Trust Company, in the old Yaletown warehouse district on Cambie Street.
What storage sizes are available in Yaletown? About 65 sizes, from 2′×3′ cube lockers and raised mezzanine lockers to main-floor rooms of 13′×13′. Live availability is on our Yaletown location page.
Can I get to my unit 24 hours a day? No. Storage access at Yaletown is 8am to 6pm every day, when staff are on site. All units are indoors, and there are no drive-up units at this location.
Are the units climate-controlled? Yes. Every unit at Storguard Yaletown is indoors and climate-controlled (heated).
Is there somewhere to load a moving truck? Yes. The building has three loading bays and two freight elevators, with free dollies and carts.
Can I rent online? Yes. You can rent, reserve and pay online, and reservations are free. You'll pick up your access code in person on your first visit.
Is Storguard Yaletown the same as Yaletown Mini Storage? Yes. Yaletown Mini Storage at 864 Cambie Street is Storguard Yaletown, one of five Storguard locations in Metro Vancouver.
Store Your Things in a Piece of Yaletown History
Whether you're downsizing into a condo, between leases, renovating or running a business downtown, Storguard Yaletown gives you about 65 ways to fit, in a building that's been storing Vancouver's goods since 1910. See unit sizes and reserve free on our Yaletown location page, or call or text (604) 683-5885.
Storguard Self Storage Yaletown · 864 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 2P6
We have 5 locations in Metro Vancouver to serve you: Yaletown (Downtown Vancouver), Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam and Richmond.