Smilin' Buddha Cabaret • Vancouver Heritage Foundation

Plaque

From 1952 until it closed in the 1980s, the Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret was a destination for edgy entertainment in Vancouver. In the 1950s, when it advertised itself as the Smilin’ Buddha Dine & Dance, it was a favourite place for many of BC’s forestry workers. In the 1960s, it became part of the touring soul and rock music circuit. In the late 1970s, when the punk and alternative music scenes were still underground, the Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret was ground zero for Vancouver’s new independent music.The original neon sign, made by Wallace sign, is preserved in the Museum of Vancouver’s permanent neon exhibit.

This plaque is dedicated to the women and children of the DTES. They are the backbone of this neighbourhood and community, and the key to its future.

History

The Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret at 109 East Hastings Street was at the centre of Vancouver’s changing entertainment scene for decades. The venue adapted to the evolving tastes of Vancouverites, hosting a variety of musical acts, from big band to psychedelic rock to punk and alternative.

Entertaining Vancouver through the Years

Inspired by the lively supper clubs in Shanghai, Albert Kwan opened Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret in 1952. His friend, Harvey Lowe helped him promote the club. At the time, Hastings Street was a lively destination spot and this address had formerly been the home of Leo Stroppa’s Latin Quarter Cabaret from 1945-50 and then Cardo’s Club from 1951-52. In its long narrow space, the Smilin’ Buddha’s offerings included dinner, dancing, musical groups, and floor shows like magicians, comedians, and cabaret shows. Prior to liquor license legislation (1953) , the Smilin’ Buddha was a ‘bottle club’ where customers brought in their own liquor in brown bags.

In 1962 Lachman and Nancy Jir bought the club. Through the 60’s the club offered an array of music, from soul and rock (The Epics, Ike and Tina Turner), rhythm and blues (from bands with Tommy Chong of Cheech and Chong fame) to psychedelic (Jefferson Airplane). It is rumored that it was here that famous musicians such as Ike and Tina Turner played and celebrities like Dennis Hopper from “Easy Rider” hung out. An often repeated story is that Jim Hendrix played at the Smilin’ Buddha but was fired by Jir for playing too loudly.

In the late 1970s, when punk, new wave and alternative music was still an “underground” phenomenon, the Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret was a venue for DOA, The Pointed Sticks, Subhumans, Art Bergman and the Young Canadians, Modernettes, The Dead Kennedys, 54-40 and many others. On November 25, 1983, the club was gutted by a fire. Although attempts were made to repair the damage, the popularity of the Smilin’ Buddha declined and it subsequently closed in the late 1980s.

Smilin’ Buddha Reincarnated

In Dec 2013, the Smiln’ Buddha was re-opened by Andrew and Justin Turner and Malcolm Hassin as SBC Restaurant. SBC Restaurant offers food as well as an indoor skate park (the biggest of its kind in BC) which can accommodate different skill levels. The skate park features a six-foot ramp which is a “hybrid creation from other dismantled parks, including Turner said, “parts of Richmond sklate ranch, Expo 86 ramp, Kvein Harris’s ramp, Malcolm’s little back yard ramp… We built everything. It’s recycled, salvaged materials because we did it with no money.” (Stewart, Courier 2013). It hosts different artists and their work every month and has a wall available for graffiti artists to paint.

The Famous Neon Sign

One of the most popular images of the Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret was its neon sign that presided over the entranceway – the reclining, smiling Buddha’s chin and large belly rippled with the flickering neon lights and it could be seen from both the east and west side of the street. The sign, weighing 800 lbs, was made by Wallace Neon Ltd. in the 1950s and is 162.6 cm high, 315 cm long and 33 cm deep.

When the Smilin’ Buddha closed, the sign went back to Wallace Neon Ltd. and then was purchased by a collector who later sold it to Electric Glass, a Burnaby neon company. Brad Merritt, the bassist for 54-40 (whose first gig was at the Smilin’ Buddha on New Year’s Eve in 1980) read about the sign in the newspaper and bought it for $3,000 in 1993. 54-40’s 1994 album was named Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret. The restored sign, with a $2000 pexiglass cover and $3000 travelling case, travelled on tour with 54-40 and was displayed on stage during their concerts.

Sources/Read More

Harrison, T. “Punk is dead! Long live its memories!” The Province, Vancouver Sun, Aug 9, 2015
Kwan, Eugene. Interview with Shona Lam. July 26, 2017.
McKellar, K. Neon Eulogy: Vancouver Café and Street. Ecstasis Editions, 2001.
Mackie, J. “Hey Buddha, got a spare $3,000? Has he got a deal for you!” Vancouver Sun, Jun 1, 1993, C2
Mackie, J. Vancouver Sun, Jun 1994. “Rockers give famed club sign to museum” Smilin’ Buddha prime example of neon heyday.” Vancouver Sun, Oct 19, 2007
Museum of Vancouver – Smilin’ Buddha Cabaret Sign
Museum of Vancouver. “DOA frontman Joe Keithly remembers the scene inside the Buddha during the punk heyday of 1978.” 2012, Virtualmuseum.ca
Nannar, R. Iconic neon Smilin’ Buddha sign at centre of trademark battle. Thunderbird, Nov 20, 2013.
Smith, D. “Early morning fire guts the Buddha.” Vancouver Sun, Nov 25, 1983, A18.
Stewart, M. “Smilin’ Buddha reincarnated.” Vancouver Courier, Dec 5, 2013