Regent Tailors

Regent Tailors proclaimed its fitness to outfit gentlemen with its glamorous name and an elaborate neon sign on Hastings Street. At one time, the sign glowed on the same block as Dunn’s Tailors, before Dunn’s moved to Granville Street. 

Like the neon crest on the Dunn’s sign, the Regent name implied it practiced tailoring as an ancient fine art, producing only the best for up-and-coming businessmen on Canada’s west coast.

The main sheet metal can shows up in photographs of Hastings Street taken in 1946. But parts were added steadily to the sign over the next two decades, including an arch of flickering light bulbs and a small neon can that encouraged shoppers to abandon thrift, commanding them to “Use Your Credit.”

Eventually, huge letters spelled out “Regent” on the facade of the building, which was completely covered during a 1960s renovation.