The Naam is for sale. Can the iconic Vancouver restaurant be saved?

For more than 50 years, The Naam has been serving up vegetarian cuisine on West 4th Avenue in Kitsilano. It’s the oldest natural foods restaurant in Vancouver, and in the 1970’s, it was a key gathering place for the city’s counter culture community.

“Back it the day definitely it was one of the Rainbow Road places to be and meet up,” said The Naam’s longtime general manager Glen Delukas. “Greenpeace, they formed in the early ‘70s, and from what I hear there were gatherings here that they had.”

The current owners bought the restaurant and the building it occupies in 1980, and they’ve decided it’s time to retire. So they’ve listed the low-rise property for just under $8 million.

“I’m sure a developer would love to get their hands on this property and turn it into something else. But there could be someone who would love to get their hands on this property and keep it exactly the way it is. That’s my hope,” said Delukas, who’s been general manager for 32 years and would be happy to stay on if the restaurant remains open.

Customer Jason Evans, who brought his sister and brother-in-law to have lunch at The Naam when he heard the restaurant was for sale and could close, says it holds a special place in their hearts.

“I don’t think the decor has changed in here in 50 years, so it definitely holds that vibe and feels warm and cozy and familiar,” said Evans, who hopes the city will step in to help save the restaurant he considers to be part of Vancouver’s culture.

His sister thinks with enough community support, a new owner could be persuaded to keep The Naam open.

“I would say I have hope. You look here today, we watched streams of people coming in, so maybe the community will stand up and rally around and make it happen. Let’s all hope for that,” said Lisa Evans.

Her husband Craig Charleton shares that hope, saying: “It’s anybody guess what could happen here. But hopefully there’s enough revenue that this restaurant brings in to keep somebody interested in maintaining it.”

Delukas says he’s not giving up on The Naam either. “It’s an institution, that’s the word right? ” he said. “I’m hopeful. I’m trying to be hopeful.”