A new arts market will feature heavily in the redesign of the former A&B Sound building in downtown Nanaimo, now dubbed 'Soundworks'. (Image Credit: Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

final flourishes

Art market planned for revamped ‘Soundworks’ in downtown Nanaimo

Feb 4, 2026 | 5:46 AM

NANAIMO — Local artists and makers will have pride of place when a revamped pillar of the city’s downtown re-opens this spring.

The Pacific Arts Market will be one of the major tenants of Soundworks, formerly the A&B Sound Building, at the corner of Terminal Ave. and Commercial St., featuring 2,100 square feet of studio space for local artisans to showcase their creations.

Owner/operator of the market Crystal Cornthwaite said it’s a business she ran for six years in Vancouver before moving to the Island in 2024.

“I section it out and rent it to local artists and makers. It gives them an opportunity to have their own dedicated space that they curate, design, price, everything. It’s entirely up to them how they want to do it.”

Cornthwaite said around 25 visual artists and upwards of another 40 makers can showcase in the space, accessible off Wallace St., at any one time.

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She added all the artists featured will be as local as possible, with a spotlight on Nanaimo and the central Island.

Outside of setting up at local craft fairs or farmer’s markets, Cornthwaite said there aren’t a lot of venues for artisans to reach customers.

“I’ve been getting great responses. I feel that it’s a good time for it, that it’s a good location, and that it’s going to really improve the local arts community here.”

The connection with Soundworks happened by accident, as Cornthwaite had spent months looking at locations across the mid-Island with little success.

She accepted the invitation for a tour of the still-under construction facility not expecting to move in.

“I was hesitant to be honest. I was so exhausted from looking, but i thought, you know what, i’m curious. So, I went in with thinking I’m not going to do it, but I’m just going to look at it, just out of curiosity. I was pretty blown away, I really was fascinated by their concept…it was described to me as like the Granville Island of Nanaimo.”

An open market hall area with smaller stores and kiosks will fill out the ground floor off Terminal Ave., including a yet-to-be-announced anchor restaurant.

Cornthwaite is aiming to open her space in the spring, although said she’s at the mercy of developers.

She said it “feels like we’re very close” to opening.

During a site tour in November 2025, director of Steiner Properties Jacob Steiner said their goal for the project was to create the ever-elusive “third space” in Nanaimo for families and individuals of all ages.

“What I see missing, and maybe it’s just a sign of the times, is family-friendly things. A lot of people who have young kids say, ‘where do I go to have a crazy night out with crazy kids?’ You need a place where you can kind of chuck them and it’s already loud, it’s already lively, and you can also have fun. If you’re a young adult, no kids, or you’re you’re older, and you want to just go out for a night.”

Reviving the old A&B Sound building at arguably Nanaimo’s most high profile intersections has been a long time coming after the iconic music store shut down in 2008.

Requests for proposals from tenants were issued in mid-2024 with the goal then to have the facility open by spring 2025.

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