The newly-dubbed 'Soundworks' at the corner of Terminal Ave. and Commercial St. is attempting to infuse new retail, food and commercial energy into downtown Nanaimo. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

soundworks

‘It’s authentic to Nanaimo:’ revamped former A&B Sound building progresses toward completion

Nov 20, 2025 | 1:26 PM

NANAIMO — A complete transformation of a high-profile property in the city’s downtown is marching toward a projected finish next year.

Now dubbed ‘Soundworks’, development inside the former A&B Sound building at the corner of Terminal Ave. and Commercial St. is continuing, with an anticipated opening of next summer or fall.

Jacob Steiner director with Steiner Properties who own the building, said during a Thursday, Nov. 20 walkthrough a lot of work has occurred over the last two years both removing hazardous materials and blending a mixture of original materials which remained.

“It feels like the old parts of A&B Sound. Some people, if they squint, they can see and remember a car audio bay or an old TV section, but it’s basically a brand new building with just some really nice textures from the old building.”

Steiner said new finishes and original features are intended to create a rustic, gritty main floor market hall feel. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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The concept for the space is a “market hall”, according to Steiner, featuring an open concept space featuring a variety of business types including coffee shops, restaurants, retail and services.

The development includes an anchor restaurant with a patio at the site’s rear.

Steiner said their goal 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.”

Upstairs on the former A&B Sound building, with access off Wallace St., will be for two or three tenants. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Mixing the desired vibe in the market hall form factor is something new for Nanaimo, but popular in major centres like Los Angeles and London, Steiner said.

The challenge with Soundworks was taking the concept and making it distinctly West Coast.

“Some of them are more food focused, some of them are more lifestyle. What I’ve seen Nanaimo turn into is a really interesting blue collar heritage with a lively new artistic soul, and we want that to be what people think of. They don’t want it to be L.A.’s Market Hall come to Nanaimo, it’s authentic to Nanaimo and people are proud that they helped shape it.”

Including in the project is a major revamp of the exterior of the building, with new entrances on the main corner, as well as off Wallace St., which will access the building’s top floor tenants.

Steiner said the two-storey building is expected to include in the range of six main floor businesses, with two or three likely non-food related offerings on the upper level.

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.

Jacob Steiner said a range of tenants are expressing interest in setting up shop in Nanaimo’s old A&B Sound building. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

A light colour scheme, lots of windows and businesses to attract people to the downtown are all planned for an ongoing rebuild of the former A&B Sound location in downtown Nanaimo. (Steiner Properties)

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