Fortune Sound Club celebrates 15 years as iconic Chinatown venue

When Garret Louie and his partner Rob Rizk first founded Fortune Sound Club in Chinatown, they wanted to bring a different music scene to Vancouver.

“I just felt the venues we were looking for … there wasn’t really one in our city, so let’s build one ourselves,” Louie said.

“At that time, it was a little bit risky because Chinatown 17 years ago, when we first conceived, there wasn’t a lot of walk-by traffic, and it wasn’t a popping place.”

Now about to celebrate its 15th anniversary, Fortune has emerged as one of the city’s most iconic music venues, having hosted big names like Jay-Z, Drake, SZA, and A$AP Rocky.

Garret — or G-Man, as his friends call him — credits their success to their unique, underground sound.

“We have so much local talent, the big names are what people latch onto, but I think some of my fave times is the local community. We’ve had a lot of people that started here and got bigger as well,” he said.

Fortune Sound Club has lived through changes to the neighbourhood and experienced the impacts of COVID-19 and more. But it has withstood the test of time, still drawing long lines to its door every weekend.

“This is what we built everything around. Other clubs want to sell more alcohol, but coming from the music, we wanted to focus on sound,” he said.

“The name ‘Fortune,’ to speak to our Chinese culture here, good fortune, the colors … red and gold for health and wealth.”

As Vancouver works to revitalize Chinatown and bring more support to local businesses, G-Man says the culture here is still alive and growing.

“It’s cool because you still have the heritage of Chinatown — you might see a Chinese herb store or a touristy spot and dim sum — but in between, you’ve got a sneaker shop, a cool restaurant, and a place like Fortune,” he said.

To celebrate its success, the venue will be bringing in Sister Nancy — known as the first female dancehall DJ — Friday evening.