Still Life
A Government Street clothing shop with a long downtown presence.
For 41 years, Victoria's compass for clothes you couldn't find anywhere else.
For four decades this was where fashion-minded Victorians went to be surprised: independent and Scandinavian labels, serious denim, good footwear, the kind of well-made things you can't get at a mall. Born on Johnson Street in 1984, given a sharper modern eye by Matt and Kim Jensen after they took over in 2007, it spent most of its life in LoJo before a final chapter on Government Street. It was built on conversation and the thrill of discovering something you didn't know existed. It closed in September 2025.
The move
There is no order to place anymore, the shop is closed. The move now is to remember what it was for: walking in with no list and letting Matt or Kim hand you a label from abroad you'd never have found, then wearing it for years.
Go when
Closed for good as of September 2025. It ran for 41 years, most of them on Lower Johnson Street, with a last chapter on Government Street. That storefront is dark now, so this one lives in memory, not on your Saturday route.
“None of it would have been possible without you, our loyal customers, friends, makers, and team members who shaped Still Life into what it became.”
Matt and Kim Jensen, closing announcement, September 2025
Known for
Perfect for