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Side Glance With Al Tee – Honest Nat’s Department Store – History On Fraser Street

26 Mar

HonestNat'sDept.StoreSometimes travelling around East Van, it feels like being part of something on National Geographic or History Channel. One of those programs about lost civilizations. Worlds that no longer exist and what fragments remain.

There’s an old radio jingle that’s an example of the lost world of East Van. The ad was for Honest Nat’s Department Store and if you’ve lived here long enough you know what three words follow the store’s name.

But beyond the jingle there’s no history of a department store that once was an anchor on the principal commercial ribbon of East Vancouver. Located at 6394 Fraser, Honest Nat’s was the brainchild of Nathan Lacterman. A prairie orphan who escaped Winnipeg and came West, Lacterman made several unsuccessful stabs at the retail business in Vancouver.  Then a chance visit to Toronto lead him to stumble across the famed discount store Honest Ed’s at Bloor and Bathhurst. Inspired, Honest Nat’s was born.

Honest Nat’s department store would last at 48th and Fraser for 40 plus years. Supporting the community, sponsoring teams, doling out balloons to customer’s kids, Honest Nat Lacterman acted as the unofficial mayor of Fraser Street. Eventually Honest Nat fell ill and his daughter took over. But Fraser Street started to change. A Superstore came in at the bottom of Fraser along Marine Drive. When Nat’s daughter started hearing patrons tell her that they’d looked all over town for an item they couldn’t find, but knew Honest Nat’s would have it, she saw the writing on the wall. Why weren’t they coming straight to Honest Nat’s in the first place?  Honest Nat’s Department Store closed in 1989 and the building was sold. Shortly afterwards, it was destroyed by fire.

All that remains now of Honest Nat’s Department store is this artifact, the jingle.

By Contributing Writer: Al Tee

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Aleph Eatery Where East Meets West

14 Mar

AlephEateryWe recently stopped in to check out a new spot Aleph Eatery located at 1889 Powell Street. Aleph Eatery features Middle Eastern cuisine in a bright modern space that is at the same cozy.  All the food on the menu is designed for sharing and items come in the order listed on the menu.  We were a group of 4 so tried a variety of items starting with a sampler called Silk Road which included eggplant, labneh, hummus, zaatar and honey. It was served with an amazing flatbread filled with herbs, onion and oil called chimichurri saj. Our group will likely return for just this dish alone, the labneh which is a yogurt cheese was a big hit.  Next up was a flavourful Fattoush Salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, croutons and a pomegranate vinaigrette.  After that we tried the Halloumi Grilled Cheese Sandwich with fig jam and served with some of the best tomato soup any of us have ever had.  This course was followed by Turmeric Cauliflower served with tahini and sliced almonds. This dish will have you wanting to eat your vegetables if you don’t already. Next up was the Ultra Crispy Potatoes served with tahini dressing, Aleppo and roasted red peppers. Last but not least, another big hit, the Coconut Chocolate Tart which was light, rich not overly sweet, but packed with flavor.   Aleph Eatery offers a few unique cocktails and a wine menu comprising mostly of wines from Lebanon and Israel.  The menu is vegetarian, but even if you aren’t vegetarian, you will walk away satisfied.  We recommend stopping by and checking out this sweet spot.  Aleph Eatery serves lunch, brunch and dinner Wednesday to Sunday.   Aleph Eatery does not take reservations unless you are a group of 8 or more. If you encounter a longer than expected wait, local distiller Odd Society Spirits is just the street for a pre-dinner cocktail as is the Trans Am Restaurant just a couple of doors down. To meet the creators behind this concept, check out this cool feature on Novus TV.

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First Pick Handmade YVR Happens At The Heritage Hall March 17th & 18th

12 Mar

FirstPick-Spring2018_postcard_v1.0First Pick Handmade YVR is happening this weekend at the Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street, March 17th and 18th, 2018. This is a curated event of 30 Canadian men’s and women’s fashion accessory designers. They will be on hand with a limited run of items.  First Pick Handmade will transform Heritage Hall into a 3,300-square foot pop up boutique department store for the person that values Canadian design and quality materials.   The event will include a combination of long standing designers as well as newer start ups.  The common thread all these designers share is high quality construction and materials. The event will showcase clothing, jewelry, linen garments, towels, hemp Ts, wedding chic, bikinis, accessories, shoes and bags, for both men and women.  Some of the local designers featured include Bikini Empire, Dhalia Drive, Frances Felt, Rouge Textiles, Jessica Reddittm Daub & Design, Winterluxe Recycled Cashmere to name just a few.

First Pick Handmade was created and curated by Janna Hurtzig  who is the founder/designer behind Winterluxe Recycled Cashmere and Astrosatchel labels.  Hurtzig has been part of Vancouver’s handmade scene since 1988 in a variety of roles including co-organizer of Shiny, Muddy Fuzzy.  We are expecting to see some beautiful items this weekend.  First Pick Handmade YVR runs this Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 pm. Entrance is $3.00 at the door.

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What’s On East Van: March 9th Edition

9 Mar

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Our weekly feature What’s On East Van sets out lots more cool events for the upcoming week.  Beyond the week, we invite you to check out our Event Listing which is updated daily and features events for the month and beyond.

JFL Northwest Hosts Vancouver’s Comedy Festival – March 1st to 10th 

This is the last weekend to catch the Vancouver Comedy Festival on now until March 10th.  To see what’s on where, visit JFL Northwest.com

4th Annual Beer BASH League – Britannia Community Centre – March 10th

If you love beer and hockey, then you may wish to check out the 4th Annual Beer League BASH taking place this Saturday, March 10th at Britannia Community Ice Rink, 1661 Napier Street.  This is a fundraiser in which 4 craft brewery teams will be playing a round-robin tournament for the purpose of raising funds for BASH: Britannia After School Hockey.   17 craft breweries will be also be on hand serving cans of beer. For those that have gently-used hockey gear to donate (ie. Elbow pads, helmets, socks, sticks, etc.), you will receive a discount on beer for each item donated. Event happens from 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm.  Tickets are $20 and available online from BeerBashLeague.com

Manure Sale – Fundraiser – Dr. AR Lord March 10th

Pick up some manure for your garden and help kids playing sports in East Vancouver. Pretty darn easy. Event happens between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm at 1025 Slocan Street in the Garibaldi Annex Parking Lot at the corner off Slocan and Napier. Cost is $5 per 5 gallon bag.  If you come with your own wheelbarrow before 11:00 am, we hear there’s a discount in it for you.

Bridal Swap – Croatian Cultural Centre – March 11th

If you are getting married soon and have a budget in mind, then you will want to check out the upcoming Bridal Swap at the Croatian Cultural Centre this Sunday, March 11th.    For tickets, visit Eventbrite. Note there are different times and pricing depending on whether you wish to be an early bird and get first dibs on items in which ticket prices are a bit more.

Carnival With Crepes – Strange Fellows Brewing – March 11th

Strange Fellow Brewing is hosting an interesting event complete with crepes, beer and live music from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. This is a family friendly event, Children are welcome under supervision of adults, of course.

The After After Party – The Cultch – To March 17th

The After Party kicked off this week at The Cultch. If you want to know what a wild girls night is all about and the things friends do for each other, check out this production. To learn more check out Nicole … review. Several shows were sold out before opening. So this show is on your list, visit The Cultch for tickets.

Fresh Prints Art Party At The Settlement Building March 15th

The Settlement Building is host to a very cool event March 15th called Art Party! This is a fundraiser for Creative Life. This is a Community Arts initiative that creates opportunities for marginalized youth in East Vancouver to experience transformation through the arts.  For a $10 ticket, you have the opportunity to check local visual artists while enjoying music, drinks and food. To purchase tickets, visit Eventbrite.  For more information about the organization, visit www.creative-life.ca.

Comedy, Live Music & Entertainment

Breaking Boundaries is back at Café Deux Soleils this Saturday, March 10th.  Looking to see a free movie? Britannia Community Centre is showing Sideways this Sunday, March 11th at 6:00 pm. The Winter Farmer Markets continue with Saturday’s being held at Nat Bailey Stadium from 10 am to 2 pm and Sunday at Hastings Parking 10 am to 2 pm.  To see more of what’s on in East Vancouver, check our Event Listing.

Image Credit: June Hunter

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New In Town: The Narcissus In Port Town

14 Feb

IMG_1834We recently stopped in to check out The Narcissus located at 1701 Powell Street (at Commercial Drive). This was the space formerly occupied by Kessel & March and you will still see the sign affixed to the building.  This is a beautiful bright spot that features great coffee by local Agro Roasters, delish baked goods and some art dotted throughout along with a bookcase along one wall. Service was excellent, the atmosphere cozy and bright with a second floor above if you want a bit of privacy.  You can find The Narcissus on Instagram. Stop by on  February 14th to check out a Valentine’s Pop Up from Noon to 5:00 pm.  The Narcissus is open Sunday to Wednesday from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm and Thursday to Saturday from 7:00 am to 10:00 pm. Did we mention they also serve wine and beer?   If you haven’t been down to this area of Powell Street lately, we highly recommend you take a wander.  This stretch of road boasts many great spots including the Bistro Wagon Rogue, The Pie Shoppe, Trans Am Restaurant, Aleph Eatery, Odd Society Spirits, Doan’s Craft Brewing and JJ Bean Coffee to name a few.

 

 

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Chocolate Sensory Workshop At The Italian Cultural Centre March 5, 2018

12 Feb

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Are you a chocoholic?  If so, you may wish to check out the Chocolate Sensory Workshop coming to the Italian Cultural Centre March 5th. It is designed to take your love of chocolate to the next level in a unique way.  Geoseph Domenichiello will lead you  through the world of fine chocolate using all your six senses. We  understand Geoseph has over a decade of experience working as a chocolate sommelier and award-winning chocolatier. And yes, there will be a tasting component with a flight of five chocolates including single origin, dark chocolate and eight others including vegan friendly.   You are invited to bring your questions and your appetite.   Cost of the class is $60 and the fun kicks off 6:30 pm on Monday, March 5th.  To register, visit the Italian Cultural Centre.

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Jak’s View: Follow Up To Fets Whiskey Kitchen Raid – Why Did It Happen?

6 Feb

FetsWhiskeyWe are adding another voice to ILiveInEastVan today. We would like to introduce you to Jak King.  If you don’t know him by name, he is a long time resident of East Vancouver. Jak is civic minded, has opinions on a number of issues some light topics, others not and a penchant for history particularly as it relates to Grandview Woodlands.  Jak has his own blog, which we invite you to check out called Jak’s View.  With his permission, we will be reprinting some of his posts here from time to time.  Today we’d like to share Jak’s View on the recent raid of Fets Whiskey Kitchen on Commercial Drive. This event boggles our mind. So many small businesses are struggling with increasing costs such as taxes, rent, attracting and keeping staff with rising costs in Vancouver, this antiquated raid was a slap in the face to small business. Instead of helping small business, this heavy handed approach to enforce antiquated laws seemed beyond fair or reasonable.   We invite you to check out Jak’s View on this recent event:

As I reported earlier, and has been widely reported since, Fets Whiskey Kitchen on Commercial Drive was raided last week and $40,000 worth of bottles were seized by agents of the BC government.

At the time there was some mystery as to why this had happened, but the reason has now been made clear — they were purchased from private liquor stores (which had purchased them legally from the BC Liquor Distribution Branch) rather than from the BCLDB directly. All required taxes had been paid but these bars are only allowed to buy their liquor from the BCLDB — even though the BCLDB won’t sell them these particular whiskeys.

It is worth repeating that all required taxes had been paid.  In other words, this is all about the bureaucratic nonsense that is BC’s liquor laws.

Apparently bars and clubs have been buying from private liquor outlets for years and liquor inspectors have allowed it to go on. Now, suddenly, the Ministry under David Eby has decided to stamp down on the practice. They could, of course, have changed the law so that BCLDB could sell these whiskeys to the bars but no, they wanted to play the heavy instead.

In a long article by Martyn Brown, he suggests that the “prohibition style” raids may have been occasioned by the money laundering crisis in BC casinos:

“It is in an interesting coincidence, I’m sure, that this crackdown has occurred only days after Attorney General Eby launched his own scathing indictment of the inept gaming policy enforcement and money laundering problems that transpired under the former government’s watch. No doubt, the last thing the general manager or others in the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch want to do is to leave the branch vulnerable to being accused of falling short in its enforcement responsibilities.”

However, as the same article notes, the raids have done nothing to enhance BC’s image as a tourist friendly Province. Perhaps more importantly for locals, Eric Fergie of Fet’s notes that his small business could suffer badly.

“Fergie said he’s now worried how his small business will absorb the cost. ‘If we are fined heavily for the infractions and we lose our product, then, you know, we’ve got 20-something people that work for us and it’s going to be difficult’.”

Eric and Allura Fergie have been mainstays of Commercial Drive business since opening their original Fettucini’s Cafe in 1987.

Reprinted With Permission (Jan. 21, 2018)

Photo Credits: Jak King & Fets Whiskey Kitchen

 

 

 

 

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Call To Local Artists – Create Something Amazing In Strathcona

23 Jan

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If you are a local artist and would like to see your work featured publicly, then be sure to check out Strathcona’s new project 10 Blocks of Passion Street Gallery.  Some of you may have heard Stathcona’s aim to be one of the City’s most walkable communities. “Made In Strathcona” and the Strathcona Business Improvement Association are taking the next step to make this happen.  They aim to feature original art work that tells stories about the Strathcona neighbourhood.  They would like to bring the streets to life.  Local artists are invited to create art installations for public display in the neighbourhood which will be showcased until the end of the summer.  Applications are now being accepted until January 29th. To learn more, you can email partnerships@myloudspeaker.ca or check out the online application form which also has a few inspirational ideas 10 Blocks of Passion Street Gallery. Personally, we would like to see the amazing art that appears when it rains in the City, bring a bit of life to our wet grey days in Vancouver.  If you haven’t seen pics of what we mean, visit Rainworks.

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The Wood Shop Workers Co-Op Offers Do-It-Yourself Projects Starting February 3rd

15 Jan

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Are you interested in tackling a do-it-yourself project for home this New Year, but don’t have the space? You may wish to check out the classes being offered by The Wood Shop Workers Co-op. They regularly offer 1 day classes wherein they provide the space, materials and the tools for the project you wish to tackle. You can choose to make a dining table or storage trunk with reclaimed wood. Each workshop is led by an experienced Wood Working Educator in a professional wood working shop.  You will learn how to use wood working tools and learn some introductory fabrication and finishing concepts. When they aren’t teaching classes, the Wood Shop crafts one-of-a-kind furniture and home décor items out of reclaimed wood. The cost of each class varies depending on what you choose to make, but they are offering a variety of dates starting February 3rd. Workshops take place at 251 Southern Creek in the False Creek Flats near Main Street and Terminal Avenue. Note, gift certificates are available should you wish to give a class as a gift to someone.  For more information or to register, visit their website at The Wood Shop Workers Co-op.

Photo Credit: The Wood Shop Workers Co-Op

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