Coming soon an East Van community kitchen space at 477 Powell Street The Uncommissary. From what we are hearing this will be an amazing creative space. Organizers of this space, Luc and Lisa Leimanis, are on the hunt for local food companies wanting to join a community kitchen that provides some of the usual items including stoves, ovens, prep tables, walk-in coolers and freezers, storage, dishwasher and parking. That call went out and the response was swift being there is a lack of community kitchen space in Vancouver. Their plan is to have three stations within the community kitchen that is well stocked for foodie professionals to make their wares. They will also have space for two food carts and other food production companies. Also on the drawing board is a store and café called The Uncommon which will be open Monday to Friday. The store will sell the products that are made in house and where possible they will work those products into the menu in the café. The aim is to be open some Saturdays for community BBQs. The Uncommon will also be available for rent in the evenings for pop-up events as well as some in store events that they plan to host. At present, they are working through the regulatory process and renovations, but plan to be up and running (provided all goes smoothly) in June. We look forward to welcoming this new venture to East Vancouver. Watch this space for updates.
Coming Soon … An EastVan Community Kitchen Space – The Uncommissary
8 Apr
Opening Reception For Love Your Face At Studio 126 April 2nd
1 Apr
We’ve learnt of a very cool space in Chinatown, called Studio 126 located at 126 East Pender Street. The studio has a variety of locally made goods including reclaimed furniture, handmade items by local artisans including Brand & Iron, Woodlot, Hobo Woodworks, Say It With Sarcasm, Sue Griese Ceramics, LISSU Linen and East Van Jam.
This Thursday, April 2nd, you are invited to the Opening Reception of Love Your Face. This is a collection of 100 portraits by photographer Ian Sheh in which he reveals the wonder and beauty of our face. The reception kicks off at 7:00 pm and runs till 10:00 pm. Admission is free. If you wish to RSVP or request further information email Studio 126 at studio126yvr@gmail.com. If you miss the Opening Reception, the Love Your Face exhibit will run until May 3rd and can be viewed Wednesday to Saturday from 12:00 to 6:00 pm and Sunday from 12:00 to 5:00 pm.
Share this:
New In Town: Second Nature Home Eco-Friendly & Organic Products For Home
21 Feb
We would like to introduce to a great new store in East Vancouver called Second Nature Home brought to you by social entrepreneur, Elizabeth McKitrick. Second Nature Home is a retail store entirely focused on eco-friendly and organic products for the home. If you get a chance to talk with Elizabeth, you will quickly realize she is passionate about the environment and living a sustainable life.
Second Nature Home has an amazing array of items for the home including locally sourced products for the home, curated decorative arts as well as a great vintage section. What we loved was the refilling station for laundry soaps, shampoo, dish detergent, body wash and hand soap with products from local companies, Sapadilla Soap Co., Pacific Coast Soapworks and Gingko & Maple. Their products are made from natural and organic ingredients with essential oils. Elizabeth has bottled product lines available for sale, or you can bring your own containers to the shop and fill them there. The beauty of this, of course, is no plastics to recycle. The added bonus is the wonderful aromatherapy of the soap products themselves, including lavender-lime, grapefruit-bergamot, rosemary-peppermint (some unscented options available too).
Second Nature offers custom gift baskets for any occasion that can be put together with local organic products, and coming soon is an online gift registry. Oh and did we mention bicycle delivery to the local neighbourhood–a trial service will be rolled out this summer, beginning in the Trout Lake/Cedar Cottage area. When it comes to being a socially responsible company, Elizabeth not only talks the talk, she walks the walk. Second Nature Home provides valuable skills development opportunities and mentoring for immigrant women and supports community ecological activity.
Second Nature Home is located at 1827 Victoria Diversion which is the one block stretch that connects Victoria Drive and Commercial Drive located next to the Croatian Cultural Centre. Second Nature Home is open Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, but open Fridays until 8:00 pm and Sunday 2:00 pm to 6:00 pm and closed Mondays.
Share this:
J&S Reclaimed Custom Wood Furniture – Check Out The Beautiful Things Joshua & Steve Are Making!
4 Feb
We at ILiveInEastVan.com are always in awe of some of the amazing creative minds that are tucked away in pockets of East Vancouver. Today we would like to introduce you two talented young men, Joshua Hooge and Steve McFarlane, who are making sustainable, eco-friendly furniture in SE Vancouver. Joshua and Steve are the creative force and elbow grease behind J&S Reclaimed Wood Custom Furniture. These two started building reclaimed wood furniture as a hobby. Soon friends and family started requesting custom pieces and word started to spread. As orders starting flowing in, they moved from their backyard operation to an East Vancouver garage and worked on production in the evenings and weekends. They initially offered their custom woodwork services on Craigslist. Then they became aware of Etsy and that’s when things really took off for these two entrepreneurs. Not only did your average Joe find them on Etsy, but so did Vogue Magazine who wanted to feature their products in their next issue, then along came GQ Magazine, followed by Tatler Magazine. With the increase in demand for their furniture, about 2 years ago, J&S Reclaimed Wood moved into a historic 1920s warehouse located at #43-1640 East Kent Avenue on the Fraser River in SE Vancouver. They are located in one of about 50 work spaces on the site of Northern Building Supply.
Not only do Joshua & Steve make amazing custom wood furniture, they are good stewards of the environment. In their shop, no wood is wasted. Every last bit is used. As to where they get their wood, most recently Joshua and Steve worked tirelessly to dissemble a 100 year old barn (pictured below) in the Fraser Valley. They also salvage wood from a variety of sources from heritage buildings to wooden shipping pallets.
As Joshua and Steve’s business grows, they have been using interns through Tradeworks. Tradeworks is a local non-profit based in Strathcona that provides training and hands-on experience for women in trades who have barriers to employment. Joshua and Steve have now hired two of their interns.
J&S Reclaimed Custom Wood Furniture make an array of furniture from tables to bar stools to cabinetry and did we mention metal work? One item that caught our eye was the two-tier wall mounted bike rack (pictured below) that is wrapped in leather scraps to protect the bike frame and allow you to keep two bikes securely stored indoors in a space saving manner. Joshua is a certified red seal heavy duty mechanic so he does their custom metal work. The piece pictured below will run you approximately $430. We also fell for a beautiful floor to ceiling mirror (pictured below) which price ranges from $300 – $800 depending on the type of wood used. You can also find examples of their work around town including Liberty Distillers, La Cantina Urban Taco Bar in Whistler and Big Rock Brewery opening soon in the Olympic Village. So this means, if you would them to make you a beautiful piece of furniture, you best place your order. They have a 2 month waiting list now, but for furniture that will be sure to last you a life time, more than worth the wait. To learn more about J&S Reclaimed Custom Wood Furniture, you can visit their website, Etsy site, or contact them directly by phone at T: 778-991-2707, or by email contact@jsreclaimedwood.com. You can also find them on Twitter.
Photos Courtesy J&S Reclaimed Wood Custom Furniture
Share this:
New In Town: Bâtard Boulangerie & Cafe Moderne Comes To The Fraserhood
30 Jan
We would like to introduce you to the newly opened Bâtard Boulangerie & Cafe Moderne located at 3958 Fraser Street. This is a French style bakery brought to you by Chris Brown of Rise Artisan Bakery and Bruno and Sally Born restaurateurs and owners of Finest at Sea. This is a great addition to the Fraserhood. Outside of the amazing French style sweets and excellent coffees, there is the bread. Big levain loaves and dense rye breads that you can purchase by the 100 grams instead of a large loaf. They also carry a great selection of Farm House Cheeses and a selection of French cheeses from Les Amis de Fromage and charcuterie from Oyama Sausages. You can also expect to find Chris Brown’s award winning artisanal marmalades “The Bitter End”. These are truly heavenly marmalades.
Bâtard Boulangerie is perfectly situated on Fraser Street next door to Graze Restaurant which is next to Earnest Ice Cream between 23rd and 24th Avenue. Now, does that not make for a delicious block we ask? The 100 year old space they renovated is beautiful, cozy and makes for a great meeting spot. And as of June 2015, Bâtard Boulangerie is now open 7 days a week from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm. 
Share this:
This Holiday Season SHOP LOCAL & Check Out Fable Naturals
29 Nov
At ILiveInEastVan.com we are passionate about supporting local businesses. With the upcoming Christmas season, we would like to introduce you to some local businesses whether online retailers or brick and mortar stores. Our goal is to let you know about some of the great products, retailers and artisans right in your own backyard.
Today we’d like to introduce you to Fable Naturals which is a relatively young company run by Gwen Richards and Chris Nicol. Fable Naturals is based in Mount Pleasant and makes a line of fair trade certified bath and body products. They are inspired by locally sourced ingredients as well as ethically sourced ingredients from afar. All of their products are made by hand in small batches in their Mount Pleasant studio. Their line includes organic lip balms, skin exfoliators, moisturizers, soaps, lotions, body wash, sugar scrubs and more. Gwen and Chris focus on making healthier skin care products without unnecessary fragrances and chemicals. Their newest product is their Vanilla Orange lip balm which Chris thinks smells just like a creamsicle. Their lip balms will be on our Christmas shopping list this holiday season.
If you wish to try their products, Chris and Gwen recently revamped their website and to celebrate they are offering 20% OFF all orders made on or before December 24, 2014. They invite you to use the Coupon Code EAST VAN in order to obtain the discount. If your order is over $60, Fable Naturals offers free shipping. If you are local in East Van and do no wish to pay for shipping, you can also pick up from their office.
If you wish to see their products in person so you can sample and smell this great line, you can visit Chris & Gwen at the following events in and around East Vancouver:
Saturday, November 29th
Strathcona Winter Craft Fair
Strathcona Community Centre
601 Keefer Street
December 4th – December 7th
Make It Vancouver
PNE Forum 2901 E Hastings Street
December 5th – December 6th
TOQUE
Western Front
303 East 8th Avenue
Saturday, December 20th
Nat Bailey Winter Farmers Market
Nat Bailey Stadium
4601 Ontario Street
You can also find their products at a few select retailers around town. For a rundown of where, visit them online at Fable Naturals.com. Chris and Gwen also just announced their Holiday Giveaway. You have the opportunity to enter to win their organic facial care line which includes their Quinoa + Almond Facial Exfoliator, Rosehip + Olive Facial Oil and Chamomile + Shea Moisturizer. For an opportunity to enter, check out Holiday Giveway.
We hope you will join us in supporting local this holiday season.
Share this:
New In Town – Dharma Dog Daycare
6 Mar
Nik and Joanne Fabisiak are a busy couple these days. Not only are they pregnant and expecting their first child in few months, they just opened a new business, Dharma Dog Daycare, located at 1434 E 57th Ave, Vancouver, BC (Knight & 57th Street). Nik is a canine behaviour therapist and has extensive experience working with dogs. He is also a long time resident of East Vancouver. Outside of dog daycare, Dharma Dog Daycare, will be offering grooming, dog walking and before long boarding and a shuttle service for pets. Monday, March 4th was their grand opening and as such, they are offering 50% off daycare services in the month of March. Also, if you are one of the first 500 likes on Facebook/Twitter, you could win a year’s worth of dog daycare. To learn more about the services they offer and pricing, visit their website, Facebook page or pop in with your pooch to say hello.
ILiveInEastVan.com 
