Tag Archives: East Vancouver

Loved & Local Adds A Storefront Location In Hastings Sunrise

11 May

This past February, we featured Jenn Franzen’s pandemic pivot from the travel industry to an online store, Loved and Local. The evolution continues as Jenn moves Loved & Local to a small storefront in Hastings Sunrise within the Hastings Ticket Centre located at 2463 East Hastings Street. Coincidently, it’s right next to one of our favourite brunch spots, the Roundel Cafe.

If you aren’t familiar with Loved & Local, it is an online store that features gently used clothing and accessories for women, men and children.  Loved & Local also carries items from local artisans including Oona Clothing, Mosaic Earrings, beeswax food wraps by Etta & Olive and candles by Grain & Honey. Jenn is regularly adding new pieces by artisans including artwork by Calvin Sketches and dog beds, standing desks and wine/beer crates by Greenwood Box Co.

Loved & Local carries a wide range of items and yes they deliver!  They offer free delivery on orders over $20 within a 10 km radius of Loved & Local which is located in Hastings Sunrise. If you are interested in trying on a specific item, feel free to reach out to them directly.  

We invite you to visit Loved & Local online or in store to check out some of their 1,200 items! Shopping in person is available Monday to Thursday from 11:00 am to 4:30 pm. Deliveries are made Monday to Thursday from 9:00 am to 11:0 am. The online store is, of course, open for shopping 24/7. Stop by and support this local shop that is working hard to support other small businesses.

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Free The Fern: Invasive Education 101 – June 12, 2021

3 May

The popularity in gardening has increased immensely during the pandemic. For anyone doing a bit of gardening, or just walking through trails in our parks around Vancouver, you might see invasive species taking over some natives species. Free The Fern is a non-profit organization based in SE Vancouver working hard to remove invasive species. They recently hosted a Zoom session with over 70 participants for which there was a waiting list. It is a hot topic for those wishing to ensure our native plants survive and thrive. The recent Zoom session was a great way to get information and there is more detailed info online at Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver and Grow Green. If you prefer to get your hands dirty, literally with some hands on experience removing invasive plants, Free The Fern invites you to the Champlain Heights Trail on June 12th. Experienced volunteers will lead 2 groups for a 50 minute session with a maximum of 6 participants. They will show you how to remove invasive species like like English Ivy, Himalayan Blackberry and Common Periwinkle, a common ground cover. This is an outdoor event with physical distancing protocols in effect. The event is also free, but registration is required. To book a 50 minute time slot, email freethefern@gmail.com.

Covid-Safety Protocols:

  • outdoor location
  • mask wearing
  • bring your own garden gloves
  • sanitized tools provided
  • physical distancing in effect
  • book a 50 min time slot
  • max of 10 (six participants and 4 volunteer leaders) per session.

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Vancouver Farmer Markets Kick Off Summer Season

30 Apr

Spring is here which means lots of local products at our farmer markets in East Vancouver. Each of the markets hosted by Vancouver Farmer Markets has a lot to offer in the way of locally grown produce, handmade goods, artisan breads and baked goods, locally made jams, cheese, free range and organic eggs and of course wineries, breweries as well as spirits to name just a few.  Trout Lake as many readers may know is the largest market in East Van and with Covid protocols, do expect a bit of a line up.  Mount Pleasant Farmers Market which is in Dude Chilling Park is a smaller market, but we love that it’s on a Sunday. Riley Park Farmers Market is next to one of the most beautiful community gardens we’ve seen and happens year round every Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. The Main Street Farmers Market is currently closed due to construction. We have set out below the dates when the markets begin and end for the Spring/Summer season. We encourage you to stop by and support our local producers this season.

Trout Lake Farmers Market
9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Every Saturday: May 1, 2021 to October 30, 2021
Location: Lakewood Drive & E 13th Avenue

Mount Pleasant Farmers Market
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Every Sunday:  May 23, 2021 to October 31, 2021
Location: Guelph Street between 7th & 8th Avenues (on the paved play area between Mt. Pleasant Elementary and Guelph Park/Dude Chilling Park)

Riley Park Farmers Market
10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Every Saturday: All Year Round (Sumer Kick Off May 1st)
Location: 30th Avenue and Ontario Street

Main Street Farmers Market
Currently Closed Due To Construction

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Indian Summer Festival Launches Public Art Street Banner Project with Punjabi Market

12 Apr

Vancouver’s Punjabi Market plays host to an exciting new visual art project and collaboration featuring colourful street banners that line the area. Curated by the Indian Summer Festival, in partnership with the Punjabi Market Regenerative Collective, banners feature high calibre artwork from Musqueam (Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm) artist, Debra Sparrow (θəliχʷəlʷət) and Jag Nagra, artist and Collective member. The project looked at the idea of place and placemaking in the context of the Punjabi Market being located on unceded, ancestral Musqueam territory and marking 51 years of existence as an important hub for the South Asian community.

The Indian Summer Festival asked the two accomplished artists to respond to the Punjabi Market’s call for ideas to celebrate cultural traditions in the community. The resulting street banners are installed on Main Street between 48th and 52nd streets and will adorn the neighbourhood from April 12, 2021, until 2023. The Musqueam Nation’s banners are installed on the first and last poles on the street as an ‘embrace’ of this project and the Punjabi Market.

“The two banners I designed comprise of a phulkari pattern and a peacock,” says Jag Nagra, artist and member of the Punjabi Market Regeneration Collective. “Phulkari is traditional embroidery from the Punjab region of India where individual stitches create bold, colourful patterns. And much like the phulkari, what makes up a community is the weaving of individuals. Thread by individual thread is intertwined to tell a story, one that connects us all.”

Roadways in our world today
Replace the rivers that were the roadways of the past
Where people congregate for food and gatherings
In Musqueam, the old people tell a story
Of a two-headed serpent making its way through the waterways
Leaving behind lilies…
Over the last two centuries, the story has disappeared deep into the bottom of the river
Only to reemerge in a vision by Isaiah Sparrow after the story was related to him
It is an honour to have such a young man following his history
Bringing back stories that are never ending and important for the places we live.
The geometric designs reflect the blanket patterns woven by Musqueam women,
And are as old as time…
The modern designed birds are filled with Salish elements
Like us, in this modern day world we adapt to.         
The colours are in keeping with Jag Nagra 
And her amazing reflection of her history,
Both as ancient as time
We walk together on this land

Debra Sparrow

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Renfrew Ravine Park Spring Clean Up April 11th

5 Apr

Have some free time on your hands and wish to get involved in your local community? Still Moon Arts Society is hosting a spring clean up in Renfrew Ravine Park April 11th from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm. This is a great opportunity to give something back to a local park. On April 11th a group of volunteers will be picking up trash and doing a bit of weed maintenance, specifically culling a few invasive species like English Ivy. All ages are welcome to participate. Meeting location is 3958 Renfrew Street. For more information on what you should bring (outside of your mask), visit Still Moon Arts Society or email adrian@stillmoonarts.ca.

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#TakeOutBC Support Local Restaurants

1 Apr

This past year certainly feels like a roller coaster ride with many ups and downs. So many local businesses and organizations are struggling during this pandemic. We’ve already seen a number of restaurants shut their doors permanently. Just the other day, we learnt a long-standing Greek restaurant in SE Vancouver shut their doors on March 5th. We expect there will be more to come, but of course we hope not. With the most recent Provincial Health Orders, we have learnt there is a temporary hold on indoor dining until April 19th and possibly beyond. It is now take-out and delivery for restaurants save for those that have an outdoor patio.

We know the rapid changes in Provincial Health Orders has made it difficult for many businesses to pivot on a dime leaving them holding inventory, cutting staff, etc. We appreciate not everyone is in a position to support local restaurants due to their own personal circumstances. For those that can, we encourage you to support local where and when you can. Whether it’s take out, delivery or patio dining. There are so many great spaces around the City and some hidden gems. Did you know a personal favourite Via Tevere Pizzeria on Victoria Drive has an outdoor patio in the back of the restaurant? Add to that, they have a great online ordering system. If it’s great coffee you seek, did you know Platform 7 Coffee on East Hastings has an outdoor space behind their restaurant? There are a also number of areas along Commercial Drive that have carved out sections for outdoor patios and, of course, some have always had them like Havana Restaurant. Main Street and Fraser Street have also created many outdoor spaces for patio dining. We hope you will join us in supporting our local restaurants and #takeoutBC when and where you can.

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Still Moon Arts Society On The Hunt For Eco-Arts Program Manager

16 Mar

Do you have experience in project/program planning and community engagement? Are you passionate about the interaction between arts and nature? Still Moon Arts Society is on the hunt for an Eco-Arts Programs Manager that coordinates and oversees Still Moon’s Art Programs. You will be taking direction from the Artistic Director and supported by the Operations Manager. This role will have a Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) student to support you in your responsibilities. Still Moon has recently received funding for large projects and requires support in detailed project planning and implementation. You will be passionate about arts, nature and community engagement. Program planning, supervisor experience and exceptional time management is required. You are invited to submit your resume with cover letter to lindy@stillmoonarts.ca by March 17, 2021. To learn more about the posting, visit Eco-Arts Program Manager. To learn about more job postings in East Van, visit our Job Board.

Photo Credit: Zhaozhong Zheng

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The Cultch Presents Out Of Order March 18 – 21, 2021

9 Mar

The Cultch invites you to a very different online experience with Out Of Order. This is a ground-breaking contemporary circus collective that features spectacular acrobatics from the Montreal based troupe 7 Fingers. During this past year, art has been transformed and this production highlights just that. With theatres empty, meeting places and cultural venues no longer permitted to open, physical contact prohibited, artists have been forced to meet secretly in forsaken spaces. The big top used to be a space where they practiced their craft but was achingly deserted. Out of Order showcases this post-apocalyptic setting with ten gloved and masked characters who scrutinize one another, prepare, approach and avoid contact. They come from all walks of life. These amazing performers forgotten during the pandemic, cling to their vocation and create an apocalyptic new reality. To catch this awe inspiring video streamed performance, visit The Cultch to grab your ticket.

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Sauvignon Blanc Cheese Tasting March 28, 2021 With les amis du FROMAGE

19 Feb


On the success of their recent Facebook Live tasting event, les amis du FROMAGE has lined up another event for cheese and wine lovers. Host Allison Spurrell will again be leading this 1 hour tasting which features the wine varietal Sauvignon Blanc. The tasting package is featured for 2 people and includes:

Cheese (8 types)
Crackers
Olives
Accompaniment
Tasting menu

Heads up, the wine is not included in the ticket price, but they have partnered with Marquis Wine Cellars who have helped choose the best pairings as well as a discount. After you purchase your ticket, you will be contacted by les amis du FROMAGE with a discount code for the suggested wines which we’ve set out below.

The Sauvignon Blanc Cheese Tasting event happens Sunday, March 28th at 6:30 pm. To purchase your ticket, visit les amis du FROMAGE. Note, cut off for ticket sales is March 21st.

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Local Love This Valentine’s Day

10 Feb

We know not every one gets behind Valentine’s Day. Some see it as a made up day. Even if that’s your view, considering what a struggle this past year, why not show someone special a little love just because. It can be your partner or a good friend who has been a great support for you this past year, your sister, mother, brother. Or what about that next door neighbour or isolated senior? Whomever it might be, there are so many ways to say “I Care”. As we love our local businesses, we wanted to highlight a few you can throw your support behind this Valentine’s Day.

Soprasotto

Pizza Love

A few East Van pizza joints (and likely more) are doing heart shaped pizzas for Valentine’s Day. Check out Lombardo’s Ristorante and Soprasotto on Commercial Drive and Pizza Farina on Main Street.

Flowers

Who does not love to get flowers? There are so many great options in East Van whether it’s local florist shops like the Flower Factory at 4285 Main or Full Bloom on Commercial Drive. If you are lucky enough to have a neighbourhood corner store, be sure to check them out. They often have a nice selection on hand. If you are in River District this Sunday, you can also stop by the Brock Floral Cart which will be on site at the foot of Kerr Street near Romer’s Burger Bar. This is a mobile floral cart that will have a selection of flowers available from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm or until sold out. It won’t be quite as pictured, but you get the idea.

Sweet Treats

Oh Sweet Day

So many great local businesses are offering sweet treats for Valentine’s Day whether it’s chocolates at Beta 5 or the Purdy’s outlet store on Kingsway. If it’s cookies you are after, Oh Sweet Day, Bench Bakehouse and many others have a great selection. To see a full list of our Favourite East Van Bakeries, click the link. If you are looking for sweet treats for the kids (big and small), don’t forget the Licorice Parlour. They’ve added some new items so not just licorice.

Jewellery

White Sapphire Anna

If this is the year, you are going big on the jewellery front, we invite you to check out Era Design Jewellery at 1795 Venables Street near Commercial. They design some beautiful jewellery whether custom or ready made.

Love Songs

Jill Barber

If you are looking to set the mood with beautiful love songs, you will want to catch Jill Barber’s live streamed performance from The Cultch on February 14th.

Whether you celebrate the ‘day’ or not, be sure to show your local businesses some local love this weekend.

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