Tag Archives: Strathcona Business Improvement Association

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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Meet The Makers Expo June 13 At The Makers Lab

15 May

MeetTheMakersStrathcona is an area we love. It is a multicultural neighbourhood and home to one of Vancouver’s oldest residential area. Within Strathcona there is much industry and business which is still fuelled by the railway and port, but there is also so much new industry in this area. The Strathcona Business Improvement Association is a very proactive organization that works with the community to develop this area and promote the businesses within it.  This June, they invite you to check out what is actually made in Strathcona in the Meet the Makers Expo.  You will get a chance to see some unique, innovative and delicious businesses through demonstrations, panel discussions, networking and yes tastings. The event will feature restaurants, breweries and cafes including A.G.R.O. Roasters and Yolk’s Breakfast to name but two. On June 13th, you are invited to come down to the MakerLabs at 780 East Cordova Street from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm to meet the makers behind the businesses in Strathcona. This is a free event open to the public.  In order to ear mark your free ticket, visit Eventbrite.

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Made In Strathcona: AGRO Roasters, Propellor Design & The Settlement Building

18 Jun

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I had the pleasure of attending the recent Made In Strathcona Tours hosted by the Strathcona BIA and organized with the assistance of My Loud Speaker. It was a great opportunity to learn more about the businesses in East Vancouver like Blake Hanacek founder of AGRO Roasters located at 550 Clark Drive. Blake is truly passionate about all aspects of coffee everything from growing the beans, to farming, to roasting and is well versed in the science behind what makes a good cup of coffee.  Our second stop was Propellor Design tucked away at 1128 East Georgia Street just North of La Casa Gelato and situated directly across the street from Admiral Seymour Elementary School. Propellor Design is a multi-disciplinary design studio. The principals at Propellor Design create lighting, furniture, sculptures and more. Many of their custom lighting designs have landed in restaurants across North America. You can see a sample of their work next time you visit the lobby of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

After our tour of these East Vancouver businesses, we were invited for wine, appetizers and a mix and mingle at the newly branded Settlement Building (formerly Vancouver Urban Winery), 55 Dunlevy Street. The Settlement Building holds the Fresh Tap wine system which packages wines in 19.5L stainless steel kegs.  Add to that, they have some 36 wines on tap for tastings.  The Settlement Building is now home to newcomer the Belgard Kitchen a restaurant serving lunch/brunch and dinner which seats up to 65 people. The food is prepared by chef and part-owner, Reuben Major, who brings 18 years of restaurant experience with him. Mia Stainsby of the Vancouver Sun just did a delicious review of the food. To learn more about her rundown, visit the Vancouver Sun. Today this busy group of entrepreneurs officially launch Postmark Brewing, East Van’s newest craft brewery. Postmark Brewing will introduce you to 4 new beers specifically, Postmark Pilsner (a clean, refreshing hybrid Pils brewed with Czech yeast, German malt and traditional Noble hops), Postmark IPA (a well-structured American Red IPA brewed with Simcoe, a Postmark Stout (a semi-light bodied stout with a dry bitterness and the complex notes of chocolate and coffee and the one I have my eye on Postmark Hefe (a dry Bavarian style Weiss beer brewed with lemon zest and local raspberries. I would be remiss if I forgot to mention the drive by growler refills that are coming.

Kudos to all those involved in organizing the Made In Strathcona Tours. It was great to meet the faces behind the local businesses and get to learn more about what they do and the many ways in which they contribute to their surrounding communities.  Stay tuned for news on future tours, we hear they will be back for another round.

 

PropellorDesignLocalSigns PropellorDesignLights SettlementBuilding3 SettlementBuilding1 SettlementBuilding2

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Made In Strathcona Tours: May 31st & June 7th

28 May

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The Strathcona Business Improvement Association has embarked on an adventurous marketing plan.  They have created Made In Strathcona Tours which will run two tours, one on May 31st and the second on June 7th. The tours are devised to showcase the community that is Strathcona including the history, the businesses and the people that make up this unique community.  As they will tell you, over 500 businesses populate this area one.  Some names you might recognize include JJ Bean, Endeavour Snowboards, Christine Lingerie, Aritzia, Herschel Supply Co. Of course, some recent additions include culinary hot spots such as Ask for Luigi and Yolk’s Breakfast and Commissary.

Made in Strathcona Tours are being offered on Saturday, May 31st where the feature is Manufacturing and Hidden Gems and  Saturday, June 7th  where Creative and Food is the theme.  Once you decide on the date, you need to choose which 2 spots you wish to visit. The tour starts at 1:00 pm at the first stop you chose and goes to 1:45 pm. Then at 2:00 pm you are to make your way to the next stop that you chose and that tour will take you until 2:45 pm. After your tour, you are invited to attend the Settlement Building (Vancouver Urban Winery), 55 Dunlevy Avenue (1 block North of Oppenheimer Park) for a complimentary drink and hor’ deourves at 3:00 pm.  The tours are a very reasonable $10 and available in advance via Eventbrite. For readers of ILiveInEastVan.com, Made in Strathcona Tours is offering a 50% discount on tour tickets. Use PROMO CODE: “Blogger50” when purchasing your tickets for the discount.

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