Tag Archives: Vancouver

Shop Local: East Van Stores That Shine At Supporting Local Makers

19 Dec

If you missed the recent artisan markets and craft fairs, there’s still lots of opportunities to support local makers. We are setting out some of our favourite shops that carry a wide range of items that are perfect for gift giving this holiday season. If you haven’t already visited them, check them out in person, or visit them online.

Second Nature Home (3565 Commercial Street)

Second Nature Home is a home décor boutique located at 3565 Commercial Street in Cedar Cottage.  The store has a wide range of items outside of home décor including  jewellery, gifts for the foodie in your life, something cute for the new baby or new mom and much more. They usually have extended hours running up to Christmas. Be sure to pay them a visit.

Plenty + Spare (2168 East Hastings Street)

Plenty + Spare is located at 2168 East Hastings Street. It’s easy to miss by the smells of the bakery next door like will like you draw you to them, but do stop into Plenty + Spare. The have an array of beautiful handmade bath and beauty products along with other gift items brought in for the holiday season.

Giving Gifts (4570 Main Street)

Giving Gifts is a very cool space located at 4570 Main Street. The store tucked between 30th & 29th Avenue is made of up 5 rooms packed with items from 100 local as well as fair trade artists from around the world.  It is a gift giving boutique so you will easily be able to pick up a few gifts for just about any age.

Jackson’s General Store (1490 Dumfries Street)

Jackson’s General Store located at 1490 Kingsway (at Dumfries) near Knight Street. This space is the epitome of cool with a distinct retro vibe. Store owner, Mike Jackson, has created an eclectic mix of unique items in store which features clothing, gourmet food, books and if you are looking for a candy fix that is a blast from the past, this is your spot.

The Coast Goods (1302 Victoria Drive)

The Coast Goods is a sweet shop nestled away in the heart of the residential area at 1302 Victoria Drive. This is great neighbourhood shop that focuses on ethically sourced home decor and giftware again supporting our local independent artisans. Be sure to check them out and give them a follow on Instagram.

Olive & Wild (4391 Main Street)

We would be remiss if we didn’t mention this beautiful shop located at 4391 Main Street. They have an amazing array of home decor items and lots of great things on hand for gift giving. They feature local as well as international artists.

Why it’s important to shop local: For every $100 you spend with a local business, $46 is re-circulated back into the BC economy (vs $18 for multi nationals). Small business re-circulates 2.6 times more revenue in the local economy as do chains. 

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Missed the Culture Crawl? Ditch The Crowds And Meet Some Makers of The Mergatroid December 18

16 Dec

If you didn’t get a chance to hit the Eastside Culture Crawl this past November, don’t fret! This coming Saturday there’s a chance to ditch the heavy crowds from last month and hit the Mergatroid Open House. When it comes to East Vancouver’s art scene many think of the iconic Parker Street building. However, the Mergatroid building across the street also hosts a variety of local talent, from ceramicists to glassblowers and now here’s your (second) chance to see their open studios and do some of last-minute Christmas shopping. With the amount of artisans opening up their studio spaces this weekend, there is bound to be a gift for everyone still on your list.  We’ve set out below which studios will be open to visitors this Saturday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Mergatroid, 975 Vernon Drive.

Glassware:

Glassblowers make up the heart of the Mergatroid building. Attached to Terminal City Glass Coop, this building houses a variety of different glassblowers, all having unique techniques and skillsets. Find Dougherty Glassworks, Maria Ida Designs, Scott Mcdougall and Felicia Vandenboogaard in #259 where they’ll be hosting their iconic “seconds sale” – a great chance to find those unique gifts that no one else has, at a discounted price.

Ceramics:

Who doesn’t love receiving pottery as a gift? Find Eikam Ceramics, a Vancouver favourite when it comes to ceramic décor and tableware. If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind ceramic piece, visit Firebelly Clayworks at #230 for unique but functional sculptural bowls, teapots and mugs.

Textiles & Fashion: 

Are you looking gift for that trendsetter in your life? Check out Bronsino’s handcrafted and bespoke leather bags and accessories. Find their workshop at #225 in the Mergatroid Building. For gifts for someone that loves the West Coast, visit Bettina Matzkuhn at #235 for her embroidered landscapes and cartography inspired pieces. 

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Graham Clark To Perform 24 Hours of Stand Up Comedy December 17-18 At Little Mountain Gallery

8 Dec

A beloved Vancouver comedian Graham Clark is set to perform 24 consecutive hours of stand-up from Friday, December 17 at 8:00 pm to Saturday, December 18 at 8:00 pm at Little Mountain Gallery (195 E. 26th Avenue). The veteran comedian is ready to launch into this marathon set with inspiration from his talented team of comedians as they feverishly write jokes for him to read, riff, and rate. Why is he doing a 24 stand up gig?

Funds are being raised for the Little Mountain Gallery’s Eviction Fund with the view to finding a new artist-run venue in which they can perform as an independent comedy centre in Vancouver. They only have use of their current space until January 1, 2022. The hope is that the money raised will be used toward a deposit on rent as well as covering outstanding space costs incurred between a move and opening, transportation of our equipment and basic-level recreation of a functional theatre space.

“Little Mountain Gallery’s closure is a big loss for the comedy scene in Vancouver,” says Clark. “We’ve had two full-time comedy clubs close and another long-time comedy hangout, The Kino, also shuttered. Our comedy community needs a place to really be able to experiment and build new audiences. I will try to keep this in mind when I’m at hour twenty.”

Tickets are $20 and will be available online on at www.standupfor24hours.com.  If you can’t attend in person, there will be a Livestream via Twitch.

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BC SPCA 50% Off All Adoption Fees Until December 8, 2021

24 Nov

The BC SPCA has been providing free emergency boarding for displaced pets in the Interior, the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island since the flooding began and has been handing out free crates, pet food, leashes and other supplies through Emergency Services Centers.

As flooding continues to impact communities across British Columbia, the BC SPCA is holding a half-price adoption promotion to free up space in its locations for emergency boarding of animals impacted by the floods.

“The goal of this promotion is to create more room to house as many animals requiring free temporary boarding as possible by finding amazing forever homes for the animals in our care,” says Lorie Chortyk, general manager of communications for the BC SPCA. The 50% off promotion, which takes place Nov. 24 to Dec. 8, applies to all animals across the province, with the exception of SPCA facilities in Abbotsford, Chilliwack and Prince Rupert, which have been impacted by flooding and other local issues, and the Haida Gwaii and 100 Mile House SPCA branches, which do not have facilities.”

“We hope anyone who has been thinking about adopting a pet will take advantage of this opportunity,” says Chortyk. “You will not only make a difference in the life of a deserving animal by giving them a loving home, you will also help us support pet guardians and their animals who have displaced because of the flooding.”

If you are interested in adopting a new furry family member, visit the BC SPCA website at spca.bc.ca/adopt. There you will find photos and descriptions of animals currently looking for loving homes.

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Music At The Cinemas Series At The Fox Cabaret

23 Nov

Vancouver Independent Music Centre and No Horses Music present Music at the Cinemas Series. Curator, Tony Wilson, presents two double bill concerts at the Fox Cabaret Saturday, November 27th and Friday, December 3rd at the Fox Cabaret, 2321 Main Street.

Saturday, November 27th

Veda Hille
On November 27th, Veda Hill will perform songs about love and nature and time, in an art rock/chamber folk style. She will be accompanied by vocalists Lucien Durey and Patsy Klein, Nicholas Krgovich voice and keyboard

Veda Hille has been writing music, making records, and performing internationally since 1992. She is a classically trained pianist, art school drop-out, performance curator, self-taught singer, theatre interloper, and independent artist. She has released 22 albums, the latest being Little Volcano, a solo album that accompanies her new touring show.

Tillicum Shantie
Featuring jazz arrangements of Salish songs and the music of two legendary indigenous jazz artists – Mildred Bailey and Jim Pepper. To purchase tickets for the November 27th performance, visit Eventbrite.

Friday, December 3rd

Josh Zubot Strings
Josh Zubot Strings will perform a wide gamut of melodic/suspenseful harmony, improvisation and extended exploration in sound Josh will be accompanied by Jesse Zubot violin, viola, James Meger bass, Meredith Bates violin, Peggy Lee cello.

Josh Zubot’s string explorations have found a new home with his string quintet of genre defying West Coast players. Josh’s compositions take on emotion, energy, calmness, unpredictability and virtuosic technique. The music combines traditional and graphic notation while slicing group improvisation moving from the tiniest of sound to the extreme. After hearing his acoustic string music, the listener’s sonic universe will be stretched to the limits.
www.joshzubot.ca

Scott Smith and Tony Wilson’s Tribute to Lenny Breau and Buddy Emmons

Tribute to Canadian legendary guitarist Lenny Breau and Nashville pedal steel guitarist Buddy Emmons with music drawn from the jazz tradition.

In the late ’70s guitarist Lenny Breau and pedal steel guitarist Buddy Emmons teamed up and recorded an album entitled Minors Aloud. Recorded in Nashville, the album became a hard-to-find classic and a must-listen for guitarists of any kind. The quartet will play the entire album as well as other tunes Lenny and Buddy collaborated on.

Scott Smith is an award-winning pedal steel player and guitarist who has toured and recorded with Barney Bentall, Rich Hope and Terminal StaQon among many others. Host of the popular Adventures in Pedal Steel series at the Heatley, he released the instrumental album Lifeboat: Explorations in Pedal Steel in 2020.

Guitarist and composer Tony Wilson has been a fixture on the West Coast jazz and free improv scene for decades. In addition to releasing numerous albums under his own name such as Looking Back and A Day’s Life, he has also played and recorded with the Peggy Lee Band, Waxwing and Pugs and Crows.
To purchase tickets for the December 3rd performance, visit Eventbrite.

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Songwriters In The Round December 3rd At The Cultch

22 Nov

Sarah Jane Scouten, Samantha Parton and Suzie Ungerleider are talented Canadian songwriters who are making their way to The Cultch Friday, December 3, 2021.  They are all uniquely talented Canadian songwriters whose combined achievements include multiple world tours, Juno nominations, Canadian Folk Music Awards and several studio recordings as solo artists and as members of acclaimed acts like the Be Good Tanyas and Oh Susanna. They will be bringing you a round style concert sharing their original music, stories and collaborations and invite you to join them for one evening, December 3rd.    This is an in person event. Tickets are $30. To purchase yours, visit The Cultch.

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East Van Panto Returns With Alice In Wonderland November 24 – January 2

12 Nov

We are excited to hear that the East Van Panto is back for its 9th year! This year it’s a trip through the looking glass with a terribly bored Alice who follows a White Rabbit onto the Skytrain, she falls down a hole only to find herself in a Grandview-Woodlands Wonderland. While tracking this elusive bunny, she encounters transit police officers Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dumb, a busking Cheshire Cat, gets some questionable advice from a cannabis connoisseur caterpillar, and has a heck of a time at a Commercial Drive leftist tea party. Once Alice discovers that the dastardly online mega-store owner, The Queen of Hearts, is using cookies (chocolate chip, that is!) to secretly steal East Van-ers data, she decides to stop her before all the local shops are priced out of existence!

The Cultch and Theatre Replacement are thrilled to welcome everyone back to live in person theatre at The York for all the fun. If you aren’t quite ready for attending in person, you also have the option of joining them online. To grab your tickets, visit The Cultch online. Online tickets start from $35 and in-person tickets from $69.

Photo Credit: Tim Matheson

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The Big List of Holiday Markets In East Van 2021

7 Nov

It’s that time of year again where the opportunities to shop local are abundant and in light of the pandemic, more important than ever for our local economy. Although there are some markets that have been cancelled this year due the pandemic, there are still many going ahead. We encourage you to stop by those that are proceeding and show your support. Whether you are shopping for Christmas, a birthday or yourself, there are so many opportunities to support your local community.

When you buy from a local maker, you’re supporting your neighbor next door, your co-worker working full-time and holding down a side gig, moms carving out some extra income while still being home with their families. All have created a business doing something they love and are passionate about.  We are 100% behind supporting those local dreamers and makers. Also, what is making the rounds on social media is that buying local is better for the environment. Items at markets are not being shipped in containers lost at sea, not to mention less packaging involved as a result of not travelling long distances. To make it easy to shop local, we have again created a list of Holiday Markets In East Van for 2021.   We hope you will show your support for local this holiday season.

NOVEMBER 2021

Nov. 6-Apr. 23: Riley Park Winter Farmers Market – 30th & Ontario 10 – 2

Nov. 7-Apr.24: Hastings Park Farmers Market – Hastings Park 10 – 2

Nov. 6-7: Make In The 604 – Heritage Hall 11-5

Nov. 12-14: Eastside Culture Crawl – Various Locations

Nov. 14: Indigenous Maker Pop Up Shop – Iron Dog Books 6-9 pm

Nov. 18-21: Eastside Culture Crawl – Various Locations

Nov. 18: Pancakes & Booze Art Show – 147 East Pender St. 7 pm

Nov. 27: Makers Market – Coho Commissary

Nov. 27: Christmas Bazaar – St. Thomas Anglican Church, 2444 E. 41st Ave 10-2

DECEMBER 2021

Dec. 1: Makers Market – Coho Commissary

Dec. 1-5: Toque Craft Fair by Western Front Online Marketplace

Dec. 3: Krampus Market – Strange Fellows Brewing 6-10 pm

Dec. 4: Krampus Market – Strange Fellows Brewing 11 – 6

Dec. 5: Krampus Market – Strange Fellows Brewing 12-4

Dec. 4: Tugboat Landing Artisan Market – 2010 East Kent Ave. S. (at Victoria) 11-4

Dec. 4-5: Crafty Affaire – Croatian Cultural Centre
Dec. 4-5: Eastside Flea – 550 Malkin Avenue 11-4
Dec. 4-5: Weirdos Holiday Market – The Venables Hall, 1739 Venables St. 10-6

Dec. 11-12: First Pick Handmade Holiday Market – Heritage Hall 11-6

Dec. 11-12: Eastside Flea – 550 Malkin Avenue 11-4

Dec. 12: Christmas Market – Il Centro (Italian Cultural Centre) 11-7

Dec. 18-19: Eastside Flea – 550 Malkin Avenue 11-4
Dec. 18-19: Got Craft – Croatian Cultural Centre 10-5

Did we miss one? We will be updating this list as we learn of other markets so check back for updates. Feel free to drop us a note with any market you think should be added at ILiveInEastVan@gmail.com.

Photo Credit: Kristina Paukshtite

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Open Studios: Carving Pavilion At Britannia Community Centre

6 Nov

This November, you are invited to drop by the šx?q?el?w?n ct Carving Pavilion at Britannia Community Centre for a behind the scenes peek into carver in residence and Britannia alum Randall Bear Barnetson’s artistic practice. The Carving Centre will have open studio hours Wednesdays and Thursday through November from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. You will have the opportunity to watch Randall work while he puts the final touches on transforming a cedar log into a bench for the Britannia campus. We’ve set out the full schedule below if you have an opportunity to stop by and watch the transformation first hand.

Full schedule:

November 3, 2021 | 10 am – 12 pm

November 4, 2021 | 10 am – 12 pm

November 10, 2021 | 10 am – 12 pm

November 17, 2021 | 10 am – 12 pm

November 18, 2021 | 10 am – 12 pm

November 24, 2021 | 10 am – 12 pm

November 26, 2021 | 10 am – 12 pm

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Winter Farmer Markets In East Van 2021 – 2022

2 Nov

Summer weather may be gone, but farmer markets continue into the Fall and Winter seasons. As always, we encourage you to support our local growers and makers.  In East Van, you have 2 great markets to choose from.

Riley Park Farmers Market – Every Saturday  10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Riley Park Farmers Market is in fact a year round market that happens every Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at 30th & Ontario. They officially transition from a summer to winter market on Saturday, November 6th. This is a great space located next to a community garden with ample parking and located on a bike route.

Hastings Park Farmers Market – Every Sunday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

The Hastings Park Farmers Market runs every Sunday from November 7, 2021 to April 24, 2022. The market is located on the Centre Grounds of Hastings Park.

Whichever market you choose, we hope you will support local where and when you can. If you want to know which vendors will be at the markets each week, visit Vancouver Farmer Markets website for more information, or check them out on Instagram @vanmarkets.

Photo Credit: Ella Olsson

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