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Main Street • Putting the brewery back in Brewery Creek 9 • Nicole Bridger’s green touch 10 • Campagnolo’s weekly pork chop 16 Cactus Club 17
Fashion Week photos 20, 25
Andy Chu’s Pet Diaries 21 Cameron Forsyth and Chris Bjerrisgaard at Portland Craft. Paul Duchart photo
Discover Main street
Move over foodies. Craft beer geeks want room at the table By Martha Perkins
T
here is no empirical evidence to back this up, but surely there are more independent coffee shops per capita on Main Street than in any other neighbourhood in Vancouver. Why the need to consume so much high-octane caffeine? Perhaps it is to recover from/prepare for an evening of enjoying all the craft beer that’s available within walking distance. “My guess is that we’re a social part of town,” says Chris Bjerrisgaard of Portland Craft, one of several restaurants catering to craft beer aficionados — with three micro-breweries slated to follow suit within the next few months. “We want to go out and not hide in our apartments, and we want to drink locally produced products,” Bjerrisgaard says. “People are treating beer like food now; you don’t want to just go to McDonalds,” says Graham With, who is brewing the 2013 collaboration beer for Vancouver Craft Beer Week at nearby Parallel 49 Brewing Company. Main Street’s beer culture is making Mount Pleasant a destination for people who either already know their craft beers and want to seek out their favourites, or those who are just beginning their quest for artisanal alternatives to the major breweries. There are two ironies at play here. One is that Mount Pleasant is Vancouver’s original brewery district. “In its natural form, Mount Pleasant was full of creeks housing sturgeon, flounder, sole, perch and smelt,” says the Residents Association of Mount Pleasant website. “Down its centre ran one of Vancouver’s largest salmon and trout creeks, with a ravine up to 40 feet deep down parts of the hill.” This creek, which now runs under the pavement in a pipe, provided such an easily accessible source of water that it soon became known as Brewery Creek (a much more appealing name than Tea Swamp Park up the hill.) Today, says Anthony Norfolk of Heritage Vancouver, perhaps the only tangible reminder of this
more online
The Whip was the first Main Street establishment to bring in craft beer by the cask. Today, the neighbourhood is a celebration of craft beer. Aficionados will soon be raising a glass to three new breweries in what was known as the Brewery Creek area. Paul Duchart photo bygone era is the hop vines climbing over the back fence of the Western Front property. The second irony, Bjerrisgaard says, is that the city makes it hard for craft beer pubs to open. There are few liquor-primary licences available, and most are downtown. Portland Craft had to become a restaurant if it wanted to focus on selling craft beers. (Portland Craft has become the darling of several American craft breweries. It is already among the breweries’ top three customers on the West Coast, giving a more favourable twist on what it means to live on the Wet Coast.) “We’ve just created the best opportunity to use [Portland Craft] as a local,” he says. The Whip was the first place in the neighbourhood to buy craft beer by the cask, whetting people’s thirst for creative and seasonal beers. It also helps that Main Street is a neighbourhood where people live where they work and play. Tough drinking and driving penalties aren’t a worry when you can walk home from your favourite pub. But there’s more to craft beers than their taste. Drinking beer, by its very nature, is a very social activity — or should be! Drop by a craft beer establishment and you’re more likely to get to know your neighbour, Bjerrisgaard says. “We have a long table and no TVs for a reason,” he says. “People will actually talk to one another. One, if you’re a craft beer lover, you can break the ice with a conversation about beer. Two, when you’re drinking beer, your inhibitions get let down and you start talking about things aside from beer and the next thing you know, you’ll make new friends.” Everything old will become new again when
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three micro-breweries open in the area: 33 Acres, Brassneck Brewery and Main Street Brewery, a partnership between Nigel Pike, who co-owns Cascade Room, Habit, Union and El Camino, and Cameron Forsyth, owner of Portland Craft. The Mark James Group will launch a mid-sized Red Truck Brewery on Great Northern Way this year, too. Conrad Gmoser was the awardwinning brewmaster at Steamworks (which is opening a large brewery just on the other side of the Burnaby boundary) before he left to launch Brassneck Brewery with Nigel Springthorpe, one of the owners of the Alibi Room, a mecca for craft beer drinkers. “Nigel’s been wanting to do this for a long time and the time was right,” Gmoser said at the launch of the 2013 collaboration beer at Parallel 49. Building permit allowing, they’re
hoping to open their doors at Main and 6th in June. They’ll start with six beers but hope to get up to 12. In the meantime, they’ll concentrate on refillable growler bottlers. “The model is a little bit like a gelato shop — you try this, you try that, and decide what you want to go with. You can have a conversation about it,” Gmoser says. Continuing the gelato analogy, he adds that “even if you’re coming in for vanilla, you can taste some crazy beer you’ve never heard of before.” Apart from the ready source of customers — “The whole street is all about food and drink and people hanging out” — Gmoser says that what also makes Main Street appealing to breweries is the availability of proper zoning. He envisions a brewery crawl once everyone gets up and running.
EAT DRINK DANCE PARTY
(not necessarily in that order)
HT S * JAZZ NIG J D & S D N A NNIS URING B LOCAL & TO BURLESQUE * TABLE TE COMEDY * COME VISIT
OUR COLD B
EER & WINE
928 Main Street • 604.558.0928 electricowl.ca • ElectricOwlSocialClub •
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STORE
ElectricOwl_ca
March 28 – April 3, 2013
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Main street
Bridging the gap Nicole Bridger purchases her own clothing factory, completing the design, manufacture and retail circle By Kelsey Klassen
Y
ou could think Nicole Bridger has been given a head start on others her age, having received one-on-one mentoring from fashion industry leaders such as John Fluevog, Vivienne Westwood and Chip Wilson. Or it could click that she’s known what she’s doing since the very beginning. Either way, it comes as no surprise that, at 31 (a mere 15 years after the lightbulb went off on her design aspirations), the forward-thinking Vancouver talent now not only owns the Mount Pleasant factory that manufactures her clothing, but also produces many of her competitors’ lines. Fans of her designs might have met Bridger at her flagship store in Kits, and found that the petite, sweetfaced brunette with the tiny facial piercing has a way of getting to the point. But her frankness comes from a place of experience, mixed with a
lingering youthful irony and a dash of idealism. She designs for that woman: 35-45, professional, maybe has young kids — a conscious person who focuses on being a good friend, a great mother, on taking time for herself and taking care of herself. And while she’s had to be all those things (which set her apart amid a sea of eager design school grads, and helped her balance her career with being a single mom to a four-yearold son), Bridger is also the sum of dogged work ethic and incredible opportunities: In high school, John Fluevog, the father of her first love and a Vancouver shoe designer, saw her interest in fashion and brought her to New York. There, she encountered the designs of punk icon Vivienne Westwood for the first time. She was accepted to fashion school at Ryerson, and, in 2002, enrolled in an exchange program that would take her to London, with the sole inten-
Vancouver designer Nicole Bridger on the floor of her newly purchased clothing factory at W. 6th and Main. At the age of 31, she now owns every aspect of her business. Rob Newell photo tion of interning for Westwood. Upon arrival, she was told Westwood’s studio was already full, with eight interns at work. But Bridger refused to leave London without making waves. She went back in and asked for three days to prove herself, and went on to work with Westwood personally, on projects such as Paris Fashion Week — smoking, drinking and eating pizza til 3am with her idol. It was with Westwood that Bridger learned the art of draping so prevalent in her own clothing. Around that time, while allegedly conversing “butt naked” in the changing room at the Arbutus Club, lululemon’s Chip Wilson handed her father his business card and relayed the message for Bridger to get in touch. She began her career with lululemon hemming. She created their first headband. Then, after graduation in 2003, she approached Wilson for advice on a business proposal. His response was, “Don’t start a company for them, start one for me.” She ran Oqoqo, lululemon’s sustainable casual line, for two years — soaking up maxims such as “Create a story worth telling,” and “80 per cent of your products should be black.” She also learned that the key to financial success was to be vertically integrated, all the way from manufacturing to retail. And by 2007, she had finally amassed enough business knowledge, by her standards, to launch her own line. But life deals its curveballs, and three-and-a-half years ago, Bridger’s personal life suffered a blow.
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Before the divorce, she was taking her son to her parents’ house in Kerrisdale two days a week, working in the basement and dashing up the stairs every two hours to breast feed. After, she and her son moved in with them and she continued to work out of their home. So let’s fast forward to this new factory of hers. It’s actually 20 years old, and had been manufacturing her line up until October, when the owners decided to retire. She nearly missed her chance to buy the business (it came down to within hours of another offer being accepted), but Bridger says the thought of an inexperienced new owner scared her more than the financial risk, so she threw together her own offer for Helena Trading, and went from one full-time employee to almost 20. And, in the process, not only retained all the factory staff, but the customers as well. Quick reactions aside, the move was always Bridger’s plan. The factory is known for producing technically challenging garments, and calls local labels Plum, Jacqueline Conoir, Chloe Angus, Dace and Obakki clients. Having had a few months to settle in at her bustling new head office, she’s now eyeing a second retail location, possibly in Park Royal or Gastown. And she is already improving on the factory model — increasing wages, moving towards profit sharing and benefits, and just spending time on the floor. She says she likes to see that her employees are actually taking their vacations. On our way out, she points to the cutting table to tell me that’s where Mr. Chan works. A reverent look crosses her face as she glances around her factory floor: “He’s very skilled. It’s a difficult trade, and I think that gets overlooked.”
www.planetbi ng o. ca 2655 Main Street • 604.879.8930
Open 7 days a week 11:00am-11:30pm (12:30am on Fridays and Saturdays)
Know your limit, play within it.
Know your limit, play within it.
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March 28 – April 3, 2013
Bridger’s SS13 collection will make its “runway” début at Portside for Eco Fashion Week on April 21. Given her history of involving dance, yogis and motivational speeches in her shows, it won’t be what front-row types expect.
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Discover Main street
Hyde & Lowe Actor-restaurateur Crystal Lowe perfects the art of leading two lives By Sabrina Furminger
H
yde Restaurant invites its patrons to “arrive Jekyll and leave Hyde” — and its co-owner might be the perfect example of two dynamic lives co-existing in one busy body. In one life, Crystal Lowe is one half of the married duo behind the Tim Burton-inspired resto-lounge at 2960 Main Street. In her other life, she’s an in-demand actor, most recently battling displaced dinosaurs and generating reams of code as tech whiz Toby Nance on Primeval: New World, the Canadian spin-off of the groundbreaking British series that concluded its 13-episode run in February. The non-stop juggling act is second nature for Lowe, 32. “My mom went back to school in her thirties with two small children, was a single mother, got her PhD and is now a professor of 18th century English literature,” said Lowe during a recent interview at Hyde. “[Watching] her, I was like, ‘Oh, I can do anything,’ and that’s what’s been instilled in me since I was little. I don’t have a lot of fear.”
Actor-restaurateur Crystal Lowe always has fun ways to keep the patrons at Hyde Restaurant amused, including the burlesque-flavoured This Ain’t Yo Momma’s Bingo nights. Photo by Rob Newell. Styling by Sue Woo Ignite Beauty Salon and LMJ Styling. Lowe was only 15 when she booked her first acting gig (a guest appearance on Stargate SG-1), and since then she’s appeared in an array of roles on screens big (Snakes on a Plane, Insomnia) and small (Smallville, Supernatural) while also strutting her stuff as a model. Along the way, Lowe has helmed a number of profitable businesses, including a promotional modeling company, a burlesque troupe, and an event-planning firm. But Lowe has found something enduring
in Hyde, which opened its doors shortly before she won the role of Toby in the Vancouver-shot sci-fi series. Hyde specializes in scratch-made, organic spins on comfort food such as poutine, burgers, and pizza. The drink menu was designed by Jackson Berlin (formerly of West). Lowe’s favourite beverage? The Gin Gin Mule, a refreshing concoction of gin, mint, lime, and ginger beer. Her love of Lewis Carroll can be seen in the menu headings —
Eat Me; Share Me; Drink Me. She’s also made fun a priority. Hyde’s weekly calendar includes live music and burlesque-flavoured “This Ain’t Yo Momma’s Bingo” nights; the venue has hosted live art shows, wrap parties, and indie film shoots. “I wanted to have a little house where people could come and be artists. Sit around, have a couple shots of Jack, and sing Johnny Cash with the band. It’s a blast.” Hyde occupies the space that once housed Zigz Urban Bistro, until Zigz’s owners put the business on the market and Lowe and her husband, Miko Tomasevich, snapped it up. “We actually had people come up to us and say, ‘You’re just Kitsilano people coming in here, taking over our place, how dare you,’” said Lowe. “We really had to convince people that we weren’t here to take over and change [the neighbourhood]. The support now that they’ve gotten to know us is totally different. Regulars who used to come here [when it was Zigz] have now become our regulars, which is nice.” Somewhere between owning a busy restaurant and acting, Lowe is finding time to wade — or dive headfirst — into producing. Currently, Lowe and fellow Vancouver actor Sandy Sidhu are co-producing the directorial debut of a third Vancouver actor, Agam Darshi. “It felt very natural to be behind the camera, which was weird,” says Lowe. “I usually like to be in front of the camera.” Now in post-production, the short film (about the tormented psyche of an aging starlet) will eventually premiere on Bravo. Many people might shy away from a workload as jam-packed as Lowe’s, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. “[Will Smith] said that if he were on a treadmill with another guy, he would die rather than be the first to get off of that treadmill,” said Lowe. “That’s how I live, too.”
Thai cuisine on Main
Q A When did you open your resTAurAnT on MAin? I opened in September 2010.
When Tai Keattivanichvily was growing up in Thailand, he’d watch his mother cook a delicious family meal entirely from scratch, including smashing open a coconut. Years later, when he opened his own Thai restaurants, he wanted to pay homage to such high standards. His chefs might not have to use a hammer to extract coconut milk, but they do make everything a la minute using only the freshest of ingredients. When a customer sits down at Bob Likes Thai Food, they know they’re going to enjoy a meal that’s as close to his late mother’s cooking as possible (especially since he uses many of his recipes.) “We work hard to make it as close to authentic as possible,” he says. His favourite dish is the Six Bites or Miang kham, which can be translated as “eating many things in one bite”: Piper
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sarmentosum or chaphlu leaves, roasted coconut shavings, lime, shallot, peanut, ginger with tamarind palm sugar sauce. “There’s so much depth to it,” he says. “It’s like a symphony in your mouth.” An animator by profession, Keattivanichvily opened his first restaurant on Main Street three years ago. It soon became a neighbourhood favourite. His second location, at West Broadway and Granville, is equally addictive. When wondering what to call his restaurants, he wanted to avoid flowery imagery. Instead, he imagined an expat named Bob who lived in Thailand for years, falling in love with the food. Back in Vancouver, Bob yearned to find a place where he could recapture those memories of amazing symphonies of taste. And he wanted to eat in a restaurant where he could relax from the day’s stresses and feel instantly comfortable. Bob Likes Thai Food fits the bill.
Why MAin? I love the neighbourhood. It reminds me of Portobello in London. It’s full of creative energy. WhAT spoTs do you freQuenT in The ‘hood? Anywhere between 12th and 28th Avenues. WhAT seTs your sTAff ApArT? They have good hearts.
BOB LIKES THAI FOOD eat in – take out
Vancouver’s BEST home-style Thai Kitchen 3755 Main St. @ 22nd Ave. 604.568.8538 1521 W. Broadway @ Granville St. 604.558.3320 WWW.BOBLIKESTHAIFOOD.COM March 28 – April 3, 2013
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Discover Main street
These are a few... WE Vancouver asked Jenn Chic, lover of all things Main Street, to come up with five of her favourite haunts. Here’s what popped up on her list
Established 1996
Ride On 3463 Main Street, Vancouver 604-738-7734 Celebrating 10 years on Main Street
Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France
Ride On Again 2255 W. Braodway, Vancouver 604-736-7433 Serving Kits since 1996! Visit our websites for the latest news, deals, info and pricing www.rideonagain.com www.usedbicyclesvancouver.com
Solly’s Bagels, Bakery & Deli
Soul-satisfying food that warms you up from the inside out — that is what Solly’s is all about. The chicken soup, with or without matzo balls, overflows with so much roast chicken, veggies and love you’d swear your own grandma was in the back making it. For breakfast, dessert, or just because, get a babka, the sexy chocolate cousin of their well-known cinnamon bun. On March 31, Solly’s is relocating to 4071 Main Street.
SollysBagelry.com
Warm and welcoming, with an adorable French accent, Anne-Geneviève Poitras is dedicated to sharing the creamy and delectable secrets of French chocolate. Her shop is a charming homage to traditional French chocolate making. Using only French single-origin and plantation chocolate, she creates high-quality truffles, chocolate bars, hot chocolate and drinking chocolate so good your toes will curl. The menu includes her standard flavours, such as Earl Grey-infused truffles, and seasonal features such as jasmine drinking chocolate. Bon appetit!
198 East 21st Ave, ChocolaterieNouvelleFrance.ca
Unleash your
16th Annual
SILVER WINNER Readers’ Choice
2013
Proud to be voted your favourite toy store!
Bring in this ad to receive 10% OFF your Lego purchase! Offer expires May 31, 2013.
“We don’t cease to play because we grow old, we grow old because we cease to play.” ~G.B Shaw.
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March 28 – April 3, 2013
3298 Main Street (at 17th) 604-875-0065 www.toycompany.ca
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Discover Main street
... of our favourite things
Organic Acres Market
Elaine Simandle and Vijay Ramcharitar (pictured) are so happy to be a part of the Mount Pleasant community after first starting their business on Granville Island. Their expertise, paired with an openness to customer recommendations, has created a neighbourhood market with shelves chalk full of organic, fairtrade, natural and as-local-as-possible scrumptious products. Let them do the shopping for you with their weekly produce box. Sign-up online.
3603 Main Street, OrganicAcresMain.com
The Electric Owl
Not just a hip and happening nightclub showcasing live entertainment on the edge of Gastown, Yaletown and Chinatown, The Electric Owl is so much more. With a funky Asian-inspired gastropub menu full of small bites and “sumo-sized” meals, word is that their poutine, with teriyaki gravy, is not to be missed. Nor is Cheap Thrills Karaoke on Tuesday nights. While the kitchen is closed on Mondays, The Electric Owl Social Club, definitely is not. Located in the basement of the bar, it is the place to go Monday nights when the need to compete in a weekly table tennis tournament moves you. Gambate!
926 Main Street, ElectricOwl.ca
The Last Crumb
Joanne and Julianne Lee’s mother taught them well — “Life’s short, eat dessert first.” Enter their bright and sunny strollerfriendly bakery and be dared to do otherwise. While they offer fresh-made sandwiches, signature scone-wiches, and salads, the display cases are full of tempting, almost taunting, housemade treats. Cookies, bars, buttery scones, buttercream wrapped cakes, and weekly feature-flavoured pies are all baked in small batches by hand, with more than a little bit of butter and a whole lotta love. Weekends are the perfect time for a casual afternoon tea service. Book online. Gluten-free is available.
3080 Main Street, TheLastCrumb.ca
The Ultimate in Indian Cuisine
The Ultimate in Indian Cuisine
Your stop for organic and natural foods on Main Street. Organic produce, bulk, meats, groceries, dairy and more.
Check out our weekly produce box at www.organicacresmain.com Monday-Friday: 11-8 Saturday & Sunday: 10 -6
3603 Main St. 604 569 1132
www.organicacresmain.com Best Butcher
nirvana special fOr 2 frOM $31 (appetizer + entrée + dessert)
lunch Dinner special special frOM $8 frOM $10 2313 Main St. (at 7th) 640-872-8779 Order at www.nirvanarestaurant.ca Mon-Fri 11:30 am-10:30 pm. Sat & Sun 3:00 pm-10:30 pm
Group lunch email to nirvana@vancouverwebservices.com
Best Cit y 14th ANNUAL
of the
Readers’ Choice 2011
Dine in • Take OuT • Delivery. MenTiOn This aD anD geT 10% Off Take OuT
16th Annual
GOLD WINNER Readers’ Choice
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Best Butcher
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March 28 – April 3, 2013
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MAIN STREET STYLE Hat: Felt Hat with Tassel $52 Jacket: Just USA Denim Jacket $69 Dress: Lush Floral dress With PVC Trim $69 Bracelet: Gold Nugget on Orange Suede $24 Purse: Street Level , Gold Stud Clutch $69
Main street
HAZEL&JOOLS, Citizens of Humanity, RIPE, MEXX, and much more in store...
THE ARCHETYPE
HAZEL & JOOLS M AT E R N I T Y AND WOMEN
2549 Main Street 604-872-1144 TheArchetype.ca
4280 Main Street at 26th 604-730-8689 hazelhipmoms.com
Taryn O’Gorman, Zoe Welch, Laura Wallace and Jake of the new Department of W.O’W. at Main and Union. Rob Newell photo
New collective WOWs By Kelsey Klassen
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Light Aurora Lamp by the Good Flock Hand made in Portland OR $180 (not inc. bulb)
Book This is East Van Vol 2 A Community Photography Project $45
Wool throw by Coeur de Lion 100% Canadian Virgin Wool Hand dyed in Toronto ON $225
NINETEEN TEN HOME BOUTIQUE
4366 Main Street 604-558-0210 nineteenten.ca
Cotton Bra $35 Knickers $16
Devil May Wear
3957 Main Street 604-216-2515 www.devil-may-wear.ca
Helen’s Grill
“Come experience one of Vancouver’s Original Old School Diners!” 4102 Main Street 604.874.4413 14
March 28 – April 3, 2013
hree smiling faces greet you as you turn off Union Street and into the Department of W.O’W.: Jake the dog first, and then the two Wowsers behind the counter — Zoe Welch, textile transformer extraordinaire and Taryn O’Gorman, self-professed CEO of shiny objects. They’re fun, playful women who, prior to opening a “department” store together, were successful Vancouver artists. Missing from this equation is third owner Laura Wallace, the ‘W’ in the WOW acronym and the woman behind the repurposed closet doors framing the room that bear whimsical stencils of chairs and sea coral. It’s a small shop, so she had the day off. As could be expected, conversation veers quickly away from their own work, and towards the concept of community building — which is what allows these small independent shops to survive the battering of big box Americana. “We feel embraced by the community. A woman over on Georgia who runs a homeware shop asked me one day, ‘Why are all you white people moving into Chinatown?’ And I said, ‘Anna, it’s because we love it here, it’s rich in culture and it’s vibrant and changing,’” recalls O’Gorman. “We’re excited about the change with the night market, for example. We feel honoured to be here and be a part of what’s happening.” Only three months old, the store is already looking around the booming neighbourhood for ways to reach out and collaborate: “We’ve talked about trying to create a community of makers here and holding workshops or lectures with other makers and artists. And there’s a lot of groups, East of Main being one of them, where the business becomes a bigger vehicle for something on a more profound change level,” she continues, giving a shout out to the philanthropic restaurant around the corner. Welch then jumps in excitedly with a school she just discovered, called Trade School Vancouver (TradeSchool.coop) which offers classes on a barter system. Skilled educators,
such as artist Britta Fluevog, come up with a course outline and submit it to a board of directors for approval. Students then sign up for the class, offering their instructor everything from a basket of organic vegetables to knitting lessons as payment. “There’s a really beautiful commerce that is starting to happen here that is skills-based and talent-based.” And despite the boundless distractions for women with so much energy, they haven’t been slacking off on their own designs. Having their own store has Welch jumping out of bed each morning to sew because the impact, she says, is immediate. She can walk down to the store and put her new creations directly into a glass case, and then see the reactions of the customers as they come in. That kind of instant feedback is invaluable for any businessperson. They share all the costs equally, but their profits are theirs alone — a rare business model in Vancouver. “In essence this is us supporting each other in our business and our creations. {But] it’s essentially kiosks.” For spring, the store is now carrying O’Gorman’s Art Nouveau cuffs with Rhodalite stones and Ray Gun cufflinks, Welch’s crinkle scarves and “Ghery” bags, and new pieces from Wallace’s ever-compelling exploration of reclaimed wood. True to form, they have also expanded to showcase guest appearances by other artists. Stop by for: • the incredible artisan millinery of Elaine Garrett of Cappellino Hats • Lincoln Heller putting the handsome in hand bags with old-world leather techniques • Josh Doherty of Hawthorne Company helping hirsute men fight the battle with badger-bristle shaving brushes • an original Audra Rickets oil painting, putting a modern twist on a Paul Klee or Gustav Klimt • and evocative photographic cards by Dani Kreeft. And then there is the comic corner, for kids and men who want to sit and read for a while. There’s even a dog to aimlessly pat while doing so.
110-243 Union Street | DepartmentOfWOW.ca
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Discover Main street
The Main events The Anza Club 3 West 8th Avenue AnzaClub.org
Highlights: Open Dex, Saturdays; Psych Night; Bluegrass; Celluloid Social Club; Afro/Carribean Throwback & Uganda Project Fundraiser (main floor), March 30.
The Biltmore Cabaret 2755 Prince Edward Street BiltmoreCabaret.com
The Colbalt 917 Main Street TheCobalt.ca
Wide Open, Programmed by Cranfield & Slade, Mar. 29, 8pm; Crista Dahl: Life Rhythm, A Retrospective, Apr. 4 - 27.
Highlights: Multiball/Club Tony - free pinball, Tuesdays; Snag - live painting raffle, Wednesdays; Come Friday - live music, Fridays; Shindig Sissy Sock Hop, Saturdays; Apocalypstick drag show, every long weekend.
Heritage Hall 3102 Main Street
Highlights: Kitty Nights Burlesque, Sundays; Tropical Love Connection, Wednesdays; Glory Days, Saturdays; Paul Anthony’s Talent Time, Apr. 3; Malcolm Jack album release, Apr. 8; East Van Soul Club, Apr. 12; Shotgun Jimmie, May 18; Anamanaguchi, June 4.
Highlights: Lab Art Show 2, Apr. 11, 6pm; Village Vancouver Open House - Glass Skyscrapers Coming To Main Street? Apr. 12, 4-9pm, VillageVancouver.ca; Nifty For Fifty Sale, Apr. 14; Got Craft? Apr. 20-21, GotCraft.com.
Montmartre Cafe 4362 Main Street
Little Mountain Gallery 195 East 26th Avenue, LittleMountainGallery.com
Highlights: Hilary Grist, May 2
The Keefer 135 Keefer Street TheKeeferBar.com
Highlights: Decompression Sundays with Mount Gay Rum; Monday Melt Sessions featuring musical guest from JellyFish Recordings; Soulful Sounds of Alex Maher every Tuesday; Splash! Tickle Trunk with music by Topless Gay Love Tekno Party every Wednesday; Sweet Sip Thursdays with Sweet Soul Burlesque.
Fortune Sound Club 147 East Pender Street, FortuneSoundClub.com
Highlights: Happy Ending Fridays; Sup Fu? Saturdays; Long Weekend Party with Sneaky Sound System, Dinka, & Pure Addiction, Mar. 31; Jamie Lidell w/ guests, Apr. 2; Tommy Kruise, Rad Times DJs, Lil India & more, Apr.12; Keys N Krates, B.Traits & Hxdb, Apr. 19; Hip-Hop Karaoke, Apr. 22.
Highlights: Alex Lazardis Ferguson’s new play, Proximity, May 11, 8pm, MainStreetTheatre.ca.
The Main 4210 Main Street, TheMainOnMain.ca
Highlights: Jennifer Hershman, Mar. 29.
Rickshaw Theatre 254 East Hastings Street, LiveAtRickshaw.com
Highlights: Today is the Day, March 29; Soilwork, Apr. 2; David Newberry, Barbara Adler, Apr. 3; Creature Skateboards Video Premiere, Apr. 5; Benefit For Girls Rock Camp, Apr. 13; La Chinga, No Sinner, Three wolf Moon & Harma White, Apr. 19; Apollo Ghosts Final Show, May 10.
Vivo Media Arts 1965 Main Street, VivoMediaArts.com
Highlights: Video Bar: The Future Was
MISO HORNY
Western Front Society 303 East 8 Avenue, Front.bc.ca
Highlights: Green House, solo exhibition by Abbas Arhavan, until April 13; Michael Taussig hosting Go Slow Party, Mar. 28; Orkestra Futura with Vancouver Electronic Ensemble, Apr. 12; Properties, group exhibition, May 3 - June 16; The Western Front is 40! Anniversary open house, June 16.
East is East Chai Lounge 4433 Main Street, EastIsEast.ca
Highlights: Flamenco fusion, Mondays; Classical Indian music, Tuesdays; Flamenco dancing from Spain, Wednesdays; Authentic Gypsy music, Thursdays; Arabic, Turkish, & Flamenco fusion, Fridays; Flamenco dancing from Spain, Saturdays; Solo Flemenco guitar, Arabic guitar, Sundays.
Mount Pleasant BIA 301-3102 Main Street, MainStreetBIA.com
Highlights: Main Street Car Free Festival, on Main Street from Broadway to 29th Ave., June 16, 12 - 7pm; 4th Annual Autumn Shift Festival, Mount Pleasant, Sept. 15.
Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House
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The City of Vancouver has hired landscape architects to create a Public Space Realm. Neighbourhood House has been hosting meetings so residents can share their ideas and concerns. The next meeting is Apr. 13; it’s a chance to give the planners your input before the city-hosted event on Apr. 27. Details at MPNH.org
general public
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ge 3289 MaIN StReet (604) 558-4676
Rental living like you’ve never imagined. District Main 4453 Main St Vancouver, BC V5V 3R2 604 738 6246 <districtmain.com>
At District Main, we can boast some of the brightest, most beautifully finished and smartly designed suites available — each with a stunning view from the full-sized balconies or oversized decks. Our building is pretty fantastic (one might even call it architecturally significant). A gorgeous lobby, luxurious boardroom, a private gym on each floor… and 6000 square feet of community garden space. Grow vegetables, pluck fruit from trees, or just relax beside the waterfalls with a bottle from our communal wine rack. We’re very intentional about nurturing community — in our building and our neighbourhood. We host fabulous wine tastings, barbecues, and social events. We’re heavily involved in supporting organizations like the Boys & Girls club, the Pathfinders, and She Way. Intrigued? Visit us at districtmain.com, or call us at 604 738 MAIN. We’d love to have you join us.
WEVancouver.com
BRING IN THIS AD FOR 10% OFF YOUR PURCHASE
Valid until April 15, 2013. Not valid in conjunction with other promotions.
YOUR PREMIER
Main Street SOURCE FOR:
CRAFT BEER FINE WINE PREMIUM SPIRITS
Over 800 varieties to suit every palate and occasion. The best of BC with unique international selections. Small batch, interesting and boutique choices.
O P E N 1 1 A M - 1 1 P M E V E R Y D AY 14th & Main • Free parking around back www.brewerycreekliquorstore.com • 604-872-3373 March 28 – April 3, 2013
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Discover Main street
Every pig has its Thursday At Campagnolo on Main, chef Ted Anderson knows exactly where his pork comes from — he’s the one who butchers two whole pigs every week
SoundBites By Jean-Edouard de Marenches
E
very Thursday morning at Campagnolo on Main, two entire pig carcasses, fresh from a local farm, are brought in through the back door. The hogs will be quartered by chef Ted Anderson in what is called “The Cure,” the restaurant’s in-house butchery. Nothing will be wasted. Every part of the animal, or at least 95 per cent, goes into a different bin to be processed into hams, salamis or sausages that will be aged for weeks, or months, in a curing fridge. Other cuts will go to making dishes or headcheese and patés in the Italian fashion. Lesser parts will go into hour-long simmering stocks that will provide the base for many dishes. A new idea? Not quite. Proper butchery goes back to the dawn of time in Europe, when few could afford to waste any part of farm animals that were reared for consumption. Pretty much every bit of a cow, sheep, pig or fowl that had given its life to feed humans was used, giving birth to delicious recipes. In modern restaurants, wouldn’t it be less labour intensive, and faster, to order the cuts as needed from wholesale providers? Why go through quartering two 200-pound animals, a full day of work every week? The answer may be artisan pride. Perhaps, more importantly, knowing the product in its basic form, then transforming it into an
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March 28 – April 3, 2013
eye-pleasing, tasty dish, creates for the chef a deeper connection and commitment to the food. An apostle of this return to restaurant butchery, Anderson says, “We try to mentor this skill among young cooks. The length of the butchery course offered in some chefs’ school is just one day.” On a recent evening, while patrons were graciously greeted at the door by host Giovanni Giardino, dishes of fun complexity or apparent simplicity would appear at diners’ tables, sometimes surprising, always delightful. Deliberately focusing on the pork in the menu, we ordered the salumi platter, a selection of prosciuttos and salamis that opened the way to a salad of octopus paired with dry cured ham. This provided a delicious example of chef Anderson’s understanding of complementary textures, and how he excels at playing tastes off one another. Then came a tagliatelle with a ragout of pork coddled with a parsnip purée in a wine sauce. A delicate leaf of fried kale provided a fun touch. Giardino, a superb sommelier, suggested a Rosso from the Veneto that complemented our main course like a true love story. An exquisite rice pudding with white chocolate and stewed cherries was an unrepentant, self-indulgent finale. As for the pigs that gave their lives for such a dinner, one hopes they know their sacrifice was both respected and honoured. If hog heaven exists, Anderson offers an excellent interpretation of what it should look like.
Photos of chef Ted Anderson at work by Rob Newell
WEVancouver.com