Spend Locally - Vancouver, BC

Hey SL friends, do you know what Sunday is? That's right, it's Car Free Day! Check out their site for all the details - there are Car Free Days happening in the original location on Commercial Drive, as well as in the West End, Kits, and Main St. starting at noon and ending at 6pm, except Commercial Dr. which goes till 8pm.

Mystery reader Lisa also sent along some info on Main St.'s monthly community market at Blim, which coincides with Car Free Day this month. (Thanks Lisa!!!) Here are all the details:

Don't miss June's Jumbo Main Street Market!

This month's Main Street Market presented by Blim is our biggest ever, with over fifty vendors. Held in conjunction with Main Street's car-free day, we will be taking over the street at Main and 17th, on Sunday June 14th from 12-6 pm. Once again we'll be showcasing our unique mix of vendors offering an eclectic array of delights including vegan baked goods, used vinyl and zines, handmade chocolates, unique body care items, fashion, ceramics and jewellery.

Some of our featured vendors for June include Poodlebreath ceramic jewellery and home accessories www.poodlebreath.etsy.com, Pyramid Power art culture magazine, Laura Eveleigh and Robin Konstabaris' cards and accessories www.lauraeveleigh.com and Wendy Boys handmade chocolate.

We'll also have market favorite OPEN SESAME serving up tasty snacks in the BLIM LOUNGE (inside Blim) and a live music performance by Certain Breeds at 3pm.

See you this Sunday!!

Complete vendors list as follows:

basement sweet ( jewellery) www.basementsweet.com
Darwin Meyers ( vintage vinyl )(inside BLIM Lounge)
Gldnmilitia (modern and vintage jewellery )
Noel Macul and Daniel Giantomaso (vintage toys and comics)
Blim (clothing and accessories) www.blim.ca
Evan McGraw (delicious vegan pastries)(inside BLIM Lounge)
Julia Lemieux ( tasty vegan baked goods)(inside BLIM Lounge)
Open Sesame (homemade gourmet japanese cuisine)(inside BLIM Lounge)
Poodle Breath (accessories) www.poodlebreath.etsy.com.
Rad Attack (clothing) www.shawnamclellan.com/
Bead Freaks ( jewellery) www.beadfreaks.ca/
Momoko Murakami (pottery)
Kaori Kasai (accessories ) www.kaorikasai.com/
Laura Eveleigh and Robin Konstabaris (cards and accessories) www.lauraeveleigh.com
Groovy Glass Girl (jewellery) www.groovyglassgirl.etsy.com
Crossed Promise Design (accessories) www.facebook.com/pages/Crossed-Promise-Design/73184864191?ref=ts
Stephanie Heney (clothing)
Madera Silver (jewellery)
Double Trouble Design (paper products)
It's Your Life ( jewellery) www.itsyourlifeshop.com
Claire Brousseau (accessories)
Robinson Fine Food ( Hot Gourmet Food ) wwwrobinsonfinefood.blogspot.com
Kathryn Slater (accessories)
Crow Girl (pottery)
Mary Kim (art) www.marysmary.info
A Farmers Daughter (accessories)
Novel Essentials (body products) www.novelessentials.com
Wendy Boys (chocolate)
Bianca Barr (jewellery)
Pyramid Power (art culture)
Anne Emberline (accessories)www.anneemberline.com
Toodlebunny (jewellery) www.toodlebunny.com
Hand and Shadow (clothing)
Shirt Seed (clothing)
2 faced trinkets (jewellery) 2facedtrinkets.etsy.com
Phaulet (jewellery)
Frost Collections (jewellery) www.frostcollections.etsy.com
Sachiko Ito (jewellery) www.beadsya.blogspot.com
Davie and Chiyo (accessories) www.davieandchiyo.com
Monolithic Mailorder (used vinyl and cds)
Sassy Vintage (accessories) www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5107854
Re-up (jewellery) www.ReUp.etsy.com
Civil Disobediance (clothing and accessories) www.civildisobediencecompany.com
Mindan Gunther Moore (jewellery)
Arin Ringwald (art ) www.dabble.dream.cx
Lynann Colligan (photo) www.albain.etsy.com

But before we get to that...the West End and Kits farmers markets start this weekend! (Trout Lake's been on for a couple weeks already) Details on the www.eatlocal.org site.

Site redesign still pending, I thought it was about time to bring up some updates on a few of our favourite local companies:

• Chi Cake is now available at Capers on Robson and Wholefoods, through SPUD, and at Edible BC - a little birdie told me that Edible BC also carries runs of new test products, such as their FREAKING AMAZING vegan gluten-free nanaimo bars - trust me, they are well worth the hunt!
• Salt Spring Gelato products are also available at Capers now - a little scoop of that with some Chi Cake? Don't mind if I do!
• Nuba's Hastings St. location has moved across the street into the Dominion Building. They've done an amazing reno to the space, and it's a lot larger than their old location, allowing them to accommodate more people, host live music Wednesday and Thursday evenings, do brunch buffets on special occasions, and add some new items to the menu (fresh squeezed juices, fair trade coffee).

I'll leave you with some photos of the new Nuba, but you've gotta go see it for yourself!

Location

Earlier in the fall, I was walking down the back lane on my way home, and came across this funny little truck.  It caught my eye because I thought at first it might be an Electic Vehicle...upon further inspection, it didn't actually appear to be one, but then I noticed something even more interesting.  It was a truck for a gardening company...The Silent Gardener.  But how could such a small truck carry all the equipment gardners use?

As soon as I put two and two together, I looked at the truck's cargo: push mowers, brooms, aeration tools... no big gas powered mowers, no leaf blowers.  Could it be it was really that, a silent gardening service? 

I looked around a little more and saw several tidy little piles of leaves that had been raked up... and just as I pulled my camera out, a man in a yellow rain jacket popped out from around the corner, carrying a big bucket.  It turned out that the man I met, Barry, is the area manager and a professional horticulturalist, and he was more than happy to tell me about the company and their philosophy.

The Silent Gardener serves Vancouver, Burnaby, and the North Shore, and they do landscaping and gardening without icky chemicals or loud machinery, which is music to everyone's ears!  Instead, they employ a team of landscapers, many of whom have horticultural degrees, to take care of yards using environmentally friendly mulches, organic fertilizers, and proper plant care, all using people power.  They do residential and commercial properties, and also do landscape design and installation, so whatever your needs are, it seems they are up for it!

And if that isn't enough, if Barry is any example, the team are very friendly and well informed, and have a good sense of humour to boot. Case in point:

Sure it might be winter, but what better time to take good care of your trees and plants and make sure they get pruned properly, and then get everything off on the right foot in the spring?  Plus, I don't know who could say no to a company that is doing their utmost to be good to the environment, keep down noise pollution, and obviously really love what they do!

Location

I like marshmallows, let's just start with that. I had seen packages of gourmet marshmallows at Urban Fare, but I thought them much too indulgent a purchase and hadn't dared consider actually buying them... Until the day the fall Capers Community Fair was on a few weeks back. Butter Baked Goods, the makers of these marshmallows had a booth set up, and were selling their marshmallows for about 3/4 their usual price, and I decided it was time to give them a try. I scanned the flavours and narrowed it down to peppermint or pumkin spice. I pointed at the pumpkin spice bag and asked the woman at the stand whether they had any dairy in them (I'm allergic), and you know what she did? She picked the bag up and handed it to me, and said, "Nope, no dairy, here have a bag!" I don't think she had any idea what a bad couple days I'd had or how much it cheered me up, but it was greatly appreciated, in one of those renewing-my-faith-in-humanity sort of ways...

Slightly confused, I said, "have?" and she laughed and replied, "yes, they're a gift!" I was totally surpised, but said thanks very much and put them in my bag and went on my way home. When I got home, I untied the ribbon on the pretty little bag of delicious looking treats, and took a big chomp out of one. It was heavenly. I'm not ashamed to admit I've since bought a few more bags of pumpkin spice, which are seriously wonderful, as well as a couple bags of the coconut ones, which are encrusted in toasted coconut, and also amazing. I have yet to get my hands on any of the other flavours, as Capers has only been carrying a small selection of their stuff.

(Photo courtesy of food blogger Lydia, check her flickr out for lots more photos!)

The current owners took over the bakery and gave it an overhaul before re-opening in September 2007, and their tasty treats have been given much deserved acclaim in lots of local foodie websites and blogs. Rosie, an interior designer whose skills have obviously given their products an added aesthetic boost, and her mother, Pixie, were the creators of the business, which now employs several other family members, making it a truly family-run and locally owned business. Their specialties are cookies, marshmallows, smores, and cupkaces, and you can read their full menu on their website.

Moral of the story? Next time you feel like treating yourself with something sweet, head down to the west side, or to your nearest gourmet grocer and indulge in the best marshmallows you've ever eaten, and if you happen to try any of their other treats, please vouch for them in the comments, since I can't try 'em myself!