Jonathan Simkin founded 604 Records alongside Chad Kroeger, the frontman of Canadian rock band Nickelback just over 20 years ago. Jonathan has been Nickelback’s lawyer for almost 30 years. With a shared interest in working with and producing Canadian bands together, 604 Records was born. 

Jonathan has been the president of 604 Records since its inception. With 28 artists currently signed to 604 Records, including some huge names like Carly Rae Jepsen and Marianas Trench, 604 Records produces an endless amount of talent, right here within Strathcona.

How did 604 Records end up in Strathcona?

We bought this building 8 years ago and have been here since. The zoning in Strathcona allowed us to have a space where we could combine production and office space which is ideal. The building had the right bones for what we wanted to build. 

Do you have any local Strathcona musicians signed to 604 Records?

We’re called 604 records because we support local artists. We have a self-imposed mandate to support local west coast based artists. We do work with artists that are from and live in the nearby area, although not all artists signed to 604 are from BC. 

How do you interact with the community or other local businesses?

We put on a festival last summer where we blocked off our street and had bands performing on outdoor stages and had local sponsors, and we hope to host it every other year. It was really great and we love to do stuff like that. We’ve also had bands perform at Makerlabs before. 

What are the main opportunities and challenges in having a business in Strathcona?

I love the neighbourhood and I’ve known it forever. I grew up in Vancouver so I do like the neighbourhood even with the challenges. It’s attracted a variety of businesses and it attracts young business owners which creates a lot of opportunities. I believe in the area. The general look and feel of the neighbourhood has improved. Every time a new business goes in I get excited, because I would love this to be a more viable neighbourhood, and I think we’re getting there. 

The biggest challenge is probably security, which has been an ongoing struggle that has changed in the time that we have been here. There are instances where people are using drugs on our property and leaving needles behind, which is hard to deal with when trying to keep this a safe space for staff. There are also issues with graffiti, and it’s great that the BIA has the graffiti removal service, but it is still disheartening to have the building be defaced so often, when we try to make an effort to make it a nice space. 

When you envision the future of Strathcona, what do you see?

The dream would be to attract more interesting businesses, more retail, more restaurants. It would be the most amazing thing to have it be a very vibrant and artsy neighbourhood. When I lived in Toronto, there was this neighbourhood called Liberty Village, and it reminds me a lot of Strathcona. When I was living there, it didn’t feel the safest, but now it has transformed to have a lot of creative and entertainment businesses. It would be nice to see Strathcona follow a similar pattern. 

What would you like to see more from Strathcona BIA?

For me, it’s about improving security issues, and creating an environment where when you do run into graffiti or someone is using drugs on your property, that there is some effective way of responding to that. The Strathcona Community Safety Service has been a great help with this, because when I call they show up and actually help. Having them patrol into the later hours of the evening would be an even greater help.

To find out more about 604 Records, visit their website