Akiyo and Nathan Lowey opened Dosanko restaurant in July of 2017. Located at 566 Powell Street, Dosanko serves a selection of home-style, seasonally inspired yōshoku and classic Hokkaido plates with an emphasis on fresh housemade ingredients and a mottainai or “no waste” philosophy. With Akiyo’s experience with authentic Japanese cooking and Nathan’s formal culinary training, the duo opened Dosanko to share their passion and food with the world.
Meet the Maker: Dosanko Restaurant
What inspired you to open this restaurant?
My husband and chef, Nathan, has over 15 years of experience specializing in French and Italian cuisine. He mentioned that one day he wanted to open a restaurant, but we didn’t know what kind of restaurant. I made homestyle Japanese meals, and posted photos of the meals on social media, and people started to ask where they could get this food. Nathan said that it tasted like it was made by the Japanese grandmother he never had. That inspired us to open a Japanese homestyle restaurant.
Why did you choose to open your restaurant in Strathcona?
We looked at other areas in Vancouver, but the space here was ready to move into and we liked the space. Everywhere else in Vancouver was also very expensive. There is a lot of Japanese history on Powell Street, so it feels right to have our restaurant in this area.
What are the main opportunities and challenges being located in Strathcona?
Most of the time it’s pretty good around here. The people around here care about each other and watch out for each other. We are pretty centrally located – not quite downtown, but central enough that a lot of people can access us easily. It’s hard to get this kind of space downtown. But there are still challenges in the area.
How do you interact with the surrounding community?
We try to be kind to everyone and encourage people to be kind to others. When we moved in here, we didn’t want to be a snotty restaurant that moved into the area. We are a part of this community just as much as everyone else here is.
Last summer the restaurant had to close for several months due to a building fire. What kind of support did you receive from the community?
We had a lot of support from the community. A friend of ours gave us the idea to start a GoFundMe fundraiser where we were able to raise $10,000 for our staff. We sponsored our staff for working visas so we used that money to pay our staff during our closure. The support from the community helped a lot.
Is there anything you want the community to know about you that they might not know?
On Tuesday nights we have Jazz nights, where we have live Jazz musicians play during dinner service. (Check Dosanko’s website for more information and dates)
Visit Dosanko Restaurant for amazing authentic food and a great atmosphere. Located at 566 Powell St.
Meet the Maker: 604 Records
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
Meet the Maker: Coastal Eden Cafe
Fari Maghami is a pastor at Coastal Church, lives in the neighbourhood with his wife and two kids, and is an important part of Coastal Eden Cafe.
Coastal Eden Cafe opened a few months before the Covid-19 pandemic arose. Through the trying times of navigating the pandemic and opening a cafe in the downtown eastside, Coastal Eden Cafe became a pillar of community support.
As a social enterprise, Eden Cafe aims to better the neighbourhood by creating jobs for individuals who might otherwise be excluded from the workforce due to their past struggles with addictions and/or lack of experience. Eden Cafe also provides an intentionally hospitable and welcoming space that fosters a healthy community for all people.
Why did you decide to open Eden Cafe?
Coffee shops can set an atmosphere for a certain area. We wanted to create a place where people know your name, where they feel cared for, where they can come in regardless of their struggles. We have all kinds of people that come in where everyone can enjoy the space and be themself.
What is the biggest opportunity of having this cafe in the DTES?
People in the area come here to find resources and get the right direction. People come in here feeling very low, having struggles with addiction, having issues with getting employment, etc. But here, people can come and not be judged. The staff here know that they’re not just here to provide good food and good coffee, but to provide care as well.
We also have a transitional employment and training program. This 3-6 month program is for people that have barriers getting back into the workforce. For example, people that have had issues with addiction in the past, trouble with the law, or mental health issues. This is a great opportunity to provide employment.
What does community support mean to you?
Community support would be not just having one person, but having several people that are in your circle of support. The way we see support is holistic: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual – that’s the way we try to help people. We connect people. If there are people struggling with mental illness, we would try and see if they have a mental health worker or doctor they could see. We connect people with areas, with organizations, or help them get an application for BC housing, as well as inviting them to church and getting them connected to a greater community.
What does community safety mean to you?
Community safety is one in which we care and watch out for one another. People speaking up to support each other. If a situation appears to be getting out of hand, we lean toward de-escalation to support our neighbours. The more love and kindness and compassion there is by everyone in the community, that will have a ripple effect of reducing violence.
What are some of your favourite parts of having Eden Cafe?
The people, the community. Seeing the joy on peoples faces when people are coming in and connecting with old friends. People use this space as a meeting place which is amazing to see. We love to see our regulars and hear stories. We love hearing success stories of people in recovery. Ultimately we’re here to help people and help draw them close to God, when you hear those stories it feels good.
Visit Coastal Eden Cafe for delicious food, great coffee, and a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Located at 643 E Hastings St.
Meet The Maker: Creative Others
Creative Others, located in Makerlabs at 780 E Cordova, is a collective of multi-skilled professionals, ranging from disciplines such as architecture, marketing strategy, digital and physical design and content creation, all working under one umbrella to ensure a seamless experience for their clients.
Starting out originally as Creative Troy, Troy McNamara wanted to expand his creative endeavor to the many talented and multi-skilled people he knew, and thus, Creative Others was born. The concept has been around for a few years, but it was officially launched one year ago this month.
How Creative Others came to be
Troy was working as a freelancer as “Creative Troy.” With a background in architecture and growing up working with his hands, he always enjoyed bringing art into physical production. Troy started to venture out into the more creative realm of brand design and marketing. Troy had a network of friends that were multi-skilled in web design, copywriting, photography, metal fabrication, graphic design – you name it. There were always others involved in his work, and that’s how the name Creative Others came to be.
Starting a creative business
Troy always wanted the creative freedom to make decisions. As a business owner, it’s a lot of work and responsibility, but to create an environment where creatives can collaborate and thrive is so important. Many people working in the creative industries don’t value themselves as much as they should, and many are on the neurodiverse spectrum. Troy got frustrated that creatives were struggling personally and financially, and wanted to build a brand that creatives from differing backgrounds could get involved in.
Working in Strathcona
Strathcona has a start-up mentality and “get it done” attitude. People know how to work hard here and it’s inspiring. Each building and business is unique, there isn’t a heavy urban vibe. It’s a great place for creatives to work.
Business support in Strathcona
Creative Others is currently building out a course dedicated to helping small to medium sized businesses. This course will show them how to optimize their online presence, improve their SEO, set up google ads and more so that businesses in the area can thrive. Additionally, the doors are always open at Makerlabs to come by for a tour of the people and businesses that operate in this building. If you ever want to drop by to say hi and meet some incredibly talented people, Makerlabs is the place to be!
Contact
Online at creativeothers.co, @creativeothers.co on Instagram, and in person at Makerlabs.
Meet The Maker: Maddles Made
This is Maddles Made.
A Strathcona-based designer and maker whose business it is to sew, craft and design out of her studio at Maker Labs in Strathcona.
She sells fun, handmade wears like earrings, jewelry, textiles, homewares and fashion items playing with bright colours, fabrics, fuzzy textures and up-cycled material.
You can find Maddles Made in-store at Awen Haus or online via her website maddlesmade.com
Tell us a little bit about your brand and what you do.
I’m a hybrid designer-maker-artist-
How did your love for creating begin and when did you decide to turn your passion into a business?
I’ve always loved creating, I’m just one of those people that always needs to keep their hands moving! I’ve been selling my work on the side on and off for years, but my business got more serious when I moved to Vancouver from Australia and got my studio in Strathcona. The community here is supportive and encouraging of the things I make, which really fuels my creativity.
Where in Strathcona are you based and what makes this neighbourhood special to you?
I have a small 90-square-foot studio inside the MakerLabs building. It’s been such a fun process to build out my space exactly to my needs over the years (no space is wasted). I have two industrial sewing machines in my space, a desk, computer, an ironing station and overflowing tubs of fabric and colourful supplies. The community here is great, I’ve made many wonderful friends who inspire me daily and I love having access to all the communal workshops and tools. Outside of MakerLabs I love the Strathcona area, there are many fun shops, bars and places to get snacks. I regularly go for little walks through the neighbourhood when I need to take a break from sewing or making.
How does your work impact the community?
The MaddlesMade brand is all about fun. I like to make pieces that make people feel happy when they use them. I believe wearing or interacting with items that have bright colours or fun textures can have a positive impact on people’s emotions – especially when you’re in the depths of a grey rainy Vancouver winter.
Where can we find you?
Online at www.maddlesmade.com or @maddlesmade on Instagram.
My products are also stocked in The Nooks in Gastown and Awen Haus (the in-house artist store we have at MakerLabs).
Interested in meeting more Strathcona makers? Learn more about Settlement Brewing, Birdies, Scavenger Coffee, Orii Jewelry, Yardi Grabz, Living Lotus Chocolate and Awesome Sauce Designs.
2022 Strathcona Holiday Gift Guide
Shop local in Strathcona this holiday.
The holidays are here! It’s that wonderful time of year when you can put your gift-giving dollars into local businesses.
Looking for the perfect gift for your partner or co-worker, friend, or family member? You’ll find a variety of unique gifts right here in Strathcona.
We’ve put together a perfectly curated list that includes a wonderful arrangement of gifts to suit your needs and budget.
Check out our Strathcona Holiday Gift Guide for every personality below.
Self Care
Home Goods
Foodie
Clothing & Accessories
Meet The Maker: Chapel Arts
Chapel Arts creates one-of-a-kind and limited-edition pieces using local hardwood.
With a team of local makers from all walks of life Chapel Arts is located in the heart of Strathcona and produces beautiful hardwood pieces made from walnut, oak, maple and reclaimed fir.
Their stunning furniture and collector pieces are created from ethically sourced urban and rural hardwood trees, not from deforestation and traditional logging practices.
Read more about the Chapel Arts and the impact they are making in Strathcona and beyond.
When did your love for woodworking begin and when did you decide to turn your passion into a business?
40 years ago in a garage in Saskatchewan.
Where in Strathcona are you based and what makes this neighbourhood special to you?
304-305 Dunlevy Ave corner with Cordova Street. We love the small-town feel of the area amidst the growing city – Strathcona has many charms.
How does your work impact or engage with the community?
Our work has a focus on urban and rural hardwoods. It’s important to us to be as environmentally sustainable as possible. Having this facility in a central urban location reduces travel by us and our clients and we believe mixed zoning must be promoted not only for the environment but for the cultural fabric and diversity of our community. We hire locals from all walks of life and are very much a part of the community. Additionally, we serve our peers with partial processing helping their work be kept to our area and be more sustainable in every way. We are proudly making it in Strathcona.
Where can we find you?
Studio and shop at 305 Dunlevy Avenue.
Our showroom, West Coast Wood Slabs by Chapel Arts at 79 W 3rd Ave.
Or online at chapelarts.com, Instagram at @chapelarts and @westcoastwoodslabs
Interested in meeting more Strathcona makers? Learn more about Settlement Brewing, Birdies, Scavenger Coffee, Orii Jewelry, Yardi Grabz, Living Lotus Chocolate and Awesome Sauce Designs.
Meet The Maker: Make Nice Company
Bonnie is the founder of Make Nice Company – an eco-friendly dish soap company that aims to reduce plastic consumption worldwide.
Make Nice Company’s products are made right in Strathcona and use natural ingredients and delicious scents like citrus, eucalyptus and mint. Their ultra-concentrated dish soap replaces up to 3 bottles of traditional dish soap and their product line also includes accessories like scrub brushes and soap trays.
Get to know Bonnie and her journey below.
Tell us a bit about your business and what you do?
Make Nice Company aims to reduce the world’s consumption of single-use plastic waste with an ultra-concentrated Solid Dish Soap that replaces up to 3 bottles of traditional dish soap. All our soaps are 100% natural with vegan ingredients that are also paraben-free and palm oil-free, made right here in the Strathcona area in Vancouver, BC.
When did your love for soap begin and how did you decide to turn it into a business?
I’m Bonnie, the founder and maker behind Make Nice Company.
I started Make Nice Company back in 2019 when I wasn’t able to find an alternative to dish soap in plastic bottles. My partner and I were switching out our body wash and shampoos with their zero-waste solid soap alternatives and I wasn’t able to find anything for my dishes. I figured, why not try to make it?
This became a whole deep dive into learning to make soap, figuring out and testing what the best recipe would be to cut grease, and what the ideal shape would be when using it. I wanted the 100% natural ingredients to be simple, nothing you can’t pronounce, and vegan. After many months of making samples and testing them with friends, I finally got to Make Nice Company’s Solid Dish Soap.
Luckily, Make Nice Company has been a hit, I was able to take the soap making from my apartment (yes, I was making everything out of my kitchen haha!) to where we are now with a warehouse and team working with me!
Where in Strathcona are you based and what makes this neighbourhood special to you?
We’re located at 950 Powell St. Unit 105. This neighbourhood has a lot of hidden gems. There are a lot of cute cafes, breweries and lots of local makers!
How does your work impact or engage with the community?
By providing meaningful work and paying Vancouver living wage, we strive to have a positive impact on our local community outside of our sustainable products. We source locally for our raw materials and packaging within Vancouver and work with Canadian manufacturers like the ones for our Soap Tray. We also cultivate our online community by our sustainable ethos along with zero waste tips and tricks!
Where can we find you?
Check us out at makenicecompany.com or on social @makenicecompany.
Interested in meeting more Strathcona makers? Learn more about Settlement Brewing, Birdies, Scavenger Coffee, Orii Jewelry, Yardi Grabz, Living Lotus Chocolate and Awesome Sauce Designs.
Meet The Brewers: Settlement Brewing
The brewers at the Settlement Building are a close-knit team of creative individuals who are passionate about brewing.
And it shows in their work. The Settlement Building is home to Belgard Kitchen, Vancouver Urban Winery, and craft brewery Settlement Brewing, offering a whole lot of delicious beverages that are made in-house.
What some may not know is that they not only brew their own carefully crafted beverages but they also offer to brew for other businesses that don’t have the facilities themselves.
This small but mighty team has some very unique and admirable qualities – read about their story below.
Tell us a bit about your team and what makes you unique.
A solid team starts from the ground up. Our brew crew all started here as part-time cellar hands, and Adam (Production Manager) and Ksenia (Brand Manager) have worked for the building for several years. When Travis took the wheel of the brewery there was no way we could picture it without Natalia in the brewhouse, and we collectively agreed that Kat was the best fit for our team. We have been very lucky about onboarding the right people, as we work very closely together. We’re all growing and learning together at the same time, building each other up to make the best beer possible! It makes the work environment so enjoyable when you love the people you work with – this team is definitely something special!
What is something about your business that you’re proud of?
Our brewery is one-third of our brand collective at the Settlement Building, sharing the space with our sibling restaurant, Belgard Kitchen, and winery, Vancouver Urban Winery. Our business is so unique in that way, and together we can create such a special experience for our guests.
We were also recently awarded Silver at the Canadian Beer Awards for Natalia’s Belgian Witbier (Elder Moon), a huge proud moment!
What makes the Strathcona neighbourhood special to you?
Strathcona is full of artists, designers, and makers; there is so much creativity tucked in every little corner. It makes for such an inspiring, supportive and creative environment to work in. And, we have to give props to our fellow breweries – every one of them is making great beer!
How does your work impact or engage with the community?
We always strive to create a space where our community feels welcome and at ease, whether they live or work in the area, or are first-time visitors. There’s nothing better than seeing folks enjoy our beers!
We work closely with Mealshare, providing meals for youth in need through their “buy one, give one” program (come eat a Belgard Burger!!). We have also supported the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre by raising funds and collecting donations through our “Boot Force” Double IPA release for International Women’s Day. Plus, we have to mention the opportunities the BIA provides for us to support our community through activations like Dine Railtown / Dine Strathcona.
Finally, we recognize that we are settlers on this land, so proudly include a territory acknowledgement on all of our beer cans, and on our menus.
What are the top-recommended Settlement Brewing beers?
We can’t pick! They are all great!
‘Portside’ Pilsner is definitely a go-to for our team. Our ‘Good News’ Hazy Pale Ale is a best seller at Belgard, and our ‘Tranquilo’ Lime Lager absolutely flies at our sister restaurant, Havana Vancouver.
And, we can’t forget about our award-winning ‘Elder Moon’!
Interested in meeting more Strathcona makers? Learn more about Birdies, Scavenger Coffee, Orii Jewelry, Yardi Grabz, Living Lotus Chocolate and Awesome Sauce Designs.