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Calling all artists of every level. See something you love about Strathcona in the fall? Show it to us!

The Strathcona BIA is excited to launch our fall photo contest focusing on what people love about the Strathcona neighbourhood in the fall season. With the theme “Fall for Strathcona”, we’re inviting people to explore the seasonal changes happening in Strathcona and what they love about it. As the seasons change, so do our neighbourhoods, landscapes and habits, and even things as simple as menus. We want to see what changes you’re noticing and what you’re falling for. 

Photograph what you love in Strathcona this fall

What: Submit on-theme pictures of Strathcona, Vancouver and stand a chance to win big.

When: Submissions open on October 28th 2024, and will end on December 27th, 2024.

Prizes: Three winners will receive prizes with a grand prize of $350* and the top 11 images will be showcased in a 2-week gallery exhibition in March 2025. 

Submissions: Submit via email contest@strathconabia.com. Entrants must pay a $5 fee to submit by purchasing a submission ticket on Eventbrite.  Proceeds will be donated to an art charity for youths. Purchase your submission ticket here

Pay Submission Fee

Process:

1. Purchase a $5 submission ticket on Eventbrite 
2. Compile photographs and name each image file as follows: Firstname_Lastname_TitleofPhotograph
3. Submit images to contest@strathconabia.com and include your name and Eventbrite ticket number in the email. 
4. Look out for an email from us if you’ve been selected. 

Requirements: 

• Contest is open to artists of all levels in the Greater Vancouver Area.
• Only original photographs (film/digital) will be accepted. AI generated images are excluded. 
• Images must be taken of and in Strathcona, Vancouver.
• Images must be high-res and well suited for printing.
• Image files must be named as stated above

Prizes

*Prizes will be awarded in the form of gift certificates. 

1st Place: $350*

2nd Place: $250*

3rd Place: $150*

Copyright Notice:

By submitting your photographs to the Strathcona BIA “Fall for Strathcona” photo contest, you confirm that you are the sole owner of the submitted images and that they do not infringe on any third-party rights. You grant the Strathcona BIA a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, and display your photos for promotional purposes related to the contest and future marketing efforts. All submitted images will remain your property, and you will be credited appropriately when your work is showcased.

Campaign Partners:

Low Tide Properties

Gallery 881

PrintMaker Studio

No print job is too small for this Strathcona commercial print shop.

Clubcard. They’ve been around for 30 years, and in Strathcona for six. They’ve faced a global paper shortage, rising rents, four moves, and still show no signs of slowing down. This resilience is palpable when you talk to Mike. So is the delight of owning a business in Vancouver. During our conversation, he spoke so joyfully about everything. From the high-output printers at Clubcard, to the old-style houses in Strathcona (he really loves those), his passion for his business and the community is always front and centre. Have a read and see for yourself.

How did Clubcard come about?

So my business partner and I worked at the courthouse, and we decided we wanted to start a business. Now this was 1994, so it might sound weird, but back then, everybody needed a physically printed resume, and we realized that we could do that for people. So we bought this really fancy laser printer. It was small, but super high-end. We also got a fax machine and a cell phone, and we put up posters that said we printed resumes for a fee. I can’t remember what the price was, but it was really inexpensive. So we would literally go and meet people at a coffee shop. I would sit down and take notes of what they needed for their resume, and Mike would lay it out on our 386 PC computer, and we would create resumes for people. So we charged a fee for the resume setup, but the big thing was printing it on really good paper with a nice laser printer. We would charge for that and also charge to fax, since most people didn’t have internet then. 

In the building we were in, we met one of our neighbours in the elevator, and he asked us what we did. We said graphic design, because we didn’t want to say we just created resumes. He goes “I’m making a movie and I need a book to take to this thing I’m attending in Italy” and we said yes, even though we were completely way over our heads. So we got the job, but we had to take shifts because the computer was so slow. We had to scan all of the images and import them, which took forever, and every time you changed something, this computer would be like, “stop, you’re killing me”. So that was our first job, and we apparently loved misery, so we kept doing it. Then we eventually got into a studio space and started hiring and expanded.

Do you feel like you’re a part of the ecosystem here? 

Yeah, I think I do. We’ve been around for 30 years, six years in Strathcona, and we absolutely love it here. We started off in Yaletown when it was pretty hip, and suddenly everybody and their startup wanted to be there, so the rents went through the roof. Then we moved into our first storefront location on Burrard, and moved two more times until we moved here. It has been really good because Low Tide, the landlord, is great. The neighbourhood is a good mix of residential, light industrial and production, food spots, retail and art galleries. It has a lot of creative outlets, which means we’re around small businesses, artists and entrepreneurs, which fits our business model perfectly.  

In your opinion, what are the advantages of operating in a light industrial mixed-use space: 

Firstly, there’s a monetary advantage to it with a lower tax rate, but more importantly, it means you’re around like-minded businesses. We have a lot of clients that manufacture and make their own goods, and these tend to be the perfect size for us to service because they’re usually looking for smaller runs of printed materials and it’s just a really good fit. A lot of what we do is typically for smaller clients, anything from a single piece of fine art print to around five to ten thousand pieces. We can do larger but the smaller orders is our niche. 

How attractive do you find Strathcona for new investment or a business expansion? 

I think this is a perfect place for anybody to grow. I really do hope there’s some good low-rise-ish mixed use, so that you have that residential that’s so badly needed, plus commercial and light industrial. For example, the building on the next street has residential, commercial and retail, and then in the alley it’s got light industrial. It’s exactly what we need in the area because it brings you people and businesses, and everything fits into the ecosystem here. 

What are some of the challenges that you’ve faced as a business? 

Our biggest challenge since COVID is with the paper supply chain. It’s probably one of the things people don’t think about. We need high-quality paper and it’s specifically made for the type of printing that we do. That means a paper mill has to create it and think that there’s a good enough market for it to choose to keep making our paper instead of something else. When COVID hit, paper mills changed to making packaging for take-out food, items for hygiene, and face masks, so all that worldwide resource for pulp was redirected. A lot of those paper mills haven’t resumed making paper for printing, so we’ve actually lost a lot of the papers we used to have. Sadly, a lot of the Canadian paper mills are gone, and now our paper either comes from the States or Japan. That’s the biggest challenge, that our paper prices have increased easily 50% since COVID, and sometimes more.

What do you think is the economic potential of Strathcona?

 I think in 10 to 20 years, you’ll see this being a really vibrant mixed-use corridor. There’s so much traffic and potential along here. I love the beautiful old houses and don’t want to see them go away, but I also know that there’s got to be more housing. Some of these can only support maybe two families. So, a good mix of high, mid-rise and townhouses with residential over commercial would be really good.

What are your thoughts on municipal policies around zoning?

One of the reasons we moved here was because we learned our lesson from the first time we signed a lease. There were things we didn’t know we couldn’t do in certain places. Luckily, this place was pre-approved for printing and publishing. I think if the City was to put together a much larger blanket list of what is approved for each zone, that could be a lot simpler. It’s really daunting, especially for somebody starting a new business. I mean, I know why they have rules and regulations, it’s for safety. I just think that sometimes the City forgets that we don’t look at the rules, regulations, bylaws and zoning all day long. And if there was a way to explain to somebody, here’s how you would open a business here in this space, that would be a lot simpler. 

What does the future look like for Clubcard?

In the next year, we want to open a studio in Palm Springs. Right now, we just have an office there. We’ve always had a US office and used to have one in San Francisco, but the rent got crazy high so we moved to Palm Springs. It won’t be like this space because it’s a huge investment to get all this equipment and staffing. It’s a big commitment and we don’t want to hire people and say, “oh, sorry. It didn’t work out”. We really want to make sure that we’re doing right by the people that work with us. So we’re imagining a studio that’s similar to the front of our shop here, where you can drop in, see samples, and talk to us about what you want to do. We also just signed a new lease here so we’re planning to stay and just keep growing. We’re always investing in new equipment and expanding what we’re able to offer, especially considering most of our clientele. It’s smaller orders and we want to be able to do those quickly, and produce really high-quality work. 

What would you like to see from the Strathcona BIA? 

You’ve got the security program and all the other programs, so I can’t think of anything in particular. It’s been a really positive experience here. 

Visit Clubcard at 868 E Cordova street Monday to Friday from 8-5pm.

Follow them on Instagram and head over to the website for all your print needs.

It’s a taste of Italy in Strathcona, and Italians agree. 

Focacciaza on East Cordova and Raymur. You cannot miss the red awning and bicycle-cart set up, out of which Joe dispenses what is the best focaccia I’ve ever tasted. This is confirmed by a neighbouring business owner who walks by during our conversation and raves about how amazing Joe’s food is. Did I mention that this neighbour is Italian? That’s all the validation he needs. Focacciaza Joe (as everyone calls him) is passionate, dedicated and easy going. Leading the sustainable food-business movement, he forages for wild mushrooms and grows his own herbs, all of which go on the focaccia he sells from a zero-emission cart. Our conversation is a peek into his heart for small businesses and the Strathcona community. 

What’s the story behind Focacciaza?

So before I became a cook, I was backpacking through Italy with a friend, and a travel agent advised us on where tourists don’t go. They sent us to La Spezia which is in Genoa, where the most famous focaccia variety comes from. It’s a thick, soft, fluffy type. We went into this small village and couldn’t find anywhere to stay, so we slept in a field. The next morning, we were really hungry and we walked by a little focacceria and we could smell the food. So we got them to sell us a fresh piece of focaccia for like two euros and it was the most amazing focaccia. So that’s what mine is modelled after. I have this memory of that focaccia and I designed my recipe by myself, so it’s not a recipe that I got anywhere. Instead it’s made to suit my timing, my baking and my surroundings, but the goal is basically to have that texture and flavour. Italians from that area that try my focaccia always validate it. They always say “It’s just like home”.

What’s the best part of running a business in Strathcona? Any high points?

Absolutely! I get to make unique food with ingredients that I grow and forage in the wild, which is rewarding in itself. I have a community garden plot in the Strathcona Cottonwood Garden and those herbs go into my focaccia. People love all those things. Everybody in the community likes me. Every car that drives by waves. There are many upsides to running your own business. There are many challenges but it’s rewarding work, right? I do feel like I’m a part of the community. That’s why Strathcona is really good. It has a very community vibe. There are a lot of artists that live here that have a little bit of time to go seek local things. Also the zoning, and the fact that Downtown and Commercial Drive are a quick drive away are some of the upsides.

What is the most pressing issue you face being in this area?

I’d say, visibility. This building used to open up on Powell street and was quite visible to the public, but more and more it’s being blocked off. Now with the overpass, you can’t even see us. This Fall, Transport Canada is going to close off a section of Raymur street here because of rail safety. So there will be no vehicle or foot traffic and that closes me off even more. Even if you want to buy something from me, it becomes harder and harder. A while ago, I had an interview on CBC radio, and it did drive business and brought some people from different places, but every one of them said Focacciaza was almost impossible to find because they couldn’t turn off of Clark, Hastings or Powell street to get here, and when they finally got onto Cordova, they were stuck behind the train. 

What are your thoughts on the zoning policies in this neighbourhood?

The zoning is really good. It’s mixed zoning in this area. This building is old-fashioned, an old vinegar factory that’s now been zoned for mixed-usage and it’s perfect. You can do a lot of different things here and that’s very beneficial not just to someone looking for a home for their business. There’s also a diverse range of small businesses around me and they’re willing to support food makers like me. Really if I could live here, I would. 

What’s your vision for the future of Focacciaza?

I have a lot of dreams for my business, like teaching people, setting up workshops, and hosting events. I also play in a band so I can make the music for these settings. I try to be a part of the cultural community, which could always use help in Vancouver and the zoning here might allow for that kind of mixed-use space to happen one day. I see Focacciaza being a really cool community place where people can not only purchase local things, but enjoy local culture and music, all in one place. 

What are some of the challenges you face running a street-food business? 

I’m a street food vendor and I find it impossible to sell on the streets of Vancouver. I’m not allowed to be downtown or on the beach. I’m not allowed to be in any Vancouver park. I can’t be on the entire seawall or Trout Lake. Just imagine anywhere that you could see this bike. It has to do with my licence and the City of Vancouver, and this is why I just stay here. So it basically treats me like a food truck and that’s that. I need to figure out how people can get my product, but approaching a grocery store would mean packaging, labelling, and barcode scanning. And it’s hard for these small businesses because you need a designer. These things are not cheap. At the end of the day I am surviving as a business on this corner and making all kinds of things besides the focaccia like sandwiches, soups, biscotti, and popsicles during the summer. Catering gigs really help me out because there’s only so many people that live and work around here. Once it’s 5pm, there’s not a soul walking down the streets. One solution for me would be to find an investor and move into a brick-and-mortar or completely change to catering but that needs investment as well. 

Finally, what kind of support would you want to see from the SBIA?

It would be some kind of program helping businesses with their marketing, which is what you’re doing right now. Because small businesses exist but can’t be found. People are bombarded by so much marketing these days that it’s really hard for any small business to put those dollars into noticeable marketing. The BIA could also host local Strathcona festivals with all the small businesses and market it. That’s how local people get to know their local businesses a little better. Overall, any opportunities to actually sell my product would be great. 

Visit Joe at 1007 E Cordova street Tuesday to Friday from 11-5pm.

Follow his Instagram to see what’s on the menu and check out the website to book Focacciaza for your next event.

What It Takes to Build a Thriving Food Economy

The Strathcona Business Improvement Association in collaboration with Dunefield and other local stakeholders, are championing an initiative that explores the potential opportunities and barriers of further developing a food business cluster in Strathcona. This project aligns closely with the goals of the Strathcona BIA’s Economic Vision and Implementation Plan developed in 2023, combining the plan’s focus areas of industrial lands, retail spaces, and community engagement. An economic cluster in an urban industrial business district refers to a concentration of interconnected businesses in a particular industry, ranging from manufacturers and suppliers, to service providers, retailers, and institutions. Further developing a business cluster can help lead to increased innovation, productivity, and competitiveness among the businesses within the cluster, driving economic growth, attracting investment, creating jobs and fostering collaboration within the local economy.

Focusing on the district’s food cluster was a natural choice for this economic development initiative. There is already a strong presence of food businesses in Strathcona, spanning from manufacturing, logistics, product innovation, unique restaurants, and cultural foods, showcasing all kinds of specialized food and beverage skills. This cluster includes both industrial and retail businesses, leveraging our district’s unique blend of industrial and retail zoning and proximity to residential. Many of the challenges faced by food businesses are macro-level challenges. Looking at how to address these shared challenges within the food cluster will not only benefit food businesses but also other business sectors in the area. In particular, a strategic effort to maintain the neighbourhood’s capacity to support both production and manufacturing as well as sales is crucial for retaining a competitive edge for businesses here. 

The early stages of this project have focused on engaging and interviewing food businesses in the area to uncover the key barriers and challenges businesses have been experiencing. This project aims to help connect the dots about how collaborative approaches could address some of these common challenges and capitalize on opportunities. The following interview with project leads Wilco van Bemmel and Vincent Kwan dives deeper into the exciting work of this project. Read on to learn more about the significance of establishing a stronger food cluster in Strathcona and discover some of the early findings and recommendations.

What are the key characteristics of a successful food cluster?

There are a few key aspects, and some of these are present here in Strathcona, which is good news. The first key thing is what we’re calling the ability to make and sell. Businesses need to have the ability to both create and innovate food products, as well as test them in the market. That includes getting immediate feedback from wholesalers, stockists, or customers. Which leads to the importance of the proximity to employees and residents. The cluster should be located near both employees and residents to facilitate easy access and interaction. A strength that Strathcona uniquely offers.

From our engagement in the community, businesses have shown us that for them to thrive here they need to develop a diverse business model. For example, including elements of wholesale, retail, and product innovation, or even just being smart in utilizing your space, such as allowing other businesses to use space during off-hours can be important. Only relying on foot traffic is often not enough. Another important factor is stability in land use and lease rates, which is essential for businesses to have the confidence to invest in their operations and logistics for the long term. If people feel like they don’t have any certainty of what the future is going to look like, it can deter investment and growth.  

What kinds of support or policy should we expect a municipal government to have in place for the healthy development of this kind of cluster? 

One thing that is really threatening these kinds of businesses is the way we have defined “highest and best use” for properties and land. In practice, the types of light industrial businesses where people make and sell things are not the kind of use that can generate the highest property values and taxes. In the current system they’ll often be the second pick for a landlord, especially considering barriers around required tenant improvements and the length of time to get permits. What if we shifted the conversation on the highest and best use being where people actually make healthy, nutritious, and culturally interesting foods that the local community desires and can afford? Then we can start to look at policy and incentives aimed towards making sure that is actually possible. At the moment, it’s not a level playing field. The businesses that have a connection to the local neighbourhood, that want to hire locally, be good neighbours, source their materials or ingredients locally, and want to add value to the communities, are often the businesses having the hardest time to make it work in terms of upfront investment required and length of time to get their permits. So this is an important area to look at in terms of where the government can step in with incentives. 

What are some other pressing issues facing food-related businesses right now?

One thing to keep in mind is that a lot of challenges that food businesses face are macro-challenges as well. Many businesses are still dealing with the impacts of COVID and are still recovering. The pandemic really demonstrated the argument for having a diverse business model, because it’s these businesses that had some built-in resiliency and could more easily pivot to new opportunities. There is a big concern about the loss of industrial land and also the quality of remaining or new industrial spaces. If spaces are replaced by something that on paper is still industrial but in practice is supposed to be quiet and tidy, then it loses that true industrial use. We also heard from businesses that city-permitting is taking a very long time. The whole process can feel very uncertain, a bit like a black box. Another challenge we’ve identified is the difficulty of scaling. For example, scaling up from a small-scale commissary kitchen space to your first retail front is challenging and expensive. There is a big need for smaller stepping stones and support mechanisms in scaling and growing businesses. There is a lot of food that is produced in Strathcona by talented people, but you cannot always enjoy it here – it has no outlet. It highlights the potential for more opportunities for businesses to develop, incubate, and test their products locally before expanding to other communities, without having to take too much of a risk.   

What are some of the potential economic impacts of developing an even stronger food cluster in Strathcona? Why is this work important?

Food businesses have a high percentage of economic spin-off that stays within the vicinity of the community compared to other business sectors. This is evident in the sourcing of ingredients, packaging, staffing, and menu items, all of which contribute to the local economy. Some of the practical reasons for the local economic impact are cost-effectiveness and logistical advantages such as ensuring product freshness. For example, sourcing locally reduces financial risks associated with sourcing from distant locations. So there is something intrinsic in food businesses that make them have a local footprint. Which is great, because if we want to build strength as a cluster, that’s exactly what you want to see. When businesses are actively seeking opportunities to collaborate and source locally this enhances the return on investment in the food cluster.   

Food as a sector is an important one because it serves all categories of end-users in the economy, including residents, workers, and visitors. While sectors like high tech and green technology often receive a lot of attention, the food cluster is essential due to its direct impact on a wide array of end-users. Especially given the City’s current interest in supporting small businesses, it makes a lot of sense to prioritize the food cluster in local economic development strategies. This should include setting industrial land targets to preserve and support the sector. 

A big consideration is what is the role of different stakeholders within the ecosystem? We are actively asking ourselves what is the role of government, community entities, and then of course BIAs in filling those current gaps in economic support, and how can BIAs be empowered more to play a stronger role in filling those gaps. Focusing on the food cluster work helps expose a lot of those opportunities.  

What are some of the early findings and recommendations for creating a supportive ecosystem for food businesses in the neighbourhood?

Firstly, we should engage in a debate with the city about the highest and best use for the area, ensuring that the types of food businesses we actually want have a fair chance to thrive here. Discussions with the city should also include long-term things like land-use and zoning. In the shorter-term, we should be thinking about the relaxation of rules. This could involve challenging rules and processes that make it difficult to experiment and innovate. For example, could we streamline the process for someone with a successful commissary kitchen product to transition to a retail setting, by identifying a suitable location and obtaining necessary permits within one month. We should be encouraging pilots that push some of these existing boundaries, and involve multiple stakeholders, like landlords and banks, for support and funding opportunities. 

We have also heard that businesses have a hard time connecting to innovation. Many feel like existing support programs are geared toward larger companies, and so there’s a lot of potential in providing support for small businesses here to connect with innovation so they can implement it into their processes. The connection to education is another area to explore. It seems like there is a lot of potential in helping bridge the gap between businesses and educational institutions that are addressing topics like food security and food systems. 

Finally, there is a large need to address the high costs of running a food related business, whether that be startup costs, operational expenses, or scaling. The lack of coordination between government and other stakeholders is inevitably leading to inefficiencies and higher costs. A more structured approach to incentivize collaboration and improve coordination is needed to support businesses more effectively.  

What role do you see technology and innovation playing in the development of a food business cluster?

Quite a few businesses are very interested in the connection between food and health. There are businesses out there challenging the way we think about the ingredients in our foods. I think we’ll see innovation around plant-based foods, customer education, and changing people’s food habits towards more healthy foods. Another interesting area is the production process itself. We’re seeing a focus on making the production process more sustainable and circular, even on a smaller scale by sharing waste streams and resources within the community, with interesting opportunities for technology there. When thinking about the stepping stones required for scaling, the connection between digital and physical space will also be really interesting. In what ways can businesses build a customer base even without having a physical presence yet, or use digital as a way of connecting with suppliers and bring down the costs of starting your business? The connection between digital and physical will be an interesting angle for more businesses to be experimenting with.

Connecting the Dots and Creating Opportunities

Part of the aim of this project is to identify gaps and make meaningful connections within the food business cluster ecosystem in Strathcona. By helping articulate gaps and connecting dots the Strathcona BIA can work with stakeholders to understand the actionable steps needed to further develop a strong food cluster in Strathcona. Acting as a nimble connector, the SBIA strives to facilitate collaboration with key players and government to drive new initiatives and policy changes that will benefit the food business sector. Together, we can build a thriving and sustainable food business cluster in Strathcona, leading the way for innovation and economic development. 

Next Steps

One concrete next step is that we will be supporting food talent in Strathcona towards a food retail (pop-up) presence. We want food entrepreneurs who today work in commissary kitchens and small production spaces, to have a low-risk, affordable way to reach a new customer base and test their readiness for a permanent retail space. We hope this will create new food options that Strathcona residents and workers need and crave, like fresh greengrocers, more lunch options, a greater variety of local and cultural foods, and food experiences in the late afternoons.

We recently interviewed some exciting Strathcona businesses as part of our focus on the local food economy.

Learn more about Tommy’s Whole Grain Bakery, a new bakery in the district committed to redefining baking with whole grains here.

Dive into the world of shared kitchen spaces in this interview with B3 Collective Commissary Kitchen here.

A new business in Strathcona is streamlining urban living through well-designed storage solutions.

Strathcona is home to a vibrant community of design and manufacturing businesses. Here, artisans and craftspeople work with their hands and technology to create and build the things that enrich urban life. There are some exciting newcomers that are contributing to this growing sector in the neighbourhood, and Express Closet at 526 Clark Drive stands out. Express Closet is a custom cabinet and storage solutions company with a clear mission: to simplify people’s daily lives by enhancing their organization and storage capabilities. We sat down with owner Alistair Mellen to learn more about his business and his journey as a new business owner in Strathcona.

What inspired you to get into the business of custom closet organization? And what sets your business apart? 

My dad started the company in 2005. I would help him on the weekends in highschool. After I came back from university I helped him out for about a year full time. At that time he asked me if I wanted the business, and I agreed. That was seven years ago. It’s just me now, and I think what sets my business apart is that I have a really fast turn-around time which is important for a lot of people. My customer service stands out. I’m there from the beginning to the end and I always like to do little extra things to help people, like hanging pictures for them if they want. 

What’s your favourite part of working in this business?

It’s always awesome when my closet solutions make a really big difference for people. They might have had a crazy cluttered closet that just didn’t work at all before, and so when they tell me how big a difference it’s made in their life that’s pretty great. I love doing design for more complicated closet projects, like custom wardrobes, or kids desks and just anything where I get to work with fun, funky spaces.  

How do you see the future of custom manufacturing evolving? What role do you think technology will play in your industry? 

My products all involve CNC work, so they’re designed to be cut by a computer assisted cutting tool. I think the automation of that will continue to get better and better. The product comes in four by eight sheets, and there’s basically a robot that will take those sheets, put it on a platform, cut all the pieces, take the pieces off, take them onto the drilling stage, and it’s a whole controlled process that’s all automated. The end product has nice edge banding and drilling already done. I think that area is where the most advancement is going to happen. On a large scale, we might start to see more automation when a whole condo development goes up. But I think as far as individual renovations for single family homes or apartments, it’s always going to be a person involved in the craftsmanship. 

Can you share more about the materials you use and how you select them for your custom closets?

There’s two key components. There’s the board itself, which is a particle board core, and then there’s the finish that’s applied to it. All of my products come from Canada. I’m always focused on sustainable forestry practices and recycle as much as I can. That’s really important to me. I won’t take any product that hasn’t been certified sustainable. Often particle board is a leftover product from the milling process. Usually the off-cut woodchips are pressed into a board, so it’s an inherently sustainable process. Another impact to consider is what kind of glue is used, and I definitely avoid anything with formaldehyde. For the finish, it depends on what people want. The most used basic white one is actually made in Burnaby. Most of my in-house finishes are all done on the West Coast. 

How does your work impact or engage with the community?

Ideally one day I would like to do all the closets for affordable housing initiatives. Usually those projects want basic wire shelves because they are cheap to put in. But if you’re living in a small apartment, a single wire bar and shelf just doesn’t work for like 90% of people. I’d like to be able to do the kind of closets I create, but do it at the price of wire shelves and really make a difference for people. So that is a goal to be able to have enough business that I could actually do these kinds of community projects at the same price point as the wireframe. 

How long have you been in Strathcona and what makes this neighbourhood special to you?

I started mid-summer last year, so I’ve been here for about six months. I think the mix of manufacturing, artists, and interesting food places and breweries makes it a really fun neighbourhood. All the business owners I’ve met have been really welcoming. Within the first two weeks of taking this place over, Union Wood Co down the block did a block party where all the business owners in this block had their doors open and everyone could mingle, which was awesome. I’m currently helping my business neighbour do some renovations at her place, so there’s been all kinds of connections! 

What do you see as the opportunities and the challenges of being in this neighborhood? 

I think it’s very much an up and coming place with a lot of potential to be a really interesting culture zone of Vancouver. As it grows, and new modern buildings move in, I hope it doesn’t lose that. As for challenges, I think there can sometimes be a stigma for the area, but which is kind of unfounded for a lot of it.  

Any advice to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start a business in this district?

It’s easier to meet fellow business owners and they are more welcoming than you think. Have conversations because you never really know where they’re going to go. For example, I just ran into my business neighbour and it turns out they need some extra storage space. So I’m going to help them store their stuff since I have the extra space right now and that can help support my rent. So by talking to other business owners you’ll often be surprised by what kind of opportunities open up. 

What more would you like to see from the Strathcona BIA?

After looking at the website and learning more about what you do with the trash pick-up and graffiti removal, that’s all great. One suggestion would be creating a bit more community for people who are looking for it – like a semi-annual gathering to help get more connected to other people in the district. I’ve also been blown away by events like Eastside Culture Crawl, when all the studios in the area open up. I think it would be cool if that was a more prominent part of this place’s identity, perhaps more events or initiatives that bring life to the industrial side of the neighbourhood and all the many small businesses doing interesting things here. 

Learn more about Express Closet on their website.

In the heart of Strathcona’s industrial district you’ll find B3 Collective Commissary Kitchen, a dynamic food hub that’s been at the forefront of supporting Vancouver’s culinary entrepreneurs since 2010.

B3 Collective Commissary is Vancouver’s largest and longest operating commercial kitchen, and have been at their space in Strathcona at 1205 East Hastings since 2021. B3 Collective serves as the launchpad and home to an incredible range of food producers, from ghost kitchens to food truck operators. Led by owner Chris McKenzie, B3 Collective not only provides space for food production, but a culture of mentorship and guidance for those embarking on their small business journeys.

We sat down with Chris to learn more about his experience and gain insight into the world of operating shared kitchen spaces in this city.

What is it that inspired you to open a commissary kitchen? 

I started back in 2010 when the food truck pilot program launched. The City had designed the pilot program, but hadn’t looked at the back end needs, like a commissary space – somewhere to do your prep. At the time that kind of space wasn’t really available. I had someone coming by looking for space and it just evolved from there. Farmers markets were just starting to emerge. So it was just kind of the right place at the right time.

What role do you think commissary kitchens play in the local food ecosystem?  

If there were no commissary kitchens, I’d say three quarters of food entrepreneurs wouldn’t be operating. It’s just too expensive in Vancouver in terms of rent for their own space. So if you don’t have commissaries, you don’t have a lot of the businesses at farmers markets, you don’t have a lot of the ghost kitchens, and I don’t think you’d have a lot of food trucks. It’s often too expensive in terms of rent to be able to start something in Vancouver and survive. So they’re a really vital piece of the puzzle. Our space alone has over 100 employees from all the different businesses we support, and I would say 80% of those people are residents of Vancouver, so it’s a big economic impact for the City.   

How do you support the local food businesses and entrepreneurs in this space? Any ones that you’re really proud of that call B3 Collective home? 

Oh they’re like children, I can’t get to pick a favourite one! But we’ve had some good success stories over the years. Some that have gone on to open multiple locations. The Juice Truck is a famous example. I think they have 80 employees now, and six locations and they started with just one food truck back in 2010. Spread ‘Em Kitchen is another one, her products have now gone national. So there’s a few that have become a huge success story in their own way, but they needed a commissary kitchen to start. The goal is trying to help those in here succeed. It’s not just a matter of signing them on and leaving them alone. I look to provide mentoring and guidance, and assist those starting out as best as I can, whether that be sales or any other way.

How do you see the future of food manufacturing and food production evolving? 

Vancouver is changing in terms of property and property use, so I think it’s going to be even more difficult going forward in this industry to survive. With commercial property supply shrinking, and rents going up due to rising property taxes I think long-term it’s going to be hard.

Any ideas around policy changes that could help shape a more viable future? 

I think it all boils down to the property taxes. You’d think we could get some kind of break in this area and be more supported by the City.

What are the opportunities and challenges of being in Strathcona? 

I find Strathcona authentic. Compared to some other neighbourhoods, people are more grounded here I think. It’s just a neat neighbourhood. And that’s not always known unless you’re here. Everybody around here knows each other and supports each other. For example, I’ve taken stuff over to the metal recycling guys around the corner, and we’ve got a good relationship with the brewery behind us. Everyone helps everybody out. Development and growth in this area is good, but it also comes with its costs. Property taxes are going to be impacted by new residential developments and that is a challenge.

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to start a business in this district?

I would say do your homework. With new entrepreneurs interested in coming in, I’ll sit down with them and give them the advantages and the disadvantages and tell them what they are up against. For anybody getting into new space you have to consider that it can typically take a year before you are operating. You could be paying full rent or property taxes while you go through the permitting process of the building, so that’s a tough go. A problem with the process is you often don’t find out what’s required in terms of upgrades until you start. So you have to have a contingency fund set aside if things take longer than anticipated. A bulk of the frustration with opening a new business can be planning for the unknown, and then dealing with what feels like independently operating departments at the City.   

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

I hope Strathcona doesn’t turn into what the other neighbourhoods are. Like I said, Strathcona to me is more authentic. It’s the old historic Vancouver neighbourhood. You’ve got these older commercial buildings that have been around for decades, and a unique community feel here and I hope that doesn’t change. I hope with the new development that comes, it can at least be consistent to the current feel of the neighbourhood.

What more would you like to see from the Strathcona BIA?

You guys do an excellent job of being involved with the businesses here. It’s almost like having a parent. If there’s any issues, or if I hit a dead end, I feel like I can call and explain what I’ve got going on, and some new directions can be opened up. It’s great you reach out right when businesses open up, so they know you exist. 

Learn more about B3 Collective Commissary on their website.

Tommy’s Whole Grain Bakery, located at 338 Powell Street, is a new bakery in the district with a special mission.

This bakery is all about experiencing and celebrating the rich flavours and incredible benefits of whole grains. They purchase grain from local sources, mill them in-house, and use every part of the grain to maximize flavour and nutrition, and reduce food waste. First and foremost their focus is creating great-tasting products. Their mouthwatering breads and treats will have you coming back for more. 

Owner Tommy Aird’s love for baking began as a child, influenced by his mother’s great baking and grandmother’s love for delicious pastry. He started cooking in restaurants as a young adult, later moving to Toronto to pursue culinary school and a career in baking. Over the years working in various kitchens he developed a deep appreciation for food and where it comes from. Attending a grain conference in Montreal was a pivotal turning point, sparking a passion for heirloom grains and supporting small-scale, organic agriculture. 

We sat down with Tommy to learn more about his story and his experience of running a business in Strathcona.

How does your work impact or engage with the community:

As a food producer, I think about the social and environmental impacts of what I do. The decisions you make as a food producer when you choose a purveyor is in fact a decision for thousands of people. So it really does matter for me to educate myself and have good reason to be partnering with certain purveyors or growers. Things I think about are making sure that farmers are getting paid a living wage, that employees are getting paid a living wage, and that the product I’m purchasing is nutritious and contains the building blocks for life. For environmental impacts, it’s making sure these businesses have integrity and are using water responsibly for example. We’re also trying to create as little food waste as possible. It’s what we’re trying to put into practice – be leaders in the industry, not heroes, because it’s not about being the only one, but setting an example and trying to inspire others to engage with the kind of work we do. Increasing the nutrition in our community, and reducing food waste, these are things that should be top of mind for us.  

What are the opportunities and challenges of being in this neighbourhood? 

I’ve been spending a lot of time in this neighbourhood, even pre-opening, since we started construction in August. This community has such a wonderful fabric to it and we feel so welcome and supported by our neighbours and the community at large that I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the city, even given the opportunity. But at the same time, it does come with its challenges. Just looking across the street, there are vacant lots, and there is vacancy next door to us that likely won’t be transitioned into anything until it’s torn down. Upgrading and preserving heritage buildings, and also tapping into the kind of energy we see in the neighbourhood during events like the Powell Street Festival, I can see what it could become. This is a fantastic neighbourhood. I think it might not be obvious to those who look from far away, but when you spend time here, you realize there are families here, there’s community here, and it does have deep roots. 

Any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs who might be looking to start a business in this distinct?

Get here. Don’t be scared. I think it’s so fulfilling and rewarding. Entrepreneurship is just hard in general, so I don’t know if it’s any harder here necessarily. But I do feel we have such a warm response from the community and the neighbourhood, and from the people who choose to come visit us. And I think that we are able to add to the community in different ways as well. If we’re driving people here from the North Shore, or from Langley for example, I think we’re giving the rest of the neighbourhood an opportunity to be seen. There’s a lot of spaces that we could be putting some really impactful and meaningful concepts to keep contributing to the fabric of the neighbourhood.  

What is your favourite baking ingredient right now and why do you love working with it?

My passion is grains. It makes up almost 70 percent of our diets, and so often we’re just kind of missing the mark. They say 98 percent of people exceed their recommended grain intake, and only two percent of people achieve the recommended whole grain intake. It just demonstrates how much white flour we’re consuming and the shadow side of that is how much healthy food in the process of creating that white flour is being wasted in our food system. 15 to 45 percent of the crop is commonly discarded, and 20 of the 21 micronutrients and grains come out during sifting. You discard 15 percent and lose 95 percent of the nutrition. So I get excited about something that is just flour, water, and salt. It doesn’t need fancy imported ingredients. We love the flavour of the organic grains we get from the Fraser Valley, and how they transform during fermentation, and then further during the bake, all adding different layers of flavour. I also think the impact of whole grains is compounding and cascading in such a meaningful way, so that for me is the most exciting ingredient. 

Can you tell us a little bit more about the milling on site that happens here?

We have a little mill, called a Meadows Mill, and it has two eight inch stones, which is quite small. It’s about the size of a mini fridge. It’s actually on loan to us from the Bread Lab at Washington State University because they’re generous and supportive of our mission and aligned to our goals to perpetuate the whole grain movement. As an eight inch stone, I sometimes joke it’s like going on a bike tour with a single speed. But for us, we’re two and a half months old, and we have a lot of growing to do, so in the meantime is perfectly adequate for our needs. It’s straightforward – the grain goes in the hopper, comes out the boot, goes into the chamber and gets pushed between the two millstones and comes out the bottom. Ours comes out as a whole product and that’s how we use it. It’s where we create all our flour. 

Can you tell us about what products are available from Tommy’s Whole Grain?

So you can come in for coffee and buy the baked goods (breads, cakes, brownies, cookies, croissants and more). We get our beans from Honest to Pete Coffee, a wonderful little roaster in Olympic Village, so we’re proud to brew and sell his beans here as well. We have a roast beef sandwich and ham sandwich with meats that we get from Oyama Sausage. We use a 36 month old compte cheese on our ham sandwich that we get from Benton Brothers. We also have a quiche and a vegan flatbread that we do daily. Aside from the daily bakes, we have two products that are more shelf stable. We have a whole grain sourdough cracker that I just get really excited about. Then we have a granola, something I’ve been making for years. It’s bougie, it’s 50 percent nuts, so it is very protein and nutrient rich and very filling. While we’re not able to provide milled flour as a product line right now, we know a lot of our patrons are interested in supporting the farm Cedar Isle in Agassiz where we purchase a lot of our grains. They have a CSA program and grains available directly as well. This is very much still our phase one, we have so much more that we are looking forward to showing people once we grow our business. 

What more would you like to see from the Strathcona BIA?

The BIA has been interested in and supportive of this project since I first reached out in summer. So I think just knowing they are there is helpful. If there was ever an opportunity for the BIA to help outline or navigate grant writing, funding applications, or program opportunities that could benefit businesses, that would be nice to have. And then just amplifying our work, just like this, to help attract people to come here and to support us. Finally on the policy side, helping get policy created that encourages more businesses to adopt more sustainable practices, since there’s currently a lack of consequences for unsustainable practices in the industry. 

Learn more about Tommy’s Whole Grain Bakery on their website.

You can also follow them on Instagram here.

A Year In Review

Our commercial district placebrand celebrates all the people and businesses that make Strathcona different and exceptional. Our marketing and promotional efforts over the last year have focused on unique campaigns across digital channels to continue building district brand awareness, promote district businesses and engage the local community, and create a culture of pride in the district among businesses and visitors alike. Through storytelling and place activations, we showcase what our members do to make Strathcona a vibrant and resilient community. Here’s how we’ve been bringing Strathcona to the hearts and minds of people across the Lower Mainland, communicating our unique strengths as a place to work, live, play, and invest.

Here’s the high-level breakdown of impacts we’ve achieved.

400 banners maintained

20K website visitors

96 unique businesses featured across digital channels

8 promotional campaigns

Dine Strathcona media coverage earned 13.4 million impressions

Launched inaugural Strathcona Brewery Week

54 original videos achieved 137K views

$24,825 invested in community sponsorships

Website and Directory

Our website showcases the distinct character of our commercial district and draws people in to discover something different in Strathcona. We continue to update our comprehensive member directory, featuring all the businesses in Strathcona across our varied sectors. The directory supports the digital presence and searchability of our member businesses online. In the last year our website had over 20,000 visits by over 9200 unique users. Our new website users are up 40% from the same period a year prior.

District and Member Features

We’re capturing and sharing more about our members through original photography, video footage, and digital storytelling content than ever before. In the last year we’ve featured 96 unique Strathcona BIA business members across our channels, which is up 33% from the previous year. In that time we’ve seen a 46% increase in followers on our Instagram channel.

We’ve put a strong focus on creating engaging video content, where we’ve had the most successful organic reach to new audiences. In the last year we created and published 54 original videos and Reels, and four collaborative Reels, across our social media channels. Our original video content achieved 137,121 cumulative views across our social platforms with an average engagement rate of 5.3% and the collaborative Reels with partner influencers reached 191,049 views. We also share and promote our members and the happenings in our business district on Twitter, where our tweets made over 67,400 impressions over the last year. A highlight of our member features is our Meet the Maker series, featuring artisans and makers across multiple sectors operating in Strathcona.    

Campaign Highlights

Our November 2021 Dine Strathcona campaign brought together 19 businesses in Strathcona’s hospitality sector to showcase the neighbourhood’s vibrant culinary scene while raising awareness and funds for H.A.V.E. Culinary Training Society. HAVE provides accessible food service training and employment opportunities to members of the community who face barriers to employment. The campaign launched with a media event for food and lifestyle media personnel and influencers, and resulted in 27 pieces of traditional media coverage, earning 13.4 million impressions or a publicity value of $124K. The social media posts about the campaign reached an estimated 647K people. In total over 1580 feature dishes were sold during the two week time-frame by participating businesses, which amounted to approximately $26,500 in cumulative sales. We were able to reach our goal of providing a $5000 community sponsorship on behalf of the Strathcona hospitality sector to HAVE Culinary Training Society, providing funding to enroll new students in HAVE’s training program and help secure job placements for new graduates in Vancouver restaurants.      

During the holidays we focused on lifting up our retail sector members through publishing unique Strathcona-based gift guides, and running a 12 Days of Giving campaign of amazing prize giveaways on our Instagram channel. We also partnered with BIA’s across Vancouver on the Gift Big, Shop Small, Stock Joy Charity Auction, where curated stockings of incredible gifts from each district were auctioned off in support of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.  

In January 2022, we featured Strathcona establishments with special offerings for the Lunar New Year. We partnered with three foodie influencers to produce creative Instagram Reels which reached over 190K unique accounts, with an engagement rate of 6.7%. This approach resulted in highly engaging content from diverse voices and celebrated the rich Asian heritage and culture in our community. 

In February we took part in the BIA-wide Love Your City campaign, which encouraged Vancouverites to get out to participating neighbourhoods, explore, and find LOVE in our city. MakerLabs in Strathcona helped produce custom sweethearts with messages of love and compliments that were hung up in every sub-district of Strathcona. We ran a popular local business district gift card scavenger hunt, using the hearts as hiding places and engaging audiences on social media with clues on where to find them.

For International Women’s Day we launched a Strathcona Women-Owned Business Directory and also interviewed several women entrepreneurs flourishing in Strathcona. The personal stories of these womens’ passion, hard work, and motivation behind their businesses were featured throughout the week in March on our social media channels. 

During Earth Week in April we shined a spotlight on two businesses in Strathcona doing great things in the way of slow fashion and environmentally responsible fabrics. Blackbird Fabrics offers a wide range of fabrics and supplies for sewists across the globe, with an emphasis on fabrics that are environmentally and socially responsible. Our Social Fabric is a non-profit fabric store tackling textile waste by selling donated deadstock fabric online and in-person. Our Instagram giveaway to these two businesses was one of our most popular of the year, earning over 2500 impressions and over 840 post interactions!

Throughout May we put an extra focus on highlighting member businesses in our Automotive sector. We have over 25 businesses in our community that assist with all types of motor vehicle needs. Through a creative video content campaign we shared about seven businesses in the automotive sector, bringing more attention to why Strathcona is one of the best areas in Vancouver for auto services. 

In June we launched a Strathcona Brewery Week campaign, a week-long showcase to celebrate the thriving brewery scene in Strathcona. It was a successful pilot with room to grow into an annual campaign that continues to strengthen Strathcona as a recognized brewery hub. The campaign earned coverage in Vancouver Is Awesome and The Georgia Straight, as well as over 120K impressions through a media partnership with Do604. New audiences were engaged through a Do604 giveaway, brewery trivia contest, Just Here For the Beer Radio podcast show, and engaging Reels created by the Strathcona BIA for each brewery.  

Throughout the summer we’ve been focused on promoting both member and community events in Strathcona, including the Powell Street Festival, musical concerts, Vancouver Mural Festival, and Bike to Shop.   

Community Sponsorships

Fostering a sustainable and flourishing cultural community is important to us. We continue to provide community sponsorships year over year so that other local organizations serving the economic resilience of the district are supported. For the 2021/2022 fiscal year those included The Powell Street Festival, Eastside Culture Crawl, Coldest Night of the Year, HAVE Culinary Training Society, HUB Cycling Bike To Shop, Monstercat Compound, Vancouver Japanese Language School, and Carnegie Outreach Centre for a National Indigenous People’s Day community initiative.

Looking Ahead

Since launching our commercial district placebrand in late summer of 2020, our marketing initiatives have been focused on building district awareness and targeting visitors to come discover the area and the businesses here. Investing in a strong commercial placebrand has been an important foundation of distinguishing ourselves from other districts and communicating our unique strengths as a place to work, live, play, and invest. As we continue to take measure of both member needs and the work of developing the economic vision of the district, our marketing efforts will continue to evolve and improve as we reflect on the target audiences and how we reach them. We plan to put more attention on developing campaigns that target workforce development and labour retention, as well as specific business sector retention, attraction, and investment programs. A strong place identity for our commercial district will continue to play an important role in these efforts, in addition to placemaking initiatives that continue to enhance and activate public space in Strathcona.

Bike To Shop returns this summer from August 13 – 21.

Hub Cycling’s Bike To Shop event is back this August 13 – 21. Local businesses in neighbourhoods across Metro Vancouver are offering amazing freebies and sweet deals for people biking to their businesses. 

Get on your bike and come join the Bike to Shop movement with us! As always, registration is 100% free. 

Register here and find the full schedule, including all participating businesses, here.

Visit these Strathcona businesses during Bike To Shop for great deals and delicious freebies.

Map of Itinerary

AWEN HAUS

780 E Cordova St

10% discount for anyone who bikes to Makerlabs.

Awen Haus is a collective of makers focused on beauty, function, quality, creativity, innovation and ingenuity. Come discover their products showcased under one roof at MakerLabs.

COASTAL EDEN CAFE

643 E Hastings St

One free baked good with a purchase of a coffee, tea, or smoothie. Until sold out. 

The Eden Cafe is a social enterprise, dedicated to providing great coffee and food in a welcoming space for people from all walks of life. All proceeds from the Eden Cafe go directly into the Eden DTES program.

CONTAINER BREWING

1216 Franklin St

Buy a beer to stay and get a free cookie. OR buy beer to go and get 15% off.  

Industrial-chic brewpub with a two-level tasting room and lounge, plus one of the best outdoor brewery patios in the city. Munch on eats from the Burdy food truck, including their legendary Chicken Parm sandwich.

ENTERPRISING WOMEN MAKING ART (EWMA)

800 E Hastings St

Complimentary coffee/iced tea. Plus enter to win an original art item from the EWMA Store with each purchase of $20 or more. 

EWMA supports emerging women artists and artisans in the Downtown Eastside community – over 30 local artists are featured at their store! When you shop local here, you support their programming that lifts women up in the community. Find greeting cards, specialty ornaments, pottery, beautiful jewelry and more.

LIVLITE

807 Powell St

Complimentary snacks and a coupon.  

Livlite provides zero waste groceries for delivery or pick-up in Strathcona. They carry everything from quality pantry staples, specialty brands, and tons of local produce and essentials. Goods are stored in returnable, reusable, or compostable vessels.

LUPPOLO BREWING

1123 Venables St

Buy a pizza and get a free beer.  

Your home away from home in the East Van brewery district. Enjoy their craft beers and delicious food – including incredible pizza by Mordimi Bite of Italy – in a warm and welcoming environment.

STRATHCONA BEER

895 E Hastings St

Buy a pint of beer and get an order of our garlic bites for free while quantities last daily. 

World class brewery right in the heart of Strathcona. The brewery focuses towards traditional European styles, global IPA styles, fruit beers, radlers and seasonal offerings. Their gourmet pizza is a neighbourhood favourite!

MAKERLABS

780 E Cordova St

The first 50 visitors who cycle to their Summer Social event will have the opportunity to paint and take home a free laser-cut coaster.

Only on August 13 from 3pm to 8pm. 

A maker space in Vancouver that provides the tools, space and skills to make almost anything. Communal areas include a wood shop, metal shop, CNC router table, laser cutters, sewing machines, Design Lab with 3D printer, and electronics area.

SETTLEMENT BREWING

55 Dunlevy Ave

Brewery Open House with summer beers. 

Only on August 14 from 2pm to 5pm. 

Brewing from the historic Settlement Building, this brewery is a place of collaboration, innovation, and fermenting friendships. Enjoy their beers at neighbouring Belgard Kitchen, or pick-up beers to-go from their retail shop.