A Sign Of Our (Old) Times

The old Victoria Drive Grocery at Victoria and William has been a bit of a wreck for the last twenty years.  The folks who used the letters from the old board to make “Dr. Vigari” added a certain something, but not much.  Now, the owner of the building has decided to develop the property into a pizza restaurant with attached apartments.

During the early part of the development they stripped off the old stucco and, on the lane side of the building they revealed this wonderful old sign.

It is a marvelous example of the old art of painted advertising display. It is also a reminder of a fascinating character — William Curtis Shelly.   He came to Vancouver from Ontario in 1910 and within a dozen years had made a fortune consolidating bakeries to serve all of Western Canada.  In the late 1920s, with a group of partners, he developed the first road up Grouse Mountain and built the original chalet, eventually sinking the then-enormous sum of $800,000 into the project.

I have also learned from Michael Kluckner that Shelly was “ the person who bought the piece of Stanley Park in 1925 from Aunt Sally, the only First Nations person able to prove residency and thus squatter’s rights in the park; Shelly, who was chairman of the Park Board, bought the property from her so that it wouldn’t fall into the hands of an apartment developer. The city eventually reimbursed him the $17,500 of his own money.”

He had indeed a truly fascinating life.

Now, if we can just save this sign somehow …

Public Dreaming

At lunchtime today I was invited to chat with the Public Dreams’ folks to discuss my concerns over the moving of the Illuminares Festival from Trout Lake (see various posts below).  Through the agency of Skype (doncha just love it!), Laura Grieco, PD’s managing director, PD board member Todd Sieling and I reviewed the issues that had caused the move.

Costs, of course, are the key problem. Trout Lake is a perfect location (even without thinking of the history of the event) because it has the beautiful open space and it has the lake which is simply magical with the latterns floating at night.  However, putting on a grand show at Trout Lake where upwards of 25,000 people will attend involves large expenditures on street closures, permits and portapotties.  And that brings into focus two major problems.

One, like many arts organizations, Public Dreams is great at the creative level but just no good at public fundraising.  PD admits that they have not, to date, made contact with some of the organizations and community groups that might help them in their task.  And they have been notably absent during such events as Italy Day and the No-Car Days on the Drive where fundraising buckets might have been a useful idea.

But we can’t blame PD entirely for their lack of resources, which brings us to the second problem:  You and I who rush to attend the event have seen it as a midsummer gift from on high, and we have failed to put our hands in our pockets to help defray the costs of our own pleasure. We have failed to appreciate that this is not a taxpayer-supported event but one that needs our help if it is to survive.

I suspect that PD recognizes that this year’s event in the  concrete and glass of Canada Place did not match the quality achieved in an outdoor space. As I understand it, the location for the 2012 Illuminares Festival is not yet set, and we could still save it for the east side.  But a number of things have to come together if this is to happen.

(1)  Public Dreams needs to do a far better job at connecting with the community, both the community at large and the organizations within it who might help them;

(2) This improved connection needs to include a discussion about whether a scaled down event — perhaps one that could fit into a park closer to the main areas of Drive and, maybe, include a lantern parade along the Drive — might be a better idea. at least until finances improve;

(3) The community needs to show that we really want this event back in our own neighbourhood.  We need to connect with PD when they approach us and we must be willing to put a few dollars into the pot when asked.

I sure hope we can pull this off because I really miss that midsummer magic!

Organic Profiteering

We will soon have a new butcher’s shop on Commercial Drive called Pasture to Plate, selling “certified organic grass finished” meats.  I passed by there today and took one of the brochures they are keen for shoppers to have.  It included a price list which made me feel certifiably faint — and guarantees that I will never be a Pasture to Plate customer.

Now, I might well be willing to pay double the usual price to help save the planet and help the cows and pigs live more tender lives.  I might well pay even more for what they claim is a better taste.  But that, apparently, is not enough.

Pork Chops from the local SuperValu (which has a superb and friendly butchery department) this week are$8.80 a kg.  Let’s say I’m willing to double that and add a bit for taste — say $20 a kilo.  Well I’d be out of luck at P to P: they want $36.99 a kg!  That’s almost five times the price I currently pay.

Same thing with pork tenderloin ($45.99 a kg compared to $14.31), and beef tenderloin ($60.99 compared to $22.02). I’m sure I could find a score or more examples.

Charging five times the going rate indicates one of two things: either they are REALLY bad at cost control in their production, or they are gouging the suckers who want to “do the right thing.”  Frankly, you would have to be nuts to buy into this nonsense.

 

The Pond Is Closing?

Finally we managed to have dinner at The Pond, the Spanish place that opened on the Drive about eighteen months ago.  From what I hear, it has already gone through a re-branding — from a high-end place to a more Drive-friendly tapas bar — in that short time.

I liked the decor.  It is mainly dark woods and paint. It reminded me somehow of Carthage Cafe with a difference. At Carthage, the dark woods and furnishings seem enclosed, interior, making it an intimate place. At The Pond, however, this decor is balanced by the street frontage of glass, making it more open and approachable.

Their special tonight was paella at $11.95 for two.  It wasn’t bad, but not spectacular, the tastes not being kept separate but rather muddied into a reasonably tasty but homogenous dish.  I’d be tempted to have it again (because paella is so rare here) but not right away.

They did, however, serve a well-kept Guinness which is worth a lot to me.

Service was OK except in one respect. We made quite a mess with our paella and there were bits of saucy rice across the table when the plates were cleared.  No attempt was made to clean the table and, when the bill came, the waitress put it right on the mess.  A bit casual, that.

The reviews we read beforehand led us to believe that the crabcakes were good, and we planned to have them with or before the paella. But when we ordered, the waitress said thay had sold out and wouldn’t be having any more because (“Oh, didn’t you know?”) this is the last week the Pond will be open.  She suggested that the business had been sold and the new owner would be closing to “make some tweaks.”  Who knows what might be coming?

Anyway. I’m glad we were able to try it before it morphs into something completely different (perhaps).

No More Fun and Games

I am sad to learn that the wonderful Fun and Games toy store on Commercial is about to close. They have been on the street for nearly twenty years and will be sorely missed.  Not too long ago they moved from the north end of the Drive much further south, and I am not sure that move worked well for them.  The opening of Dilly Dally probably didn’t help either.

I wish them the very best of success in their new endeavours.

The Drive Press Release Schedule

Wow!  Looks like I’m going to be busy for the next couple of years if The Drive Press’s release schedule is any indication!

 

No Car Day 2011 — Commercial Drive

I have been to every No Car Day on the Drive; but this was the first one in which I manned a booth and was there for the entire six hours. Crowds were good — almost as busy as Italy Day I would guess — even though the weather was grey and sometimes a bit chilly.  There was only one band that came through — more would have been better — and there were far too few “characters” such as the orange stilt lady:

I was volunteering at the Grandview Woodlands Area Council booth and was able to set aside a corner of the table for my book.  I sold quite a lot, perhaps more than I expected, in cash sales, and I also handed out a lot of business cards that refer to The Drive Press blog.  Even more importantly, I got to meet and chat with a lot of people who have memories of the Drive and who are happy to share their stories.  Here is modern capitalism in action:

We had a number of history-related objects other than my book — maps, etc — and that drove a lot of interest. Next year, for No Car Day, I’d like to work with other locals to have a specific Local History booth.  There are a number of local historians and we could pool our books for sale, brochures, displays etc.   Could be fun.

Will Sign Books For Cash

During the No Car Day festival on Commercial Drive this Sunday between noon and 5pm, I will be at a table near Williams & Commercial where I will be selling signed copies of my book “The Drive” for the wholly reasonable price of $25.  Come on down and say hello!

Great To Be In Canada

Yesterday morning I took part in an excellent two-and-a-half hour history/heritage walk around Commercial Drive and some of the streets east of here.  About thirty or forty of us tramped happily through the neighbourhood led by the brilliant Tour Leader Maurice Guibord.

While the tour was wonderful of itself, I was struck by the fact that though this was the fourth time Maurice has given this tour, it was the first time he had done it in English, the previous tours having been conducted in French. The francophone layer of Vancouver is often well hidden and it was satisfying to see that it exists in a depth able to support such services as heritage tours.

Only in Canada, eh?  Good for us!

 

Italy Day 2011

I have been researching and writing at such a pace in the last week or so that I have quite forgotten to write  here.  We took time on Sunday to take part in Italy Day on Commercial Drive.  The weather was perfect and the crowds looked big and happy.

Almost every eating place on the Drive had a setup out on the street this time – and that sort of pro-activity by the businesses seemed much more interested and committed than I have seen on similar events in recent years.  That’s great!

We also took the opportunity to have brunch at the Libra Room, the first time I have been there since they expanded a couple of years ago.  We liked the atmosphere and the food was immediately reminiscent of the late-lamented Waazubee from a few doors down the street.  They often have live music and their stage can be seen in the image below.

 

“The Cucumber Tree”

I’m a little behind with my blogging so I am only now reporting on a meeting of the Vancouver Historical Society which we attended last Thursday night.   On the last Thursday of most months they have a presentation lecture on a subject of local historical interest.

Last Thursday, Bob Ross took us through “The Cucumber Tree,” his excellent memoir of growing up in Kerrisdale and the Fraser River Flats in the 1940s and 1950s.  It was interesting to listen to what childhood on the almost rural westside was like in those years.  It was so very different from the more industrial inner-city environment that was the lot of those on Commercial Drive.

I’m giving the January lecture by the way. Oddly enough it will be about some parts of my “The Drive.”

“The Drive” Is Published!

My book “The Drive: A Retail, Social and Political History of Commercial Drive to 1956” is now published and available for purchase!

Signed copies can be purchased at The Drive Press website using PayPal.  Copies can also be purchased from CreateSpace.

In about a week, the book will also be available online at Amazon and in person at People’s Co-op Books, 1391 Commercial Drive.

It might be the most interesting read you have this year!

I’m Back!

Where have I been? Here, of course; but my mind has been elsewhere — mostly on the final details of getting my “The Drive” published. This is the cover.

Now that I have gone through a couple of Proofs and the necessary edits, I can pretty much push the Publish button anytime.  However,  I’ve been fussing with email lists, drafting a release letter, getting review copies sent etc etc. I have to follow up on what Amazon needs from me by way of websites, previews etc. With luck I will publish on or about April 15th.

Deathly Hallows At The Rio

We went to the movies yesterday afternoon, to see the latest Harry Potter film.  I am not a big Potter fan; I’ve seen a few of the films and read none of the books.  But the Boss has read them all and seen every one of the movies. She loved it, thought it was just great.  It certainly was well made, but I would have had no idea of the plot without having at least seen the first couple of films. As it was a lot of the background story passed me by.  Still, it was good to be out together.

We went to the Rio at Commercial and Broadway.  The last time we were there was ten years ago when we went to see a documentary about the D’Arcy Island Leper Colony, and the seating was fold-up chairs.  Now, I am happy to report, the Rio has wonderfully comfortable seats, perfectly good for a nap if your mind wanders.

I was also very impressed by the efforts they have made to get local small business to advertize between shows.  The Van East Cinema could learn some useful lessons from them.

Street Art No.1

“Street Art 1” is of a scene from history. This wonderful old bench on Commercial Drive has now disappeared. I still miss it.

Waazubee Is Gone

I was walking along the Drive today and was saddened to see that the Waazubee Cafe has closed.

Ten years ago, we held our wedding reception there; and before that, since it opened, I had been a fixture near the front, writing hundreds of thousands of words in long hand and drinking way too much of their house red wine.  However, we haven’t been there very often over the last few years and no doubt that — along with similar withdrawals by others — helped contribute to its closure.  For us, the main problem was that we moved from Graveley Street, just a block from Waazubee, to the north end of the Drive where other restaurants were more convenient.  The lack of a real patio, and the constant trucks servicing Triple A Produce, didn’t help either.

Still, I am sad to see it disappear along with some great memories.

Carthage Cafe

Carthage Cafe at 1851 Commercial has been open for a while now, a couple of years or more, but I hadn’t had the chance to visit there until today.   A friend who shares a birthday with me in October invited me for lunch and we settled on the Carthage which he has visited several times before.

I have passed by the Cafe scores of times and had never really formed an impression of what it might be like.  But I was still surprised and pleased to find an elegantly dressed and furnished haute Parisian cafe, with decoration that hinted at the warmth of North Africa.  Pleasant saxophone jazz played in the background.  Sparkling silverware and glassware was set on purple and white table linen, and every table was graced with a generous vase of fresh flowers.

Business was light over a rainy lunch hour, but the service was very friendly with good information conveyed about the daily specials.  The menu is short, with mussels or couscous as their signature dish, each with an attractive set of optional Tunisian flavours.  My friend had the daily omelet with salad, and I ordered the Croque Monsieur (to help me relive memories of my youth in Paris.)  It is hard to review a restaurant’s menu over a single meal but both our dishes were perfectly executed and that augers well.

Prices were at standard Drive level, with appetizers at $7 to $10 and entrees between $13 and $18.

I’m already looking forward to my next visit and if you are in the neighbourhood, give it a try.

 

People’s Co-op Bookstore

I have lived on Commercial Drive for twenty years, and I’ve been a member of the People’s Co-op Bookstore almost as long.  Local bookstores, well-run, add depth, freshness and a certain intellectual frisson to any neighbourhood. The collectively operated People’s Co-op Bookstore at 1391 Commercial has done all that for decades.

Although I have been a member for a long time, work and life commitments have previously kept me from being involved in any way other than the occasional purchase.  Now that I have more free time, I thought the least I could do was attend the store collective’s Annual General Meeting last night, and I was glad to find that about 30 other people had been willing to come out on a chilly evening to support the store.

Like many businesses, the last few years have been tough, but the bookstore — supported by a tiny staff and a core of dedicated volunteers, and specialising in social justice, environmental issues and local authors — has survived and there is hope for the future. The store has become a centre for book launches in Vancouver, they are active on Facebook and Twitter (@coopbooks), and have become involved in a number of outside events — good for PR and fund-raising, including Word On The Street tomorrow.

I’m glad I went to the meeting and hope to stay more involved.  If you happen to be on the Drive anytime, stop in the bookstore and take a look around.

Greenscape

“Greenscape” found at Commercial & Venables.

Dim Sum and Some Junk

It was our friend Dave’s birthday today and we celebrated by going to dim sum.  We returned to Szechuan Chonqing and it was just as good the second time even though they didn’t have the wonderful little ribs today.

When we drove back to the Drive, I mentioned that Mintage, a vintage clothing store in the 1700-block, was having a back-alley sale today, with everything priced between $1 and $5, so we took a look.  Well, it was if Value Village had been evicted from their premises and needed to sell clothing on the street.

Or it was if some of the street sellers in the Downtown Eastside had expanded their stock and taken over the entire sidewalk.  There were quite a few people picking through the piles but I was not impressed.  Lawn sales are one thing, but this was just junky.