Our location at Yates St. is a bit of a disconnect for some people. They don’t like the overhead lighting and “corporate-consumerist” environment of the “mall”. Well, we see it more as a  side street of an urban village! If you look at the other ground floor tenants, there are no multinational chains there… Magazine House provides some of the most radical and obscure magazines. Marilee at Mirage Coffee provides wonderful espressos and specialty coffee drinks in beautiful surroundings. Souped Up  provides hearty soups and sandwiches. The artists at  Alchemy Hair Salon and Spa have quickly become one of the premier spots to achieve “the look” in the city and the wonderful flowers from Poppies constantly serve as an inspiration to me.  Kane Straith’s focus on quality and extreme personal service could never be considered “corporate”. We even have a dentist! And all of these businesses are  locally owned and operated. No, speaking as an urban/cultural geographer (yes, in a previous time, I (Tamara) completed both a  BA and an MA in geography!), I don’t consider 735 Yates St. to be a mall environment at all.

Nevertheless, the question remains… why didn’t we find a cozier spot?

Actually, it’s the people. The building is owned by the Mc Coll family. We met Fraser and and his family back when we were located in the tiny space on View Street and in the View St Parkade (anybody remember “Toro”?). Having lived several years in Latin America they immediately understood what  we were about and they offered us this larger space in their building. We accepted. And for us, it’s all about relationships.

Hmmm, some of you might have noticed that the building at 735 isn’t quite as “corporate” as you might first think. Next time you’re in, pay attention to all the artistic details that the Mc Coll family have included: the artistic handles on the doors, the gorgeous hanging angel wing, the beautiful mural in homage to their homeland on the View St. side and the Camel’s head.

We will continue to nest in our cozy Bay Street location, but due to urban planning constraints (and our own personal energy limits), we can only host a limited number of guests there. Meanwhile, the Mc Coll family continue’s to provide us with a venue where we can accommodate many more patrons!