A pop-up store will appear at the old Duchess Bake Shop on 124th Street on March 24 and 25, 2012.

EDMONTON — The old Duchess Bake Shop will be hosting an array of local vendors for a “pop-up” craft sale this weekend in order to promote shopping local.

The old bake shop space, right next to the new shop, on 10724 124 St., has hosted a number of events since moving into the new location in November of last year.

Shop owner Garner Beggs says he wants to use the open space to give “getting-out-of-the-gate entrepreneurs” a chance. His idea came about because of a larger issue with the city.

“Commercial real estate is insanely expensive here in Edmonton and sometimes independent and interesting business entrepreneurs don’t get a chance.”

For the uninitiated, a pop-up sale is a sale that temporarily turns empty commercial space into a shopping space and gives shoppers the chance to discover new local artists, crafters and handmade artisans.

On the Spot Pop-Up Craft Sale manager Marissa Loewen chose to have her next event in the space because of her fondness of the 124^th Street area.

“I want to raise awareness about really amazing handmade vendors by shopping local without the big box store mentality.”

The Pop-Up sale is happening on March 24 and 25 and will be running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with 12 different vendors selling a little bit of everything such as clothing, jewelry, home décor, cartoon illustrations and paintings.

The next sale will be on April 14 and 15 and boasts 15 vendors for customers to meet.

For more information about the upcoming “pop-up” sales, click here.

crippswoodse@mymail.macewan.ca

(From left) Megan Dart, Idris Fashan and Kathleen Tribiger speak with students during an entrepreneurial workshop at MacEwan's west-end campus on March 15, 2012. Photograph by Aaron Taylor.

EDMONTON — The entrepreneurial spirit was alive and well on March 15, when three alumni of MacEwan returned to share their experience and knowledge about starting a business.

Megan Dart, Idris Fashan and Kathleen Tribiger, spent an hour fielding questions from MacEwan’s students’ association worker Amanda Sampson as well as roughly 30 other students.

Each panel member has achieved success through entrepreneurial means since graduating. Dart is the artistic producer of Catch the Keys, a company that works to create, produce and publicize unique arts-based events in Edmonton.

Fashan runs Red Paper Clip, a company that helps drive web traffic to his clients’ sites. And Tribiger founded KEA Media and Design, where she provides full multimedia and graphic design services for her clients.

“We want to inspire current students and future grads that these are things that prior students are achieving,” Sampson said of the importance of each panel member’s presence. “We take in a lot of knowledge here, but we don’t necessarily know what steps to take once we are out of school.”

Each speaker offered a unique perspective on how to do just that.

“The biggest piece of advice I would give is to get a mentor, and build your portfolio while your in school,” Dart said. “It is the single best tool I took from my program… It shows that you have creativity, and drive.”

Fashan was adamant about developing personal brands and being realistic about personal strengths and weaknesses.

“Never eat lunch alone,” he said. “And be able to identify and self-monitor. Be able to identify where you’re weak, but be good to yourself about it.”

Success doesn’t just happen — you have to work for it.

“There’s a lot of people out of work, so it’s really important to work as hard as you can to make the success that you want,” Tribiger said. “You may be given opportunities to be successful, but you have to make yourself successful.”

The next student association workshop will be on March 28 at 5 p.m. in Room 157 of the Centre for the Arts and Communication campus. The Edmonton arts council will be coming in to educate arts students about grant options that are open to them.

“They are going to tell people what they can get money for, how to go about applying, how to write proposals, and what grants are available,” Sampson said.

Students interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP in the students’ association office in advance.

TaylorA32@mymail.macewan.ca

EDMONTON — The mysterious “girl with the red scarf” billboards that have been plaguing the minds of some Edmontonians have finally revealed their purpose.

To the disappointment of many romantics, it was revealed Feb. 7 that the billboards were Now! 102.3 Radio’s new advertising campaign. The billboard that revealed the true purpose of the messages read “Hey Red Scarf Girl! Prince Charming is looking for u. Can we help? Text us 56789,” and displayed Now Radio’s logo on the side.

One of the "girl in the red scarf" billboards that reveals that the boards were an ad campaign for Now 102.3 Radio spotted downtown Edmonton on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

The billboards, spotted all over the city for approximately a month, featured simple messages addressed to a girl wearing a red scarf. The messages appeared to be from someone who had seen her at Grandin LRT station, saying things like “Girl with the red scarf: Saw you at Grandin LRT… can we meet?” or “Girl with the red scarf: It’s been weeks. Sigh… :-( Should I move on?”

The billboards had Edmontonians talking for weeks, something that J.R. Shaw School of Business marketing professor Teresa Sturgess said is one of the most effective marketing techniques you can use.

“These ads generated intrigue and heightened awareness of the message by consumers as they drove by these boards,” she said. “It takes a lot in a very cluttered marketplace to get our attention as consumers.”

Sturgess, who prior to the unveiling believed the boards might have been for a new dating service in town, said that Now Radio’s campaign cut through all the noise of advertising by playing on natural human curiosity.

“It becomes something the regular passerby wants to resolve,” she said. “They start to pay more attention to the string of messages.  Human beings are naturally curious creatures. It’s our nature.  We want to solve this puzzle — who is behind this? We may start to ask people, chat about it or hunt out information online. We want to know where is this going.”

Signs of curiosity showed up online in the weeks following the boards debut, with a blog post, numerous tweets and Facebook posts, and even a short article on the Metro News website. Speculations as to what the boards were all about range from reasonable to zany. Here are some examples of what Edmontonians thought:

• A rich gentleman attempting to get the attention of a woman he saw wearing a red scarf
• Advertising campaign for Edmonton Transit
• Advertising campaign for a billboard company itself
• Manufacturer of red scarves
• A lead-up to an event

Of course, the most popular speculation was that it was a man trying to contact a woman he saw wearing a red scarf at the LRT station, but some people had a hunch that it was Now Radio all along.

Back in 2010, Now Radio had put out another series of “teaser” billboards that first simply read “When?” to get people talking. The next installment of the boards read “Soon” and then finally, when the station went on air Feb. 23, 2010, they read “Now!”

Before the unveiling, West Edmonton Local tried to contact Pattison Ads for comment on the boards, but they could not give any information due to a client confidentiality contract, giving a hint that the source of the boards was commercial rather than private.

The red scarf girl boards had been sighted in these spots, among others:

• 156 Street and 111 Avenue
• 50 Street and 68 Avenue
• 99 Street and 63 Avenue
• 82 Street and 112 Ave
• Near Grandin LRT Station
• Near Stadium LRT Station

wilsonyorka@mymail.macewan.ca

EDMONTON — Residents of several communities along Stony Plain Road will have the opportunity to see the final concept for the area’s streetscape project in a public information session later this month.

The meeting, to be held Feb. 15 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Westlawn Chapel, aims to give people who live in Canora, Britannia-Youngstown, West Jasper Place and Glenwood a chance to check out the city’s final plans, based in part of feedback collected at a Jan. 31 open house and through written surveys.

The Stony Plain Road streetscape project is in its concept phase. The City hopes to get some opinions from the public on the project. Photograph by Lacey Morris.

“This is going to be a huge lift for the whole area,” said George Abma, a 22-year resident of west Edmonton, who attended the Jan. 31 open house along with about 70 other people.

The concept included widening of sidewalks, a strong emphasis on more lighting, updated street signs and gateways. The concept was met with mixed reviews from the public in attendance due to the conflicts with the proposed west-end LRT line.

“Why would the city spend all this money to fix Stony Plain Road when they’re gonna have to dig it up later to put in the LRT?” said Shirley T., who has lived in the west end for 68 years.

While plans for the west LRT have been approved, no funding has been approved and no timelines are set to begin building, said Waqar Syed, senior engineer for the city of Edmonton.

“There could be a five-, 10- or 15-year wait until the plans are in motion to begin construction of the LRT,” Syed said at Tuesday’s meeting. “Stony Plain Road needs the revitalization now.”

Most attendees were positive towards the esthetic upgrades in the first concept and gave their input on which designs would work best for Stony Plain Road.

Fixing up Stony Plain Road is a part of a much broader project, the Jasper Place Revitalization project. The project covers a number of initiatives that are all aiming for the same target — that is, to help make the area a place where people will want to live, work and play, as the City of Edmonton website states.

The project falls within the Stony Plain Road and Area Business Revitalization Zone, which ultimately aims to improve the area through:

• Streetscape improvements
• Joint promotions and festivals
• Economic development initiatives
• Façade improvement program

The Façade Improvement Program provides grants to business owners to help make their buildings more esthetically pleasing. Alberta Avenue, for example, was spruced up in part through the program.

The Feb. 15 open house at Westlawn Chapel, 16310 Stony Plain Rd., is open to the public.

MorrisL26@mymail.macewan.ca
LoutanT@mymail.macewan.ca

EDMONTON — Community restoration is amping up in parts of west Edmonton with a program that improves the esthetics of run-down businesses as well as streetscape renovations to take place next year.

The Façade and Storefront Improvement Program is a project funded by the city that encourages businesses to renovate and spruce up the exteriors of their properties.

The program provides businesses with matching grants, meaning the business has to match the amount the grant is worth. The grants are usually about $30,000, from the program’s yearly budget of about $900,000.

“Depending on the building, it can go quite a ways,” said Lara Pinchbeck, the planner for the program. “We look at sprucing up the look of the building, the front of it, new materials, sometimes the configuration of where the door is, and the windows.”

The project, which has been in operation for about 10 years, tries to work within business revitalization zones such as Stony Plain Road and 124^th Street.

Revolution Cycle, a bike shop located at 15103 Stony Plain Road, is signed up to do a renovation with the program next year. The rusty railings on the sidewalk will be fixed up, new post signage and lighting will be added, and some stucco work will be done. The building is a decent size, so Pinchbeck says the program will do as much as it can with the budget.

Revolution Cycle, located at 15103 Stony Plain Road, has plans with the Facade and Storefront Improvement Program to fix up the railings and crumbly sidewalk to improve business. Photograph by Anna-Grae York.

“We primarily work in parts of the street that are pedestrian-focused because we’re trying to make really active, animated, fun, diverse, interesting walking streets,” said Pinchbeck. “Whyte Avenue is a good example of the kind of street we’d like to work towards.

The results of the project can be seen in areas such as Alberta Avenue, which is where Pinchbeck estimates about a third of all its projects have taken place.

“Twelve, 15 years ago the area was in really rough shape, it was not a safe area,” she said. “People did not want to visit that area at all, let alone do any kind of shopping or have a business there.

“And now, we’re seeing that there’s a big influx of people from the rest of the city to come to that place and see that it’s fun and there’s different things that can happen. And what we’re seeing is a lot of businesses that might have been struggling for a long time are now flourishing.”

Restoration in the city will go even further next year, as the city has plans to renovate the entire streetscape of particular areas.

Stony Plain Road is one of those target areas. Configuration of the sidewalk, street furniture such as lamps, garbage cans and benches, and overall appearance of the streetscape will be taken in to consideration. Pinchbeck would like to focus the project on the part of Stony Plain Road between about 151^st and 156^th streets at the same time as the city will be doing these renovations.

Diane Kereluk, executive director of the Stony Plain Road and Area Business Association, is excited about the impacts the project is making in the area.

“It’s working really well,” she said. “It’s a positive program that we hope more and more people will take advantage of.”

Kereluk says that West End Exchange, a Stony Plain Road pawn shop, is doing well since it took advantage of the program, and she hopes the same will happen for the Revolution Cycle building. West End Exchange had an exterior makeover that included new signage and stonework to give it a more modern, inviting look.

“I think it’s a psychological thing,” said Pinchbeck. “I think that we’re all, as humans, attracted to a little bit of change.”

The Façade and Storefront Improvement Program has a sister program called the Development Incentive program. It takes under-used commercial buildings as well as empty lots and develops them, sometimes adding residential units on the upper levels to support the businesses below. Pinchbeck has plans to give some landowners a tour down the strip between 151^st and 156^th streets to see if it is a program they’d like to take advantage of.

wilsonyorka@mymail.macewan.ca

EDMONTON — A west Edmonton deli business is rebranding itself to show its dedication to preparing and serving local food.

Cameron Jordan and Louis Hamel, owners of Careit Urban Deli, are looking to refresh their look as Modern Chefs Going Local on their website. They want to emphasize the fact that they use all local food and products within their two stores, located in Crestwood on 9672 142 St. and in the Hamptons on 5236 199 St. in Hemingway Plaza.

“We source all of our products locally,” said Jordan. “Everything from our homemade soups to our bread that we use to make sandwiches is from local producers.”

The local food movement has been growing throughout North America as people recognize the nutritional, environmental and economic benefits of eating food close to home. The Live Local movement that Careit belongs to is a part of that.

The Live Local group aims to support independent entrepreneurs, keep locally owned businesses in business, and get people working together to create healthy, vibrant communities. Live Local’s Jessie Radies, who owns Blue Pear restaurant is a strong supporter of sourcing locally.

“Living local allows us to build communities I want to live in,” said Radies. “I wish there were 20 of them (Careit Urban Deli’s) instead of two.”

Careit mainly specializes in making quick and healthy take-away meals. However, it also has a fresh meat section and an in-house baked goods menu. The only items not sourced locally in the store are some of the spices; that makes an 80/20 ratio of local versus essential exports.

However, Jordan admits having a profitable business is hard. Right now 90 per cent of the customers are construction workers who are working on roads close to Careit. On the slow days, Jordan has had to send employees home because there just weren’t enough people walking through the door. He won’t change his commitment to local food, though. He says there’s value in knowing exactly where the food is coming from and Careit’s customers also appreciate the effort taken to live local.

“They are the epitome of a great local business,” said Radies.

Jordan and Hamel worked as chefs before they decided to open shop together four years ago. Both graduates of NAIT’s food service program; Jordan and Hamel have experience working for some of the top restaurants in the city.

Jordan has been a chef for 13 years now and said he knows how to make a profit no matter how hard it becomes to stay local. “We have zero waste on everything we bring in and use,” said Jordan.

Jordan says Careit’s success stems from popularity with locals and making an experience for every customer.

“We’re friendly, we know what we’re talking about and we get to know people by their first name,” he said.

crippswoodse@mymail.macewan.ca

EDMONTON — The West Edmonton Mall marine life staff moved two penguins from the underground aquarium to Santa’s North Pole on Dec. 10.

The staff set up an area for patrons to look at the penguins at Santa Claus’s headquarters at the mall. They are to make a return appearance to Phase 1 of the mall on Dec. 17 at 1 p.m.

Check out some sights and sounds of the event:

GerwingT@mymail.macewan.ca

EDMONTON — Construction of the Glenora Skyline condominium development is set to begin January, and will drastically change the corner of Stony Plain Road and 142 Street.

Construction of the Glenora Skyline Condo project is set to begin in January. The Foot Clinic, EarthTones Garden Shoppe and the Glenora Village Strip Mall will be demolished and replaced by three residential towers. Photograph by Tejay Gardiner.

The luxury tri-tower condominium complex will be located on the northeast corner of the intersection. City council approved the development in 2004 but construction was put on hold until plans for the LRT were finalized, Skyline general manager Brenda Maier said.

“Now that that is virtually done, we will be starting construction in January of 2012,” she said.

Three businesses have been bought out and will need to relocate to accommodate the new development. The first is the Foot Clinic. A sign posted on its front entrance alerts patients the clinic will be moving Dec. 23 and will re-open on Jan. 3 at Suite 128, 17010 90 Ave. in Westgate Centre across from West Edmonton Mall.

Dr. Richard Bochinski said he wasn’t too concerned about relocating the 16-year-old clinic.

“It’s part of business,” he said. “We haven’t had any complaints from our patients.”

The development project may be a larger concern for residents of the area, he said.

“I’m glad I don’t live here, because when construction starts it will be a nightmare for traffic.”

The Foot Clinic will be demolished in January, and construction of the first tower is to begin immediately.

“The first tower will take about 20 months,” Maier said. “But if it sells out quickly then we are just going to automatically start the foundation of the second tower.”

The second tower will be built where EarthTones Garden Shoppe currently resides. Tower 3 will sit where the Glenora Village strip mall is, and by the end of construction, the busy intersection will boast three 14-floor residential towers of granite and glass.

“This is going to be an upper-end project definitely,” Maier said. “We are looking at professional people, or those that are looking to downsize.”

The condo units are adult only, said Maier. A standard 1179-square-foot suite, with two bedrooms and two baths, will start at $765,000. Buyers also have the option to jazz up an already luxurious condo, with add-ons such as a feature wall, home-theatre wiring, remote control curtains and an in-suite waterfall.

When the Skyline project was originally introduced in 2004, both the Glenora and Grovenor communities had concerns about the scale of the project. Residents were worried about traffic increases for an already congested intersection. There was also concern about the esthetics of the buildings and how they would mesh with the family-friendly vibe of the surrounding communities.

Now that the project is revived, surrounding communities have received flyers in their mailboxes, said Beth Sanders, president of Glenora Community League. Sanders thinks the developers are hoping to sell to residents in the area.

“I haven’t heard any recent concerns, but I think we are all still waiting to see if it actually happens,” she said.

Erin Mirth, the new president of the Grovenor Community League, said she is hoping that the project will revitalize the corner.

“Personally I think it’s good as long as it is family-friendly, and there are plans for traffic and parking,” Mirth said.

Sanders said that once construction starts, the community would want to make sure that traffic impact is minimal and the construction site is kept tidy, but she doesn’t anticipate any problems.

“From the contracting side we’re hoping they will be good neighbours,” Sanders said. The residents who move into the Skyline condos will be welcomed, she said.

“We look forward to them being there.”

GardinerT3@mymail.macewan.ca

A stack of coupons on a kitchen table on Nov. 24, 2011. Photograph by Heather Rastas

EDMONTON — Couponing can save money, but when it gets extreme, it isn’t much of a bargain, says a couple of Edmonton couponers.

In the TLC show Extreme Couponing, shoppers plan and plot their shopping trips to save hundreds of dollars on purchases. The people depicted on the show go to extremes to find extraordinary deals.

Sheri Landry, the administrator of the couponing blog This Bird’s Day, believes shows like Extreme Couponing are not always a good thing. “The extreme couponing and such, it’s driven a lot of people to hoard coupons and buy a whole lot of products that they don’t necessarily need,” says Landry.

Landry, a west Edmonton resident, created the blog in April of 2009.

Landry became interested in couponing after she went on maternity leave after the birth of her first daughter. The solution to going down to one income was to “start looking at different ways that we could make up for the money that was lacking,” says Landry.

This Bird’s Day provides information about couponing, deals that are going on and links to helpful coupons.

Couponing has gained more popularity since shows like Extreme Couponing have come out. The people on Extreme Couponing spend many hours per week organizing coupons and planning shopping trips.

One of the biggest downfalls of the show is that the extreme couponers are buying “hundreds of items at the time, often the same time,” says Lori Godin, the administrator of the blog Frugal Edmonton Mama, via e-mail. “You need to find the balance between the products you use, the products you buy and those sales that aren’t really relevant to you.”

Two trends to watch for in Canada are coupon stacking and coupon trains.

Coupon stacking is when you take multiple coupons for the same product with different UPCs and use them all toward the purchase of one item in a single purchase. An example of this would be if you have a manufacturer coupon and store coupon for the same chair. If you put both coupons towards the same chair when you buy it, you are coupon stacking.

With a coupon train, you sort through your coupons and take out the ones you don’t need. Then you stick the coupons you don’t need into an envelope and mail it to another couponer. That friend picks out what he or she needs, adds more unwanted coupons and sends the envelope to someone else.

rastash@mymail.macewan.ca

EDMONTON — A tiny gem of a shop specializing in restored goods from the 1950’s to the 1980’s has found its niche on 124 Street, even though it is open rarely.

Populuxe, located just off the increasingly popular 124 Street at 12407 108 Ave., is a small, one-room shop that sells quirky pieces that have been restored to their former glory.

A display of retro furniture at Populuxe, a shop that sells houseware peices from the 1950's to the 1980's just off of 124 Street. The table in the photograph is teak, a furniture material that Populuxe employees say is in high demand right now. Photograph by Anna-Grae York.

Funky lamps, tiki statues, shaggy rugs, and colorful blown glass are among the treasures that can be found inside (check out our Populuxe photo gallery), but don’t expect them to be there for long. Owner Tony Vesseur says that if an item is interesting enough, it will be sold the same day it was brought in. In fact, some items will even spark disputes between customers.

“Sometimes I’ll have two or three people fighting over an item,” he says. “It’s a small store, so the turnover is pretty high.”

Vesseur acquires the items from auctions and elsewhere, and fixes them up himself. He says the items have to meet his standards before he can sell them—which means they must look like new.

“I’m one of the pickiest people I know,” he says. “Some people ask if the items are new. They can’t believe they’re old.”

The shop, which has been open nearly seven years, has a base of regulars who keep coming back for more treasure.

Populuxe is only open from noon to 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, as Vesseur’s health won’t allow him to be open any more than that per week right now. He has had operations recently that make it hard for him to be open all the time, but the small window of business arguably makes Populuxe wares an even bigger commodity.

However, Judy Smith of the 124 Street and Area Business Association says that although the association wishes Populuxe would be open more, the shop is still an important institution of the 124 Street area.

“They’ve been there a long time, and it seems to be working for them,” she said. “So as long as they’re happy, we’re happy.”

Vesseur has a couple more surgeries in sight, but says that as soon as he’s all healed up from those, he has plans to be open a lot more. Vesseur also works on finding and restoring furniture for the store during the week, so staying open all week would be difficult at this point.

Jody Boras of i.d.ah Interiors talks about how she’s used vintage and retro items in her clients homes in our slideshow:

wilsonyorka@mymail.macewan.ca