EASTSIDE CULTURE CRAWL: A Few Minutes With “Astrosatchel” Designer Janna Hurtzig

The Eastside Culture Crawl (November 18, 19, 20) is hands-down one of the best things about Vancouver during November. During The Crawl, painters, sculpters, jewellery designers, carvers, photographers, potters, furniture designers, glass blowers and printmakers on the eastside open their their studios to the public and the nightly vibe of the already cool-as-hell neighbourhood rises to freakin’ awesome levels. The Crawl covers the area between Terminal Avenue to Burrard Inlet between Main Street and Victoria Drive (handy map). This year there will be over 300 artists participating. That’s a lot of ground to cover, and a lot of artists to meet, so we figure it’s a good idea to meet a few of them in advance so as to better familiarise ourselves (and yourselves) with what to expect. First up:  Janna Hurtzig of Astrosatchel.

“Inspired by nature, the Astrosatchel label combines Scandinavian design, Asian pop culture influences and a Canadian cottage feel”. Janna is the driving force behind the iconic eastside tote bags, wallets, diaper bags made from vegan friendly Naugahyde vinyl.

This year, Janna is has thrown a little bit of cashmere into the mix with her Winterluxe line of scarves, mittens, arm warmers, pillows and rugs made using recycled cashmere. Scout was familiar with the Astrosatchel totes and purses (there are more than a few of Janna’s designs floating around the Scout office), but cashmere? It didn’t take much more than a mention of the word paired with Janna’s reputation as a stylin’ seamstress to send us snooping through her eastside studio.  Here’s what we found out…

Three things about Railtown that makes it so awesome: “It seems everyone down here is creative in some manner, so there’s lots of people to draw on for their talents and input. It seems everyone feels a high level of community, which always makes things better. I enjoy working here, and find the semi-industrialness of the area inspiring.”

How many years have you participated in the Eastside Culture Crawl? This is my 7th Eastside Culture Crawl, and it gets better every year.

Three words you would use to describe the ECC to someone who had never attended: Eclectic. Creative. Voyeurism.

What are you most excited to be working on right now? I’m excited to be working on my Winterluxe recycled cashmere line. Sourcing the sweaters is always fun because I never know what I’m going to find, and I love that I can turn something that was once really nice back into something wearable again. In trying to use ‘all the good bits’, I developed my shag technique, which I’ve turned into cushions and rugs.

What inspires you? Seeing poorly designed things inspires me to make things that are better. I draw a lot of inspiration from Canadiana, retro-modern aesthetics, and vintage accessories. At the end of the day, I design for myself and my own needs, which have become more practical, yet decadent over time: my cashmere shag rug is probably my favourite thing I’ve made in ages.

What sort of music do you listen to when you work? I listen to tons of music, mostly indie bands. Sometimes I wish I could listen to two things at once. There’s so much more great music to listen to online through sites like Spinner, Bandcamp and Grooveshark.

Why is Vancouver a good city for art? I think the sheer number of artists working in the city makes Vancouver an excellent place. Art is definitely part of our culture here.

Is there a local designer or artist that you admire above all others? I love the work that Melissa Wong (aka Mel King) is doing. I’m lucky to have some of her geometry based drawings and paintings, but whenever I see her new work, I start thinking “where could that go…” I love abstraction, so her work is something I never get tired of, which is good. I wake up looking at a large piece of hers every morning and it helps me get excited about coming to the studio and being creative.

Three places you like to take out of town guests to show off the art scene in Vancouver: My building (339 Railway) because I know all the artists here personally. This always gives a deeper level to me when I see their art. I like to take people to various arts markets, and events like Eastside Culture Crawl, or Shiny Fuzzy Muddy. Hot One Inch Action (the button trading show) is a riot. There are always lots of openings and events in Gastown, so I think hitting a couple of those is a fun way to spend an evening, and the variety keeps it interesting. I really like Catalog gallery, I always fall in love with whatever they’re showing.

OTHER INTERESTING VANCOUVERITES

SEEN IN VANCOUVER #322: The “Hastings Folk Garden” Is Taking Root On The DTES…

Here’s a birds-eye shot of a work crew installing a new community garden (Hastings Folk Garden) in the empty lot across from Save On Meats on the 100 block of West Hastings, just two doors down from InSite (as seen from reader’s apartment). This city just gets better every day…

SEEN IN VANCOUVER #321: A Sign Of The Times Outside The DTES’ Dunlevy Snackbar

EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER

How To Help Out Hungry Local Kids Over Thanksgiving Without Spending Any Money

This Thanksgiving, we’re asking Scout readers to do something for disadvantaged kids in our community without spending a dime. The Vancouver Inner-city Backpack Food Program runs out of the Strathcona Community Centre and provides nutritious snacks and meals for food-insecure children (elementary schoolchildren and their siblings) on the weekends when they aren’t assured nourishment at school.

Inner-city children face food insecurity on a regular basis, which affects their behavior in the short term and their overall health and development in the long-term. Children who are hungry or undernourished are more likely to become sick, miss school, exhibit behavior problems, and fall behind in class. By offering a weekend food program for children, we will be able to provide many benefits including: increased ability to participate in recreation, close the gap of food insecurity over the weekend, help improve attention span and behavior during the week in school, mentoring interpersonal and communication skills to the children who received the backpacks, providing leadership and pre-employment training to youth volunteers.

The program is looking for funding from the Aviva Community Fund to purchase food that cannot be obtained from a food bank (think dairy, fresh fruits and vegetables). In order to secure that dosh, they need your vote. That is all. Many thanks, Happy Thanksgiving, and be sure to pass this on.

Chambar Veterans Eleanor Chow & Slavita Johnson Opening “Cadeaux” On The DTES

by Claire Lassam | With big name bakeries like Thierry opening up downtown it takes no small amount of confidence to open another beside the Number 5 Orange strip club on the DTES, but that’s the plan for young, first timer owners Eleanor Chow and Slavita Johnson. The Chambar alumni have big ideas for 172/178 Powell Street (at Main). It’s a new building in an area that’s quickly changing (see Big Lou’s and Two Chefs & A Table), and their plan – with me as their assistant – is to change up French classics with local ingredients (think perfect French macarons with cranberries, cakes seasoned with fresh herbs and more). They want to make the place feel cozy, clean and warm, and with the help of designer Craig Stangetta (see Revolver, Meat & Bread, Pizzeria Farina), that’s unlikely to be a problem.

Slavita has already started collecting cake stands in her apartment, and in less than 3 months they hope to debut the room with its huge glass counters displaying everything from cookies to wedding cakes. The most important thing, Eleanor says, is “to make food that we want to eat.” That means unfussy and unpretentious but still executed with the techniques she and Slavita learned from working desserts and pastries at places like Lumiere and Blue Water Cafe.

They’re hoping to include the greater community by naming ice creams after friends and local celebrities, and to make it a spot that people commuting downtown from anywhere east of Main St. can grab their morning coffee or pick up dessert on their way home. If all goes according to plan, expect a pre-Christmas splash. In the meantime, I, their trusty assistant, will continue making pastries (sold at the Dirty Apron Delicatassen) and getting excited for opening day.

ALL ANTICIPATED RESTAURANTS

Claire Lassam is a baker, blogger, and freelance writer based in East Van. She has been cooking and baking her way through the city for nearly five years, working in restaurants ranging from Cioppino’s to Meat & Bread. She currently toils at the soon-to-open Cadeaux Bakery in Railtown and runs the baking blog  Just Something Pretty.

VANCOUVER AT WORK #7: Multimedia Mastery At Gastown’s “Sharks + Hammers”

Reader “A.U” | Sharks & Hammers | Gastown | 3:45pm

“Designing take out chopstick packaging graphics while listening to a YouTube playlist of Charles Bradley.”

With Vancouver At Work, we invite Scout readers to send in photos of their work spaces, be they home offices, corporate cubicles, artist studios, fishing boats, bars or kitchen lines. It’s a lot like our View From Your Window feature, only you tell us your initials, your title at work, your place of work (optional), the neighbourhood, and the time the photo was taken with “Vancouver At Work” in the subject line. Photos and info should be sent to scoutmagazine [at] gmail [dot com], and need to be as high res as the sender can manage. Cell phone shots will do if they are no smaller than 588px wide. Now get snapping!

DINER: Josh Pape And James Iranzad To Open 115 Seat Restaurant On Hastings

by Andrew Morrison | Good news, gluttony fans. Local restaurateurs James Iranzad (Abigail’s Party, Cartel) and Josh Pape (former Bartender of the Year, co-owner of The Diamond) have picked up the voluminous, 2,400 sqft space at 120 Hastings across from the Woodwards complex with plans for turning it into a new restaurant and bar by February 2012. They’ve only just signed the lease on the newly renovated (read: empty) location, but trades have nevertheless made their assessments and the keys are in hand. The board is set. The pieces are moving. I can’t wait for this one. Read more

GOODS: “Two Chefs & A Table” Looking To Hire Experienced Servers At Both Locations

Two Chefs And A Table is located at 305 Alexander Street | 778- 233-1303 | www.twochefsandatable.com

The GOODS from Two Chefs And A Table

Vancouver, BC | Two Chefs & A Table is looking for part-time servers for both its Richmond and Vancouver locations to work flexible shifts at either location (catering and serving). Candidates should email their detailed resumes to info@twochefsandatable.com. For more information on Two Chefs & A Table, click after the jump… Read more

GOODS: Railtown’s “Big Lou’s” Taking Pre-Orders For Thanksgiving Turkeys And More

Big Lou's Butcher Shop is located at 269 Powell Street in Vancouver, BC | 604-566-9229 | www.biglousbutchershop.com

The GOODS from Big Lou’s

Vancouver, BC | The weather outside might still say summer, but the calendar says that Thanksgiving is just around the corner and with only four weeks until the big day, it’s an ideal time to pre order the centrepiece of your feast. Big Lou’s Butcher Shop is accepting pre-orders for two varieties of turkey and our own housemade Turducken and all Thanksgiving orders placed by September 25th will be eligible for a 10 percent discount off the listed prices after the jump… Read more

Seen In Vancouver #316: “The Wilder Snail” Guides Folks Through To Success In Life

As seen on the chalk sandwich board outside The Wilder Snail at Keefer and Hawkes in Strathcona.

EVERYTHING SEEN IN VANCOUVER

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