DINER: 243 Union Street In Strathcona Set To Become Locavore Grocer Called “Harvest”

by Andrew Morrison | Back in September of 2011, we posted about “This Space”, a little 600sqft box at 243 Union St. that needed a concept…

This Space is a community business project situated at 243 Union Street in Vancouver’s Chinatown/Strathcona neighbourhood. Over the coming months, a series of polls will allow people to vote on the various decisions needed to start a business in This Space. From big decisions such as “What type of business?”, to simpler questions like “What art should design the walls?”, the community will help us decide every aspect of This Space. If you live, work or play near This Space, you can vote on these and other questions. We encourage comments and discussion on all related topics. Every question will be important in building a sustainable business that your community needs. If you have skills, there will be opportunities along the way to work for This Space.

Anyway, the resounding consensus from the neighbourhood was to have it become a food store/grocery. And so it will be, which is cool, because we sure could use another one around here – one that offers better produce than the stuff we get a block away in Chinatown. “Harvest” is due in roughly two weeks, and will be open from 10am to 9pm, which would make it the only late suppertime ingredient-sourcing option around (nearby Benny’s shuts at 6:30pm). Here’s a conceptual look at the front branding…

It’s owned by Michael Leung, a 38 year old who returned from nearly two years of working development projects in Afghanistan (yikes) this past March. He’s looking to stock the shelves with local produce with help from Food Tree’s Anthony Nicalo (think CSAs, innercity farms). The cooler and freezer will be filled with dairy from Birchwood and Golden Ears, meats from Two Rivers and Maple Hill, and seafood from Daily Catch. I spied a pair of induction cookers while taking a look this afternoon, so there will be a limited hot food side of the operation as well. I’m told that we can expect creuset pots – stews, curries, and the like – as well as soups, sandwiches, and a steam bun or two. Word is that Top Chef competitor Trevor Bird is helping him get started in the chow department. Take a look below…

ALL ANTICIPATED OPENINGS

There are 4 comments

Heather says:

Mar 15, 2012 at 4:43 pm

Help — my sarcasm meter is broken. You’re kidding about needing a grocer in Chinatown, right…?

Either way, stoked for even more variety in the ‘hood.
Scout Magazine says:

Mar 15, 2012 at 4:45 pm

A grocery with local, organic, sustainable meats and seafood, plus produce from CSAs… that’s a different thing entirely.
Geoffro says:

Mar 15, 2012 at 6:05 pm

So happy for Mike, and my neighbourhood, which needs ideas like this. Despite the silly prattling of a few about “marketing gimmicks” and “crowd-sourcing” I love this for the ‘hood, and will be patronizing the hell out of it.
Pam & Finnigan says:

Mar 22, 2012 at 12:02 am

I think it is a unique and crucial opportunity for our neighborhood: to ask us what we want. This has never happened before and there has been a cry for local, organic, sustainable, fresh produce and seafood. This can not be bought hardly at all in Strathcona and is a huge need. Although we have a massive collection of produce in chinatown – I think 0- 0.2% of it is organic and certainly not local and I am afraid we live in a world now where we must support our bodies and our communities with locally sourced food. It would be cool for you to have a resource book so that people can come in and look at your different suppliers, the farms you are using, some info on them so we know what we are buying – like spuds organic website – or a website, whatever is easiest, because I think you will be inundated by local health foodies and those who are eager or maybe even skeptical about why things may cost more than a 29 cent potato in china town. I think this will be essential to our community, especially the organic , local part as there are so few organic food opportunities here.

If you have carry organic produce them, I for one will be buying.

I would also love to see an organic juice bar with wheatgrass – amazing for the health of our community .There are so few in the city and I really think it could be an asset to your business and to the health of the community. You could have a to-go juice bar and healthy snack bar window for those riding by on bikes. They wouldn’t even have to dismount.

When do you open? whatever you do, keep it fun and hip and youthful – these are the new poeple now coming to our community, alternative and those who care. It is nice to see. There are many artists in the community and maybe you could have some kind of art competition to pick the art that would be presented in your store – it would have to be Chinatown/ Strathcona – based – tons of renowned artists here!!!!

Keep the conversation going and thanks for asking.

All the best and luck in opening, I look forward to it.

Cheers
Pam & Fin

Reverence, Respect, and Realization: What The Acorn Taught Me

At 21 years old, I'm still just a kid and relatively new to working in restaurants, but I grew up umbilically tied to the hospitality industry. My father was a food writer, and my mother is a photographer. Their careers meant that most of my early years were spent in kitchens and dining rooms instead of on playgrounds and soccer fields; consequently, I learned my table manners before I could count past one hundred.