3/50 Project: Adhesif Clothing

We've posted before about the 3/50 Project to support local businesses. We'd love it if Green Earth Organics' members would send us information about their favourite local, independently-owned stores and restaurants. If you would like to share your hidden gem, please email info@greenearthorganics.com with about 200 to 300 words, including their address and their website if applicable, and let us know what name you'd like on the article. We deliver as far out as North Vancouver, Abbotsford, Maple Ridge, and all points in between, so please feel free to share your favourites outside of Vancouver too.

Adhesif Clothing by Melissa

The Adhesif Clothing Company store is a bit off the beaten track, being a couple of blocks below Broadway on Main Street (at 2202 Main), set apart from both the SkyTrain traffic and the boutiques that populate south of Broadway. But if you're an eco-conscious fashion-lover, or have one on your Christmas list, this is a place to check out.

Melissa Ferreira, the Vancouver designer behind the label and store, was inspired through her work as a buyer in the vintage clothing industry. Melissa takes vintage clothing and re-makes them into eye-catching creations. All of these one-of-a-kind items are produced in Vancouver, making them ecologically and socially sustainable.

I went into this store to find a birthday gift for my sister and found lots to choose from. With the help of the very nice lady behind the counter (who realized very quickly that I am out of my element when it comes to fashion), I selected a reversible "suit wrap" scarf, made of suiting material. Other items that I considered included an adorable hat that was aviation-inspired, some fingerless gloves (a big seller for them), and some very unique jewelry pieces.

You can get some idea of what they make by looking at the website, but I think seeing the pieces in person was much better. Since most items included multiple fabrics and incorporate techniques such as applique, the textures of the pieces was part of the charm for me.

Since each item is unique, sizing will vary. I think that if I wanted to get anyone one of the sweater-jackets, I'd probably go with a gift certificate. If you are buying for someone else, the accessories are a safer bet. Either way, Adhesif is a nice way to add some eco-friendly fashion to a loved one's closet, or to your own.

3/50 Project: Scraps

We've posted before about the 3/50 Project to support local businesses. We'd love it if Green Earth Organics' members would send us information about their favourite local, independently-owned stores and restaurants. If you would like to share your hidden gem, please email info@greenearthorganics.com with about 200 to 300 words, including their address and their website if applicable, and let us know what name you'd like on the article. We deliver as far out as North Vancouver, Abbotsford, Maple Ridge, and all points in between, so please feel free to share your favourites outside of Vancouver too.

Scraps: The Green General Store by Melissa

Scraps is a fairly new store, having opened in June 2010. The owners, Christina Mearns and Cara Adams, started with the idea to carry only items made of reused and re-purposed materials, but soon expanded their vision to include items that would replace wasteful or environmentally harmful items.

My favourite items by far - and the first things on my Christmas wish list - were the Boris Brothers messenger bags. They are made of used vinyl advertising banners, including some of the piles of banners that were used only during the Olympics. These banners are non-recyclable, so these bags, besides being weather-proof, colourful, and fun, are diverting non-biodegradable materials from the landfill.

The other items that intrigued me were the bulk hair and skin care products from Carina Organics. These are locally made products and Scraps sells them by the millilitre. I will be bringing my own bottle from home next time so I can give them a try.

The store isn't completely full yet, but Christina and Cara have placed orders and are expecting to starting to have a lot more in stock as the Christmas shopping season starts. The customer service was delightful: very friendly and welcoming. I put in a request for some handkerchiefs, and they promised to give me a call when they come in. I'm looking forward to going back for both myself and for Christmas gifts.

3/50 Project: Spartacus Books

We've posted before about the 3/50 Project to support local businesses. We'd love it if Green Earth Organics' members would send us information about their favourite local, independently-owned stores and restaurants. If you would like to share your hidden gem, please email info@greenearthorganics.com with about 200 to 300 words, including their address and their website if applicable, and let us know what name you'd like on the article. We deliver as far out as North Vancouver, Abbotsford, Maple Ridge, and all points in between, so please feel free to share your favourites outside of Vancouver too.

Spartacus Books by Alex (a Green Earth Organics member and Spartacus Books volunteer)

Spartacus Books is a non-profit, volunteer, and collectively-run radical bookstore and resource centre in Vancouver. It is the only one of its kind in the city. Located right on the edge of Vancouver's Eastside, Spartacus sells new and used books, zines, magazines, comics, CDs, DVDs, T-shirts, patches, pins, journals, calendars, and cards. Spartacus books is one of the longest running collectively-run bookstores in North America, having been open (in three different locations) since 1973. It is currently located at 684 East Hastings Street.

Spartacus is a "radical bookstore", specializing in socialist, anarchist, womyn's studies, queer studies, and political theories, alongside with a large selection of fiction, with special items you won't find in your average chain bookstore. However, they are not limited to the above, as they also carry poetry and plays, ecology, labour and economics, books for children and parents, film and media studies, health and nutrition, world religions and spirituality, and several more.

The bookstore is often used for events such as movie nights and book releases. Spartacus has been described over the years to be the nerve centre of alternative culture in Vancouver, where various organizations hold meetings. Groups that have used the space for meetings throughout the years include the free school movement, Vancouver Indymedia, cooperative housing, the local chapter of Industrial Workers of the World, and, more recently, the Olympic Resistance Network. There are also some computers connected to internet and running free software in Spartacus Books (provided by Freegeek), which can be used for free.

In honour of Mayday, Spartacus Books is doing a celebratory sale from April 24th to May 2nd. Come and benefit from their selection of loonie books and discounts of 40% off any used book, and 10% off anything else. Or just come by to share a coffee and some thoughts with them, and maybe take out some books or zines from their library. This is also a good time to renew your membership ($15 for 10% off everything all year long)!

3/50 Project: Juliet's Room

We've posted before about the 3/50 Project to support local businesses. We'd love it if Green Earth Organics' members would send us information about their favourite local, independently-owned stores and restaurants. If you would like to share your hidden gem, please email info@greenearthorganics.com with about 200 to 300 words, including their address and their website if applicable, and let us know what name you'd like on the article. We deliver as far out as North Vancouver, Abbotsford, Maple Ridge, and all points in between, so please feel free to share your favourites outside of Vancouver too.

Juliet's Room by Louise Osborn

In terms of fave, "GEO friendly" stores, there is Juliet's Room on Fourth near Alma, which sells handmade bath and skin care products. The natural and strong scents, herbs, and spices are mixed by the owner, Stacelynn Caughlan, who is usually the person handling the retail side too. Wonderful, fairly priced, and passion inducing! I exclaimed out loud when I smelled the lavender bath milk! She makes it strong so peeps can mix with epsom salts to keep their costs down. She told me she wanted to make a product she herself could afford to buy. "There are enough high priced bath products on the market." And she gives out free samples in front of the store on a table. Wow!!!

Juliet's Room values quality and sustainability. Stacelynn has done a number of things to make the business as environmentally friendly as possible, including becoming a carbon-neutral company, using recycled shipping materials and biodegradable packing peanuts, using only recyclable bottles and jars for their products, and making products that are biodegradable. Most of their products are over 70% organic, and many of them are vegan (all are vegetarian).

For a treat for your body and your senses, check out Juliet's Room's website or go directly to their store location at 3630 West 4th Ave., Vancouver.

3/50 Project: Kidsbooks

We've posted before about the 3/50 Project to support local businesses, and ready or not, the Christmas shopping season is coming. It's an opportunity to support local stores, including ones that you might not necessarily have a reason to shop at normally. We'd love it if Green Earth Organics' members would send us information about their favourite local, independently-owned stores and restaurants. If you would like to share your hidden gem, please email info@greenearthorganics.com with about 200 to 300 words, including their address and their website if applicable, and let us know what name you'd like on the article. We deliver as far out as North Vancouver, Abbotsford, Maple Ridge, and all points in between, so please feel free to share your favourites outside of Vancouver too.

Kidsbooks by Melissa

I'll admit it: I like kids' books. I still re-read my L.M. Montgomery books, especially the "Emily" series. I've got a brand new nephew - only five months old - but he's just my newest excuse to shop at Kidsbooks in Kitsilano. I recently purchased a favourite series of mine from when I was a kid - the "Bunnicula" series - so I can read it to my nephew in, oh, about eight years. In the meantime, I'll read it again myself.

The Kidsbooks' staff members are incredibly knowledgeable. As I was shopping, I overheard one person helping a woman choose a puppet for her grandchild, being sure to make sure that the gift was going to be age-appropriate. I overheard another staff member working with a girl who was about twelve to choose a book she would like based on her favourite books and her reading level. The girl came away with several suggestions for the future and a new book clutched to her chest.

Their selection is huge, covering all ages up to "young adult", and everything from picture books to classics to the newest vampire novel. They can also special order books. Besides books, they also carry some toys. I found the perfect gift for my friend's three year old from the Melissa & Doug line of toys.

If you have a kid on your Christmas shopping list, this just might be the place to go, especially if you are going to need some help. Don't be afraid to ask questions!

3/50 Project: RubyDog's Art House

We've posted before about the 3/50 Project to support local businesses, and ready or not, the Christmas shopping season is coming. It's an opportunity to support local stores, including ones that you might not necessarily have a reason to shop at normally. We'd love it if Green Earth Organics' members would send us information about their favourite local, independently-owned stores and restaurants. If you would like to share your hidden gem, please email info@greenearthorganics.com with about 200 to 300 words, including their address and their website if applicable, and let us know what name you'd like on the article. We deliver as far out as North Vancouver, Abbotsford, Maple Ridge, and all points in between, so please feel free to share your favourites outside of Vancouver too.

RubyDog's Art House by Melissa

RubyDog's Art House is, hands down, my favourite store. I was very sad when it had to close in June 2008 due to rent increases in its former location, and I was ecstatic when the owner, Leanne, found a new location this fall and re-opened: 623 Kingsway (near Fraser and Kingsway), Vancouver.

RubyDog's is a unique art supply store. Their focus is altered art, collage, mixed media, visual journaling, and assemblage. They carry an astonishing and diverse selection of art materials, including vintage ephemera, antique papers, imaginative 3-D items, journal, collage, and ATC kits, artistic rubber stamps, inspiring books and magazines, and much, much, much more. My favourite new discovery is making pendants out of dominoes. They sell single dominoes and a lot of fun collage materials that can be glued to them, and Leanne can guide you as to what other materials can be used. You can make beautiful works of art - or, at least, my mother really liked the one I made for her.

If you've never heard of Artist Trading Cards - 2.5" by 3.5" cards of original art - then RubyDog's is the place to discover this fun way of sharing your creative side with other artists. In fact, going into the Art House is an easy way of discovering all kinds of new art forms and new local artists. And the owner, Leanne, is incredibly friendly and helpful.

If you have a creative person on your Christmas list, RubyDog's is the place to find inspiration and things they can't get anywhere else. RubyDog's also hosts workshops, and they have gift certificates.

The 3/50 Project

We were introduced to the 3/50 Project by RubyDog's Art House, an independent Vancouver art supply store that tries to be minimize their environmental impact and supports altered arts that often use unwanted books, board games, and other re-purposed materials. Like Green Earth Organics, RubyDog's is a locally-owned business that keeps money in Vancouver and area.

The idea behind the 3/50 Project is simple: encourage people to support local businesses. The challenge is to choose three local businesses that you would miss if they were gone, then commit to spending $50 a month total between the three businesses. The idea is not to buy things you don't need, but re-direct some of the money you are already spending: choosing a book from an independent instead of from a website, eating at a small restaurant instead of a chain, or finding an alternative to the big American health food chain store.

According to the 3/50 Project, for every $100 spent in locally owned independent stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll, and other expenditures. If that same $100 is spent in a national chain, only $43 stays in your community. If that $100 is spent online (on a conventional big website), none of the money returns to your community. Of course, the latter doesn’t apply to websites that are entirely locally owned and operated and have brick-and-mortar components, such as Green Earth Organics, which is much more like an independent bookstore than like Amazon.