Summer 2025
A blog written for the tenants of 225 West Eighth Avenue, a creative group community.
Introduction: Why this blog/newsletter?
The same three families (friends and business partners) have owned this small boutique office building since 1991. There have been many economic ups and downs during that time, but perhaps none so dramatic than in the last five years. We all thought that the Covid pandemic was life-changing but once vaccines had been distributed, there was an expectation that things would return to normal. That was a naive idea. This has not been the case of course; and one of the outcomes has been that the workforce will perhaps be forever mixing working from the office with working from home.
The design of office space and the management of office buildings needs to adapt to this new reality. As owners of an office building, we want to begin now. We live in a world-class city and we work in a vibrant and hip neighbourhood. It is close to downtown and yet is less formal and more fun which is demonstrated by the brightly-coloured murals decorating many of the Mount Pleasant buildings.
Mount Pleasant named the 40th coolest neighbourhood in the world by Time Out, 2021.
“It’s easy to hit half a dozen tasting rooms in an afternoon on foot,” Time Out writes. “The otherwise nondescript industrial and office buildings of this ever-evolving area are festooned with multi-storey murals, while its classic brick warehouses and storefronts are home to great vintage stores, galleries and artists’ studios.”
“Mount Pleasant has totally been going through a revitalization over the last four to five years, and has really been a hot spot for people to move into. You get a lot of benefits there — proximity to downtown Vancouver, Kits and its beaches, and overall amenities.” CityNews
This newsletter/blog is part of our plan to bring tenants together; this not only helps business owners encourage their staff back to the workplace, but reduces the effect of social media isolation. It will inform you about new developments in the neighbourhood (restaurants, businesses, events); about things happening within our building; and give you (hopefully) some other helpful information. We want you to feel part of a community within the building and within the neighbourhood. In today’s noisy and unpredictable world, we think this can only be a good thing.
This newsletter will appear as a blog on our website quarterly (spring, summer, fall and winter). Posters will be posted in the elevator and parking garage to let you know when to look for a new posting.
Happy Summer everyone; we all look forward to getting to know you better and to providing a physical work space (building) that fosters community. Feedback/suggestions welcomed at (management@west8th.ca).
Lesley
From your landlord group: Ken (Koo) and David and Lauren (Altman) and Lesley (Donaldson)
Deck Party - Thursday, July 24, 2025
We will be hosting a summer party on the 4th floor deck. Everyone welcome. Food and drink served. DJ provided by 4th Floor, The District. Games. Fun. Please come.
Many thanks to Josh, founder of The District for his support and generosity in allowing us to use his space; he is an enthusiastic fan for turning our building into a community group and we are grateful to have such a great group of tenants. Not only is Josh allowing us to use the north deck for our summer party but also the south deck for growing vegetables, fruit and herbs for distribution to everyone during the summer months.
We look forward to seeing you all there. Please RSVP via the Partiful app by July 15.
Thursday, July 24, 2025
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🎉😎🍹
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Deck party
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Thursday, July 24, 2025 〰️ 🎉😎🍹 〰️ Deck party 〰️
Neighbourhood Corner
Each blog posting will feature some great places in the neighbourhood in case you haven’t had much time to explore. Mount Pleasant is the best (see above).
Monarc Boxing and Fitness
To pass by this facility in the summer is surreal. Extra large doors are open wide onto the sidewalk, so that passersby can see the action. Beginners and experienced boxers are welcome. A great way for fitness.
Fife Bakery
Fife Bakery is a hole-in-the-wall cafe at 64 E 3rd. Its size belies its serious intention: artisinal breads and beautiful pastries. Great place to grab a coffee, a loaf of bread and pastry.
Dear Gus Snack Bar
This is a very cute wine bar between 4th and 5th avenues and Quebec Street. It’s small - 550 square feet, 18 seats. But it serves tasty European-inspired small plates. The oysters and gnocchi are two customer favourites. The Head Chef is Jorge Tuane from AnnaLena in Kits.
Art Corner
Sadly there is no longer a Vancouver Mural Festival. In hard economic times, it has been forced to close down. But a new festival is taking its place: The Astro Arts Festival from August 8 to 10th is organizing a block party for the arts: more than 35 murals, graffiti and street art will be painted live throughout the weekend. There will also be food trucks, DJ sets, beer gardens.
Astro Arts has a creative space at 165 W 4th Avenue where there will be an exhibition featuring over 100 artists curated, among others, by Douglas Coupland.
If you want to visit the murals at a different time, there are Street Art and Mural Walking Tours in the neighbourhood. Mount Pleasant has one of the densest concentrations of street art and murals in the world. Walks usually last for a couple of hours.
https://www.astroarts.ca/festival
Landlord Corner
Three families have owned 225 West 8th Avenue for over 30 years: The Altmans, the Koos and the Donaldsons.
We are all over 50 years old (Ken, David, Lauren and Lesley) and we notice that our tenants are all young! So from our personal experience and long lives, we will give you a life advice tip each newsletter. Old school.
This Summer Blog each of us is recommending a summer event. Vancouver is a beautiful city, but even more beautiful in the summer - make the most of our hot July and August months.
KOO: Kenny owns Identica, a branding strategy and design firm. He has offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong and from time to time works out of Suite Genius, 3rd floor. He relocated to Shanghai and Hong Kong in 2004 to start his company, returning to Vancouver two years ago. He treasures the thrilling experiences and memories from the Far East, but he is grateful to have returned to Vancouver, a beautiful and remarkable city. (The building was originally bought to house Ken Koo Creative).
Tip, Ken: 🎆 Fireworks - Honda Celebration of Light
For those of you who have lived in Vancouver a long time, it is impossible not to know about the fireworks for three evenings in the summer every year. Usually different countries compete against each other but this year three Canadian provinces will be competing: Yukon, Quebec and Nova Scotia. Dates this year are July 19th, 23rd and 26th. Find a perfect viewing spot, take a picnic and enjoy the show. It is recognized as the longest running off-shore fireworks festival in the world.
Great viewing areas: English Bay (large crowds), Sunset Beach, Kitsilano Beach and Vanier Park. Or even splurge and take a dinner cruise or buy a ticket for a viewing area such as the Concord Pacific Grandstands. Secret Tip: take in a free concert at Kitsilano Showboat which also gives a good view of the fireworks.
ALTMAN: Lauren and David have lived in Vancouver all their lives. David worked in the Sports and Entertainment industry for many years and Lauren had a rewarding career with the West Vancouver Memorial Library, driving the bookmobile throughout the community, creating puppet shows and story times, to becoming Manager of Operations for the years leading up to her retirement. Now a grandma, Lauren loves taking her young granddaughter to story time at the Library.
Tip, Lauren: I recommend BC Day on August 4. Vancouver is a multicultural city and the Powell Street Festival celebrating Japanese-Canadian culture is fun. My husband and I regularly visit our son who lives in Japan and this Festival gives an authentic taste of the country: games, children’s tents, ikebana displays, music and dance.
Tip, David: “Burnaby Blues + Roots Festival” at Deer Lake Park is on Saturday August 9th this year. If you like music, it’s a magical setting with an eclectic line-up. This year, some of the performers are Ani DiFranco, Aysanabee and Judith Hill (who performed backup for Michael Jackson, for example, before going out on her own). It’s held at the Deer Lake Park Festival Lawn (6450 Deer Lake Avenue) and admission is free.
DONALDSON: Lesley has managed the building for, well, decades. Originally from New Zealand she moved to Canada when she married John. Her career began in the Personnel Recruiting business. After being in the business world for many years, she started her own business in midlife teaching Drama to children and teens (due to her life-long love of theatre and children’s literature). She travels to Los Angeles several times a year to visit her son and family.
Tip: Bard on the Beach. You don’t have to love Shakespeare to enjoy Vancouver’s Bard on the Beach. Plays are adapted to make them accessible to the general audience (a lot of fun and laughter) and the location at Vanier Park is stunning. Performances are from June through to September and is an experience unique to Vancouver. If Shakespeare doesn’t appeal, try the Theatre Under the Stars in Stanley Park. This year the two performances are “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Legally Blonde”.
Tenant Corner
Our tenants:
Josh: Founder of The District
Mitchell: Founder of Suite Genius
Chris: Co-founder of Red Hook Studios
James: CEO of Picture Shop
SEPTEMBER 2025 NEWS:
Red Hook (Suite 101) is leaving us and Furano Pacific Consulting is joining us. We wish Red Hook the very best and are very pleased that Furano (previously working on the 3rd floor) is our new tenant and give them a warm welcome.
New to Vancouver?
We know that some of our tenants have staff all over the world working remotely and that sometimes they visit us here. This section is for you or for those of you who work in our building but are new to Vancouver. Everyone knows about the hot tourist spots, Stanley Park, English Bay and Grouse Mountain, but here are some secret gems in our city, with an emphasis on summer fun.
SECRET GEMS, VANCOUVER:
If you don’t mind heights, the view from the Cliffwalk at Capilano Suspension Bridge Park is amazing.
Pacific Spirit Park - take a walk among the giant cedars and stop at the beautiful views, especially over Spanish Banks.
Buntzen Lake is a popular swimnming spot (it is actually a BC Hydro reservoir) with many hiking trails surrounding it. On a hot day, get there early. If you want warmer waters, go to Sasamat Lake in Port Moody.
You might know the Vancouver Public Library, but do you know that it has a stunning rooftop garden? It’s free, has dramatic views and is a great Instagram photo spot.
Bowen Island makes a wonderful day trip. Find a beach, hike around the lake, go to Cocoa West Chocolatier on Artisan Lane, eat fish and chips at Doc Morgan’s Pub & Restaurant before taking the ferry back to the city.
Lifestyle
Most of us try to “live well”. No matter what our age, life is full of joy - and stress. Vancouver is a very expensive city to live in. It has been ranked as the third most expensive city in North America: housing is expensive, rents high. But the mountains, sea, forest (and Lululemon!) invite us to slow down and relax and nature has a way of reducing our blood pressure. Here are some places to do that:
Yoga at Dude Chilling Park. Dude Chilling Park (8th and Scotia) references a sculpture called “Reclining Figure” in the park. In 2012 a local artist changed the park sign to Due Chilling! The neighbourhood liked it and the Vancouver Parks Board finally agreed to it. Now the park has celebrity status: the local brewery, R & B Brewing has a Dude Chilling Pale Ale; Jimmy Kimmel spoke about it on his show saying that he thought he would move to Canada;
Every single day there are free yoga classes. The instructors are volunteers but many are world class.
Yoga on the Water
At the Bayshore Hotel, join a class of yoga on the water. This might be an “only in Vancouver” thing. Yoga classes are offered in the indoor and outdoor heated pools. SUPYoga offers classes on the ocean and lakes throughout the Lower Mainland.
Jonathan Rogers Park
Don’t forget the community garden at the park where you work. Visit the Elizabeth Rogers Community Garden and revel in the gardens when you need a break. It was started in 1996 and there are 56 plots and 12 fruit trees. An expansion plan is in the approval stage.
On Saturday August 16 (10:30 to 12) there will be Yellow Fish Catch Basin Marking event: marking yellow fish symbols next to catch basins raise awareness about protecting waterways.
On July 19, Shim’s Grand Prix 2025 will be held (an 800 metre closed-road cycling course around the park) which includes a full day of criterium bike racing (a bicycle race held on a closed circuit), food trucks, beer garden, music etc.
The food trees on the north-east part of the park immediately outside the garden is full of whimsical bird houses (food trees).
Let us introduce you to:
Christine Diamantopoulos
from The District on the 4th floor
Christine is currently leading creative development projects, and just celebrated her 10th anniversary with the team!
Outside of work, She DJ's as Xtine with her favourite performances being for Bass Coast Festival, Igloofest and most recently, a new mix for Rinse FM France - a significant outlet for DJs globally.
She is also involved with the JUNO’s, currently participating as co-chair on the Dance Recording Advisory Committee. Aside from all things music, Christine loves yoga, snowboarding, and long walks on the beach.
If you see her around, say hi!
