Fall/Winter 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 Holiday Season 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)
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News from the building, Mount Pleasant, and our tenant community—sent seasonally.
Deck Party - held 2025
We hosted our second annual summer party in July.
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.
The 2025 Deck Party was fun; and we expect each year to be slightly more rewarding than the previous year as we get to know you all. Plan to come in July 2026! Food, drinks, games, and fun.
Photos from July 2025
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Deck party
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Photos from July 2025 〰️ ☀️📸🍹 〰️ Deck party 〰️
Wellness Corner
It is the holiday season which inevitably comes with an elevated heart rate due to stress. But don’t worry, there are gyms and wellness centres in Mount Pleasant to help get you through the season.
Altea Wellness and Spa
Altea Wellness and Spa is close by - Yukon and 6th. It’s a gym, but also includes saunas, steam rooms, recovery lounges, yoga studios, a cafe, wine bar, social spaces ……… It’s a luxurious multi-floor space providing everything you need to look after your mind and body. Membership gives you many benefits.
HUSTLE
If Altea is too fancy for you, Hustle is close by (Kingsway). They specialize in providing you with a variety of different classes. Each class type describes the intensity, the impact and cardio level.
Tality Wellness | Sauna + Cold Plunge
Tallity Wellness (107 East 3rd Avenue) gives you the opportunity to enjoy a 25 person sauna (with great city views) and then a cold plunge (where you can linger). It has a rooftop patio where you can enjoy kombucha.
Christmas in 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.
SOME PLACES TO ENJOY AT CHRISTMAS:
If you don’t mind heights, the view from the Cliffwalk at Grouse Mountain - Visit Vancouver’s North Pole is amazing.
CANADA PLACE - The usual displays are cancelled for the 2025 season only due to construction. But the “Soar with Santa” film at FlyOver Canada is still taking place. Fly virtually across Canada’s landscapes and journey to Santa’s North Pole (with wind, mist, scents and motion seats).
Robson Square / Shipyards Ice Rink: celebrate winter by skating in the heart of downtown Vancouver (or the Shipyards in North Vancouver).
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 Fall/Winter Blog each of us is recommending a holiday event.
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: - Lunar New Year (Year of Horse 🐴)
The Lunar New Year in Vancouver includes major celebrations in February 2026. Don’t miss the Chinatown Parade and take part in workshops at Dr Sun Yat-Sen Gardens.
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 Vancouver Public Library Events. On Friday December 19, attend the Trombone Concert. A gathering of trombonists from the VSO will fill the Promenade of the Central Library with holiday cheer.
If this doesn’t appeal, look up the various multicultural events during the holiday season.
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: Carol Ships. The Vancouver Carol Ships are so pretty. Either find a place to enjoy the parade or book a dinner cruise. Carol singing is a core part of the experience and the views from the water are magical. Check Eventbrite for specific dates and tickets.
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).
The Farmhouse Vancouver
Visit their website
The Farmhouse restaurant at 352 East 10th Avenue is known for its fresh British Columbia cuisine. They have a small locally owned farm in Abbotsford and use the produce for their fresh ingredients. Authentic Italian menu. The restaurant is in a restored heritage home. Perfect ambience for the holidays.
Tenant Corner
Our tenants:
Josh: Founder of The District
Mitchell: Founder of Suite Genius
Brennan: Founder of Furano Pacific Consulting
James: CEO of Picture Shop
Tenant Update:
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Jonathan Rogers Park
Jonathan Rogers Park, right next door, isn’t just for the summer months. If there is a snowfall, go and enjoy it.
