8 Ways to Support Vancouver Businesses During the Holiday Season

VanDusen Botanical Garden with Christmas lights; support local this holiday season

Photo: VanDusen Botanical Garden

Did you know that buying a gift card from your favourite coffee shop means more to them than you could ever know? As we switch into festive mode, it’s more important than ever to support our local businesses.

There are so many ways to show Vancouver businesses some love this holiday season — even the smallest purchase or a just a share on social media makes a difference.

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8 Ways to Support Vancouver Businesses During the Holiday Season

Everyday Essentials for Autumn in Vancouver

Woman taking photo on iPhone autumn in Vancouver

Vancouver is especially Instagram-worthy in the fall. Photo: Jana Josue-McLaren

Autumn is here, which means we’ve switched from iced to pumpkin spiced lattes and fiery-coloured trees are filling your Instagram. The air feels a little crisper, and if you’re new-ish to the city, you might have caught on that it rains a fair amount here.

As a Vancouverite, it’s important to have the essentials as you go about your day-to-day and explorations in the city. Here’s a list of seasonal must-haves for fall as you play tourist in our town.

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Everyday Essentials for Autumn in Vancouver

Whitecaps FC Rally Vancouver to Help Save the Vancouver Aquarium

Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Vancouver Aquarium have joined forces to sell high-performance athletic face masks, with all net proceeds to benefit the aquarium during this critical period of need for the beloved civic landmark. As part of this partnership, more than 25 ‘Caps staff members are volunteering in the rescue effort, providing hundreds of labour hours in vital outreach efforts to Vancouver Aquarium members, donors, and supporters.

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Whitecaps FC Rally Vancouver to Help Save the Vancouver Aquarium

Holiday Book Buying Guide: Diverse Local Authors Tell Unique Stories

 

By Rachel Rosenberg

As 2019 creeps towards its end, we are starting to see the signs of the upcoming holiday season: lit-up trees in people’s windows, that hurried walk of present shoppers, the joyful tunes of holiday music being piped into stores. Regardless of which holiday you are exchanging gifts for, books are always a solid present because often they show our loved ones what we know about them and what we think they might appreciate. There is also something very satisfying about giving a gift that is intrinsically tied to the giver — I’ve always liked getting locally-made presents and books can fulfill that need. By finding the writing of local authors, we have the opportunity to learn more about our city and the people who live in and around it. These seven titles, a mix of fiction, memoir and children’s, were published between 2017-2019.

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Holiday Book Buying Guide: Diverse Local Authors Tell Unique Stories

5 unique places to buy holiday gifts in Vancouver

Got Craft | Things To Do In Vancouver This Weekend

Photo Credit – Got Craft (facebook)

If you’ve stepped into a store lately, you might be thinking that the holidays are just around the corner. Luckily, we’ve still got some time to go in order to make the most of the festive holiday shopping.

For those not interested in department stores, there are plenty of fun options around Vancouver for some unique holiday gift shopping. So whether you’re looking to support local artists, find something wacky for that weird uncle of yours, or you just want to treat yourself to something nice, here’s a starter list for some unique shopping ideas in Vancouver.

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5 unique places to buy holiday gifts in Vancouver

5 fantastic fall craft markets in Vancouver to shop local this season

eastside flea market

Image courtesy of Eastside Flea

Now that the holidays are officially on the horizon (goodbye, sweet summer), it’s time to start getting into the shopping spirit.

Remember last year, when you were doing all of your holiday shopping the night before, sweating in your heavy coat as the harsh fluorescent lights and crowds pushed you to your limits and your hopefully optimistic remark: “Next year, I’ll start my shopping early!” 

Now’s your chance to get all of your holiday shopping out of the way with the upcoming surge of craft markets in Vancouver! We’ve got five fantastic fall markets quickly approaching, filled with locally-made crafts that are the perfect hostess/host gift, stocking stuffer, holiday gift, or maybe just something special for yourself.

Check out these 5 upcoming craft markets around town for some amazingly unique gifts that support local artists and craft makers!

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5 fantastic fall craft markets in Vancouver to shop local this season

9 Essential Things to Pack for Spring in Vancouver

Photo credit: Michael Ó Raifeartaigh / Flickr

The weather is warmer, the blossoms are out. But there’s always a chance of rain — Vancouver is, after all, in a rainforest. Every Vancouverite knows it’s important to have the essentials and we want you to be prepared, too! Here’s what you need to pack for a spring visit to Vancouver:

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9 Essential Things to Pack for Spring in Vancouver