Buy! Sell! People!
What’s a tweet worth?
Well, sometimes it’s not much. But other times it could involve some valuable information.
Here's a shot of the screen used to demonstrate Empire Avenue.
And sometimes you’ve got a great Facebook profile or page, perhaps a sweet Flickr account, neat podcast, an amazing blog, and so on and so on in the social media world.
Now, Empire Avenue is trying to monetize your online value.
Hey, why not?
If the traditional media is suffering at all due to people turning to bloggers or other online sources of information, especially locally, then there has to be some value in what these online “influencers” are saying.
Certainly there are photographers who’ve landed jobs from Flickr postings, bloggers who have written for newspapers and magazines, as that online presence carries into traditional media realms. And if you notice a cute little dog to the upper right of these very words you can see there’s an advertising value in online media.
Empire Avenue wants to help you, yes you, squeeze some value out of your tweets, your Facebook, Flickr and YouTube accounts, your blog, by having other people investing in you, as if you were a stock on the open market.
Right now the people’s market is in beta, being tested by lucky nerds like me. Soon they’ll open things up to a larger audience. Then, they’ll open things up to the money.
Basically here’s what it could do, using this website as an example. (more…)
There is no Alternative
To anyone over the age of 27 this looks like home.
If you could stop downloading movies for just a few minutes, Edmonton, I’d like to tell you about a change to your video rental options.
A classic.
I’ll wait for those of you who didn’t even know you could still rent movies to settle down.
Ok.
If you’ve ever been on Whyte Avenue’s east side (east of Gateway Boulevard) you’ve probably seen Alternative Video Spot in the strip mall between 100 and 101 Streets. If you’ve been by recently you’ve seen a big, empty store. Yes, this long-time movie icon of Old Strathcona is gone.
You could fit a lot of movies in there. Now you can hold a rave.
But fret not, my arty movie-loving friends, for the team that brought you Alternative Video Spot has packed up their favourite flicks and moved ever-so-slightly southwest. You can call them “The Videodrome” now.
In an e-mail exchange, Alternative/Videodrome’s John Hudson explains the move.
“In short, the strip mall we were in had become a very unpleasant place to do business. First we were beside a rough bar and once the smokers were forced out on the street we had a constant stream of men outside the bar, drunk and smoking,” he writes.
“This, of course, attracted other undesirables such as drug dealers and “working” women. Then, after a couple years of that, a liquor store opened on the other side of us which attracted the street people first thing in the morning. So we were trying to run a business that attracted families who the had to run a gauntlet of un-family like people to get to us. Add to this our landlord was completely unsympathetic to our plight and wanted $7000 a month for the “privilege” of being there. We could not come to reasonable terms so we left.” (more…)
Edmonton loves chicken wings
Bless these boys for showing us what really matters.
It’s free chicken wings.
One year of free wings was just too good to pass up for these guys. (Photo: Adam Rozenhart)
Notice the book in gentleman A’s hand. He’s ready to spend a few hours waiting for tasty, free, wings. One can also appreciate the lawn chairs.
Photographer Adam also informs us that these three guys and three other early birds took to some parking lot Hudsons patio/pad hockey to pass the time.
Here at the edmontonian we salute your efforts to secure one order of free Hudsons wings, each week, for one year. There are worse things to wait in line all day for.
Hudsons is winging it
That headline will shine like gold in just a moment.
Hey, Edmonton, have you heard of this place called Hudsons?
Of course you have. You’ve probably watched an Oilers game at one of the local chain’s four restaurant/bars.
Well, on their way to Calgary*, Hudsons is stopping at South Common and opening up a fifth Edmonton spot.
That in itself would be enough to get me to write something. But there’s more.
Hudsons Canadian Tap House is officially opening their South Edmonton Common location tomorrow night, 9pm, but next Wednesday will be their first Wing Wednesday.
For that, they’ve got something that really caught my eye. (I’m a sucker for chicken wings, previously having a standing Wednesday date with the poultry part.) Next Wednesday, the new Hudsons location will offer free wings for one year to the first 100 customers after 7pm. That will mean one order of wings for 52 weeks.
If South Edmonton Common wasn’t so far from my place of work I’d sit outside their door next Wednesday. Heck, I still have time to find a way to get out of work early for sweet, delicious wings.
Oh, Hudsons is also offering a $20 gift card to the first 100 people to print and present the invite you see in this story (find the actual invite here) both tomorrow and Saturday night. You could use that money to buy wings.
* Hudsons opens its first Calgary location in the spring of 2010.
Awesome bosses
Really. I’m not kidding around with that headline.
Image: Profit
Not only are the following ladies seen as some of Profit Magazine’s top entrepreneurs and enterprising women in the country, I was tipped off to the story by an employee of one boss. It’s nice to know that, sometimes, the company’s bottom line isn’t the only thing that lands someone on a “top” list. Sometimes people are super-awesome and inspiring.
Profit itself is trying to look a little outside the money as well, now taking into account a company’s growth rate and profitability along with revenue.
From Profit’s W100 we had 3 women in Edmonton make the list. They include:
Teresa Spinelli snagged spot 13. She owns the Italian Centre Shop. I know you have eaten copious goodies from said shops.
Eveline Charles, of the beauty salons of her name, took position 24 on the list.
Ranking 94th, Alexis MacMillan of Christie Communications makes the list. They’re a company focused on e-learning, with interactive media production and design.
She’s the boss I was telling you about. (more…)
“They tried to make me go to rehab, but I said…
“..really? Really?!”
Look, who am I to judge anyone’s dreams? I haven’t read your business plan, Rehab Dance Club. Maybe it’s 28 pages of sheer bar-owning, business-planning poetry. Besides, if I told you what I really wanted to do with my life (improvisational french mimery), you probably wouldn’t understand where I was coming from either. And ultimately, you put your money where your mouth is and you have your name up in lights. “REHAB DANCE BAR,” your awning says.
I have done no such thing. There’s no awning over my door that says “SALLY: IMPROVISATIONAL FRENCH MIME.” So I can only offer you a sincere kudos and wish you the best of luck.
However, it bears mentioning that 5 seconds ago, when I turned my head to pretend I didn’t see a panhandler, this was the reincarnation of Club Malibu. And before that it was called like 4Play or something. And the Dirty Martini before that. If I might be so bold, could there be a chance…just a chance…that in this particular instance, the name of the bar isn’t the thing that’s holding you back? Maybe it’s more the weird location, across the street from Shoppers’ Drug Mart and right alongside one of Whyte Avenue’s rapiest alleys?
Mayhaps?
But good luck and god speed, Rehab Dance Club. I sincerely hope you make a fool of me and have a long, profitable run at this location. In the meantime, I will be waiting for the day this spot becomes “Puzzles,” the pub that never has a last call.
*I refrained from making a “I’m guessing we’ll get 90 days of rehab” joke. Self control!
The Fashion Event
Gee, you’d think with all the fashion stories we do around here we’d be called the fashiontonian.
These clothes will be for sale. (Photo: The Fashion Event)
(cue chirping crickets)
Anyway…I know that you like to look your best, Edmonton. That’s why I thought of you when I peeped a handbill for The Fashion Event at a local coffee shop.
The Fashion Event is an indie company that holds big clothing sales, or events, throughout the year. One is happening right now.
It’s not one brand, it’s lots of brands. It’s not one or two sizes, it’s (as they put it) sizes delicate to delicious.
It runs this weekend at the Mayfield Inn & Suites (until 7pm today, 10am-5pm Saturday) and they’ve got another big sale planned for December.
Now that I’m in the fashion loop I’ll try to keep you updated.
Ponytails + Horseshoes + Grand Opening
I only get my hair cut once or twice annually. I know that’s sad for a full grown adult, but it always seems like I have something else that demands my money/attention on a more immediate timeline.
This means a few things; first, that most of the time my hair looks like it did for my grade 3 school picture, and second, that I am every hairdresser’s nightmare. I’m the moron who walks in with crooked, half-orange hair in hysterics, desperate for someone to fix whatever I’ve done to myself with a combination of kitchen scissors and drugstore dye.
This is how I met Amy Laing a few years ago. She gave me one of the first haircuts I’d received in years, after a particularly nightmarish salon episode that I survived in Winnipeg years earlier, which left me looking like Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber. When I rolled in, my hair had like three kinds of home color and years worth of crooked kitchen scissor cuts. Amy didn’t judge or lecture me at all; AND she fixed my hair.
I tell you guys this because this is, in my opinion, the greatest testament to Amy’s awesomeness. Or it was, until I visited her new salon a few days ago.
Ponytails & Horseshoes owners Cristina Shiferaw and Amy Laing
Amy and her equally awesome partner, Cristina Shiferaw, opened Ponytails + Horseshoes just a few months ago, and it’s been a busy place ever since. It’s a beautiful, welcoming salon that offers not only hair design, esthetics and a selection of hair products – but also bags, shoes, and works by Edmonton artists.
They describe Ponytails + Horseshoes as “a European Boutique salon with a minor shoe fetish.” (more…)
I need mitts
The headline does need a little more explanation.
Oh, this is totally going to be a self-serving post, I just need to clarify my mitts-position.
I don’t need lots of mitts, or super-warm mitts, I need a good pair of intermediary mitts.
I’ve got a decent pair of gloves for days like today, where it’s around zero degrees. Then, there’s super heavy-duty mitts that go halfway up my arm for the depths of Edmonton winter, when I just want to stay inside and drink hot cocoa all day.
But I need a decent pair for days (and they’re coming) that are -5 to -20.
Thankfully, it’s Handmade Mafia weekend in Old Strathcona. Those people know how to make stuff. I hope at least one of them has planned for the season and loaded up their table with mitts and toques.
With two locations I surely double my odds of securing a pair of mitts.
Greenwoods’ is 30
Looks like a new chapter is beginning for Greenwoods’ Bookshoppe.
(Yes, that was the best I could come up with for a lead line. Please, try and best me in the comments.)
The venerable bookseller is celebrating 30 years in Old Strathcona. Aside from what will surely involve cake and balloons, Greenwoods’ is bringing in the authors over the next month or so.
Check out all the wonderful writers that will be gracing the store with words, glorious words, beginning tomorrow (October 1).
Looks like signing up for their e-newsletter also gives you a chance at a $300 gift certificate. That’s easier than what we made you do for a measly $25.
Happy Anniversary, Greenwoods’! May you provide me with giant stacks of books, I’ll eventually get to reading, for 30 more years.
Breakfast with Friends and Neighbours
Continuing our long and storied tradition of eating breakfast at places around Edmonton and writing about it, I present to you our take on Whyte Avenue stalwart “Friends and Neighbours Cafe.” (10834 82 Avenue)
This is the kind of place where you can get yourself some decent eggs and bacon, and coffee. Plus, the place is kind of small and jammed with tables so it’s totally good for eavesdropping.
Not that I encourage that kind of thing.
What a nice, cozy little place.
The decor is all over the map, with green vinyl booths, tables in the middle of the place, some east-Asian panache here and there. (A note to bathroom people, they are tiny bathrooms.)
That far east influence finds its way onto the menu too. There are some fish-egg combos which I have managed to stay away from as well.
But breakfast regulars like bacon and eggs, omelets, eggs benny and french toast are all here.
Sally is the French Toast Queen, and I usually go for eggs and bacon (or some kind of breakfast burrito), but this time around I ordered first and astounded all when I ordered french toast.
The tension was palpable as everyone waited to see if Sally would stick with her usual order.
She did.
Man cannot live on french toast alone, he needs bacon. And coffee. And orange juice.
The french toast was good times. There were no leftover egg-bits hanging on, the portions were a good size and everything went down well, when covered in maple syrup.
If you find yourself driving by Route 99 thinking “It looks pretty busy, I don’t know if I’ll get in,” why not zip around the corner and head down to 108-109 Street for a nice meal with your Friends and Neighbours?
3.8 Power Rangers out of 5
p.s. Friends and Neighbours appears to either be expanding into the old Nokomis location, or adding some kind of pastry/dessert shop. Stay tuned on that one!
Back to School Shopping at Carbon Environmental Boutique
via Carbon's facebook fan page
Do you guys know about Carbon Environmental Boutique? You probably do, you savvy consumers, you. But just in case you don’t, it’s located downtown, at 10184 104 St., and is one of my very favorite places to shop. Which I know means a lot to you guys: the Sally stamp of approval: 60% of the time, it’s irrelevant all the time.
ANYWAY, as we all head back to school, I thought it might be helpful for everyone to know that most of the stuff you’re going to need is available in eco-friendly format from Carbon – at prices that are pretty much on par with what you’re getting at chain stores. Plus, you get to go to Carbon where they sell amazing things like solar powered backpacks and staple-less staplers.
Store owner Allison MacLean was gracious enough to show me a few of the back to school stationary products they have on hand. And seriously, if you haven’t been to Carbon, it’s worth the trip – even if it’s only to meet Allison, who is a walking encyclopedia of product knowledge.
Audreys Books has an Online Shopping Option!
So I’m a bit of book addict. I’m the chump who continually buys books, even though I have like 30 more at home, sitting on my shelf, collecting dust and going unread. Sorry, books. :(
I’m a particular sucker for the Chapters/Indigo website that allows me to reference exactly what is available at any location at a moments notice; but I often suffer residual guilt from that, because in a perfect world I’d prefer to be supporting local stores.
So how psyched was I to learn that Audreys Books (10702 Jasper Avenue) now has a new website that lets us see if they have our book of choice on the shelf. And if they don’t have what you’re looking for, you can also use the site to order your title, either directly to the store, or to your home.
I emailed with Audreys Steve Budnarchuk (he co-owns the bookstore with his wife Sharon) to find out more about the service.
Image via Audreys Books
SALLY: What prompted Audreys to set up the online inventory?
STEVE: Our customers have been asking for a way to check to see if we have stock of certain titles, especially after our regular hours, so we looked for a cost-effective way to be able to offer this service. In addition, some customers prefer to search for other titles we don’t stock but can supply fairly quickly.
SALLY: When did you launch the online system?
STEVE: We first made our database available shortly after we implemented a new inventory and special order management system in November of last year.
SALLY: How have people been reacting to it? Have you had lots of users?
STEVE: We have had many positive comments from customers about being able to order books whenever they choose. Initial adoption of this service has been light, but building steadily. We’re now receiving orders on a regular basis, and institutional customers such as schools and libraries are starting to realize the benefit.
SALLY: Can you give me a quick run down of everything the website allows users to do (such as, check whether you have a title in store, order titles to the store for pickup, order titles for home delivery)?
Steve Budnarchuk of Audreys Books
STEVE: Our customers can check to see if a book is in stock and reserve it for pickup or delivery. The same is true of millions of titles we don’t stock.
Our customers can [also] request a title for future pickup or delivery. No financial commitment is made during this step. We contact each customer to complete the transaction, and to provide more detailed information about certain special orders as necessary. Because this database contains approximately five million entries, including out of print books, there are of course some difficult to obtain titles shown. These will often require much more involvement on the part of our research staff to track down and report to customers about the books.
ProCura builds for the future. And steals my post office.
That's a nice looking Rexall you've got there...
Do you know what opens today?
A big and shiny Rexall Drugs, in a new office building on Jasper Avenue, at 108 Street.
Formerly known as the Professional Building this is a re-design under ProCura, an Alberta property company. It’s going to be called the Intact Building, named for its main tenant, Intact Insurance (also a formerly known as), formerly known as ING.
A couple of things to note about this; the building looks pretty sweet, it’s been built and designed with LEED Gold Standards in mind (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), which should make it an example of environmental design in Edmonton, it’s stealing my post office.
The new Rexall going in at the corner of Jasper and 108 is an expanded version of the drug store that was at Jasper and 112 Street. That housed the post office I used for work because it was super-convenient. I like your style, ProCura, but I also like not having to walk very far for a post office. Let’s call it even.
This means there is a nice new Canada Post bureau in the building for those of you lucky enough to work near 108 Street. (The building itself is still under renovation, and it doesn’t look like office tenants are moving in quite yet.)
ProCura may also sound familar because they were in the news when Journal columnist Scott McKeen was talking about their ownership of land near Jasper and 109 Street (including this building and the old Mayfair Hotel) and how bullish the company appeared to be on downtown Edmonton’s future.
This all, also, means that if you’re looking for some storefront retail space on Jasper, I know a spot over in the 112 Street block that’s available…
Earth’s General Store heads east
This is where Edmonton environmentalism lives.
It’s only moving like 12 blocks. But I got your attention. Hippy.
Yes, the venerable green store is movin’ on up to the east side of Whyte Avenue.
The current store is a tucked-away standard of 82 Avenue, nestled upstairs in the 108-109 Street block. It’s been there forever. (Or like 18 years.)
I have it on first-hand knowledge that their removable-head toothbrushes are great.
Owner Michael Kalmanovitch announced earlier this year that he’d like to expand the business. And to keep his bank loans down, he asked customers (and all Edmontonians) to lend him a few bucks.
They lent him way more.
New menu at the Sugarbowl, everybody!
Review of the Sugarbowl’s new menu item: Seafood Coconut – Green Curry Laksa
It was the kind of day where the sky outside looked like Mary Poppins was preparing her carpet bag, a kind of day where a hearty meal was needed to stoke the fires of thoughtful creativity. The kind of day that made a new Sugarbowl menu seem like just the right thing.
Bubble Juice, now open for Bubble Bidness
Remember like eight years ago when bubble tea became the big thing? I missed that boat entirely. It wasn’t deliberate; I didn’t adopt an anti-bubble tea stance the way people do when it comes to stuff like getting on twitter or paying their taxes. It was kind of like a romcom, with Julia Roberts in the role of me and John Cusack in the role of bubble tea. The stars just never aligned, and we kept missing each other.
So, I know nothing about the whole bubble beverage trend. But a new shop called Bubble Juice has opened in my neighbourhood (10154 82 Ave.), next door to my favorite cupcake joint, Flirt. OMG, SO MUCH CUTE FOOD. This meant I had to stop in.
The drink I got was more of a smoothie than anything else, so I don’t think this was quite what you hipster kids would call “bubble tea” (but feel free to enlighten me on what constitutes a “bubble tea” in the comments). Whatever you want to call it, it was awesome. I also got a stamp card (buy nine drinks, get the tenth free), which is great because as we established here, I am a cheap, cheap person. And with all the money I’m going to be spending between Flirt Cupcakes, Urban Knitters and Refresh Cafe over at Organic Roots, I’m gonna need a bigger bank account.
Cheap coffee
Why are you still here? Go get discount coffee!
No, Second Cup is not a local business per se.
But you’re local. And you like coffee.
And I bet you like coffee that’s half-price.
So head over to the Second Cup at 10620 82 Avenue and buy yourself a latte for the price of a cup of regular joe. (It’s about a 50% discount.) You’ll have a little extra change in your pocket and an extra spring in your step from the caffeine.
The deal appears to be just at this location of Second Cup. So…get a move on.
Whyte people like jokes
This story could test my “funny” skills, so I’m either going to wow you with my humour or play it totally straight.
Read on about Edmonton’s newest comedy club to see which way it goes.
Just keep your elbows up and you’ll be fine.
Blerg! I just realized I missed out on having first crack at Nokomis’ Red Raven sale, which kicked off this morning. Have you folks been to one of these events? They’re insane. I nearly lost an arm last time. We’re talking pure hipster bedlam.
Anyway, from the email they sent out last night:
“Spring stock will be discounted by up to 50% and we’re pulling goodies from the basement that you may not have seen in a few seasons. Add to that studio samples, t-shirt misprints, the last of the hastings and main samples and past season american apparel shirts for super cheap & you’ve got yourself a party and a half (er. . . a sale)! Doors open at ten and we’ll be there with smiles on our faces.
We’ll continue to offer special discounts and promotions throughout the next month too, though sales at Nokomis get pretty crazy so no guarantee that the piece you’ve been eyeballing will still be around if you wait.”
Also, for those of you who didn’t already know it or figure out from the picture, Nokomis is on twitter. I’m sure if you follow them you’ll get all kinds of inside sale information, like hours, what’s left in stock, and how many casualties this round of the Red Raven stacks up.
