1606 replies to this topic

[Nparker]

I have no idea what or where Fisgard Market is. Except I presume it’s on Fisgard...

Google Street View was not being hospitable, but hopefully you get the gist.

[Victoria Watcher]

Oh ya, the one that uses the sidewalk as storage and loading zone.  

 

See if you can get way with that elsewhere in town.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 31 May 2023 - 10:34 AM.

[aastra]

 

See if you can get way with that elsewhere in town.

 

You know, it bugs me when people say things like this. Extremely urban environments like an old downtown neighbourhood can necessitate a certain way of doing things. I ranted about it here. When people decide they want to crack down, what they're really doing is gradually driving the established operations out. And then what? You end up with nothing but pot shops, nail salons, and those little investment places.

 

 

[Victoria Watcher]

I don’t want a crackdown. I just thought after 40 or 60 years or whatever they could find a better way already.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 31 May 2023 - 12:26 PM.

[G-Man]

Chinatown has special provisions to allow that use of the sidewalk. I actually wish more of downtown had that kind of sidewalk action. It makes it a more interesting and vibrant place.

[Victoria Watcher]

The longtime home of a grocery store on Johnson Street has been sold for $2.4 million to a ­Ladysmith-based performing arts organization, with plans for the building to become a hub for arts and culture activity in downtown Victoria.

 

The Other Guise Theatre Company Society announced Tuesday it has purchased the two-storey building at 716 Johnson St., home to Tomley’s Market since 2011. Matthew Payne, the artistic and executive director of the not-for-profit performing arts society, which is headquartered in ­Ladysmith, said the long-term plan is for the space to include two small theatre-style spaces, along with two rehearsal studios.

 

https://www.timescol...ure-hub-7199896

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 27 June 2023 - 07:39 AM.

[Nparker]

How many of my tax dollars will be going into this not-for-profit endeavour?

[Victoria Watcher]

How many of my tax dollars will be going into this not-for-profit endeavour?

 

 

$350,000 recently.

 

 

The Other Guys Theatre Company Society received $100,000 this month as part of the City of Victoria’s Cultural Infrastructure Grant program, and $250,000 from the B.C. Arts Council’s 2022-23 Arts Infrastructure Program.

 

[Nparker]

Why does not-for-profit always end up reducing the profit of my wallet?

[Barrrister]

It is profit for the people that have jobs with these organizations. Strangely they often seem aligned with friends of the Party. 

[Victoria Watcher]

Congrats Canada!  

 

1/3 of us are on food stamps as of today.  

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 July 2023 - 04:18 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

I will admit it has been there forever, and I've never stepped foot in the place.  Or most of the other places in the article.  I think I've been in the Italian food place once.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Wooden Shoe, 2576 Quadra Street

 

The cow means they’re open

 

The Wooden Shoe is a specialty Dutch store that has Dutch groceries, a delicatessen, gifts and kitchenware. They are most known for having 75 kinds of licorice, over 20 kinds of Dutch cheese and an impressive Indonesian section.

 

“Licorice is a big and important part of the Netherlands, and Dutch people eat it as a treat. That’s why there are so many different varieties,” owner Eric van Zoolingen said.

 

The cheeses are imported from northern Europe, including countries like the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. Some of the best-sellers are goudas and vintage cheeses, which have been ripened anywhere from 12 to 36 months to get their rich flavour. Van Zoolingen recommends customers try the medium gouda: “It’s very nice to try and very flavourful.” Another customer favourite is the Rembrandt Aged Cheese, an extra-aged gouda that is ripened for over a year and was voted best cheese in the World Championship Cheese Contest in the U.S.A. in 2004.

 

The Wooden Shoe also sells the well-known Dutch brand Beemster cheese, produced in Northern Holland where the countryside is ripe with fertile grazing land. In fact, a Beemster cow statue has become one of the personal quirky trademarks that the van Zoolingens have brought to the store.

 

“A lot of customers recognize the cow [outside] as, ‘OK, they’re open,’” van Zoolingen said.

 

The store’s Indonesian section offers a popular selection of Sambal paste, made from chili peppers with secondary ingredients such as shrimp paste, garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, palm sugar, and lime juice. Van Zoolingen said it is a popular item as Thrifty’s no longer sells it.

 

Because Indonesia used to be a Dutch colony (the Netherlands government ruled the colony from 1816-1941), Indonesian food is typical in Dutch culture.

 

Eric van Zoolingen and his wife, Nicolette, took over the store together in 2019. The store was originally started in 1956 by the Olivier family on Cedar Hill and they eventually opened up this second location on Quadra Street.

 

The van Zoolingen couple moved to Victoria from the Netherlands in 2005, and Nicolette began working in The Wooden Shoe as a part-time employee after the birth of their daughter. When the business came up for sale in 2019, Eric thought it was a “nice opportunity” to start their own business, eager to leave his office career in IT behind him.

 

The store was also a little piece of home. Not only are the walls lined with products that remind the van Zoolingens of their life and culture in the Netherlands, but the community of customers they have met has allowed the couple to form some heart-warming connections.

 

“We just had a customer who is 91 who grew up in our hometown, which is pretty unbelievable but it’s true,” van Zoolingen said.

 

For anyone who’d like to step into The Wooden Shoe, just look for the Beemster cow and there will be friendly faces offering warm hospitality inside.

 

And next time you take a step into any locally owned international market, take a chance to chat with the people behind the counter. They might have some great stories to share and some delicious recommendations.

 

 

https://www.vicnews....markets-1290551

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 01 August 2023 - 08:09 AM.

[Nparker]

I had some Dutch salty licorice once. I did not enjoy it. 

[davidN]

Absolutely love this shop!!

 

Product is real

People are nice and knowledgeable

Prices are fair 

 

Much rather make the effort to support stores like this than the Jim Pattison's of the world

Edited by davidN, 01 August 2023 - 12:06 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

Jim Pattison denied my of licorices all my life.

[mbjj]

My husband goes to the Dutch shop quite often. He recently bought me a can of Hero Brand blackcurrent soft drink. Very refreshing. Hero jam from Switzerland seems to have vanished from our grocery stores though. 

[Victoria Watcher]

‘Sad news’: Customers react as iconic Saanich deli to close after 46 years

 

Maria’s Deli (4080 Shelbourne) announces its ‘incredible journey’ is coming to an end

 

https://www.vicnews....6-years-1651596

 

 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 05 August 2023 - 02:00 AM.

[UDeMan]

Maria's deli was a great place to shop. Then all the other grocery stores expanded there delis, so not worth the trip to Gordon head.

[mbjj]

My husband was in Maria's a few months back and they were saying the Shelbourne St. mess had really impacted their business. 

[Victoria Watcher]

Six Greater Victoria Liquor Express stores, and one in Nanaimo, are set to be bought in what the buyer calls a “transformational” deal.

Peninsula Consumer Services Co-operative announce Thursday (Aug. 10) that it has entered into an agreement with the owners of Liquor Express to purchase seven retail locations located on Vancouver Island.


https://www.vicnews....al-deal-1678613



Even the communist grocery stores are getting in on the booze.

Mike?

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 10 August 2023 - 12:15 PM.