8305 replies to this topic

[Holden West]

Yeah, I saw that piece of crap. Someone's set on turning that area into Granville Street. What the ****'s up with that? Do you really need to comparison shop at five stores to buy that plastic skull bong or a Slayer patch for your jean jacket?

[Ms. B. Havin]

This isn't Victoria retail news, although we do have a Lululemon store downtown, so maybe it's relevant. I just wanted to point to this, 'cause it's one of those "wow!" things I wish we could report on here: [url=http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/business/story.html?id=978db01b-e0ce-4596-85b7-685ee6465da2:cb8df]Lululemon gets ready for huge IPO[/url:cb8df]:

Vancouver yoga-wear retailer Lululemon Athletica Inc. expects to raise up to $250.9 million US in an initial public offering this year, according to a prospectus filed yesterday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

I won't copy/paste the whole thing, but here's what really jumped out at me:

Lululemon employs nearly 1,700 workers worldwide and about 350 company employees are expected to work in a new 80,000-square-foot Vancouver corporate office to open late next year.

Sigh...

Or rather: om ... om mani padme hum ... om (repeat often, and maybe you, too, will one day open an 80K square foot corporate head office ...in Victoria... :-D )

[Holden West]

80 K? That's an eight storey office tower. That's a lot for what might end up being the 2000's version of leg warmers or Jazzercise outfits.

May I remind you of this post from April of 2006*

Yoga pant domination of Victoria complete

Sunday, April 23 Times-Colonist
by Curtis Malcolm

In a dramatic take-down yesterday, an unnamed 39-year old Victoria woman was seized and dragged kicking and screaming into a popular downtown athletic apparel store and forced to buy a pair of yoga pants.

The incident, which happened at Lululemon Athletica, 584 Johnson St. means that every female in Victoria between the ages of 12 and 40 now own at least one item of Lululemon clothing, voluntarily or otherwise.

The woman, who police have not identified, was quoted as saying, "I always hated those yoga pants. They're comfy I suppose, but they're too revealing for me, and don't look appropriate for wearing in the city, especially if you're carrying around a few extra pounds like I am. I wear sweats around the house and stuff but I really think all that yoga stuff is a fad. Then these Lululemon thugs grabbed me and made me wear them. I must say they are comfortable and they're convenient to wear when I don't feel like dressing up."

A Lululemon spokesman said violence is generally frowned upon but it was important in this case to ensure 100% compliance with the mandatory yoga pant bylaw.

This is believed to be the first time Victoria citizens have been forced against their will to own a product since 1985, when mandatory ownership of the CD version of Dire Straits' "Brothers in Arms album came into effect. An attempt in 1977 to make mandatory ownership of Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" LP was virtually complete when it was derailed by the Punk Rock movement. A 1972 effort to make plaid slacks mandatory for young boys also failed.

© Times-Colonist 2006

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*Which may or may not be totally made up by me.

[VicHockeyFan]

80 K? That's an eight storey office tower. That's a lot for what might end up being the 2000's version of leg warmers or Jazzercise outfits.

May I remind you of this post from April of 2006*

Yoga pant domination of Victoria complete

Sunday, April 23 Times-Colonist
by Curtis Malcolm

In a dramatic take-down yesterday, an unnamed 39-year old Victoria woman was seized and dragged kicking and screaming into a popular downtown athletic apparel store and forced to buy a pair of yoga pants.

The incident, which happened at Lululemon Athletica, 584 Johnson St. means that every female in Victoria between the ages of 12 and 40 now own at least one item of Lululemon clothing, voluntarily or otherwise.

The woman, who police have not identified, was quoted as saying, "I always hated those yoga pants. They're comfy I suppose, but they're too revealing for me, and don't look appropriate for wearing in the city, especially if you're carrying around a few extra pounds like I am. I wear sweats around the house and stuff but I really think all that yoga stuff is a fad. Then these Lululemon thugs grabbed me and made me wear them. I must say they are comfortable and they're convenient to wear when I don't feel like dressing up."

A Lululemon spokesman said violence is generally frowned upon but it was important in this case to ensure 100% compliance with the mandatory yoga pant bylaw.

This is believed to be the first time Victoria citizens have been forced against their will to own a product since 1985, when mandatory ownership of the CD version of Dire Straits' "Brothers in Arms album came into effect. An attempt in 1977 to make mandatory ownership of Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" LP was virtually complete when it was derailed by the Punk Rock movement. A 1972 effort to make plaid slacks mandatory for young boys also failed.

© Times-Colonist 2006

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*Which may or may not be totally made up by me.

What about the mandatory ownership of an Adidas Bag circa 1978-80?

I'd love to show a picture, but Adidas has effectively swept the net clean of any photos. But we all know the bag. Two colours, and could be worn as a backpack if required, by sliding both arms right thru the handles, although it was never designed for this purpose. It was a simple bag, came with a hard cardboard "floor" and one zipper compartment along the bottom to slide documents into, and just two sewn carry handles, that invariably would break at the rivet attaching it to the main part of the bag, requiring you to buy approximately three new bags every school-year. I remember one 6th or 7th grade class - EVERY SINGLE class member in a class of about 25 owned one.

But when ridin' the bike to school, with your handlebars flipped up 180 degrees (sort of like this, but the full-on 10-speed style handles:



), and a rat-trap that might let the bag suck into your spokes, you did what you had to do.

[Ms. B. Havin]

Oh, you heathen unbelievers, you! For that, I command you to go stand on your head(s) right now. From there, move into the peacock (actually, you're supposed to move into peacock from downward dog, but I thought I'd make it difficult ...instead of easy )...

[Holden West]

What about the mandatory ownership of an Adidas Bag circa 1978-80?

I'd love to show a picture, but Adidas has effectively swept the net clean of any photos.

I know exactly of which you speak, my friend. All three items.

But I can't find adidas bags either, and I used the word "vintage" which I thought would work for sure. I'm wondering if those bags were only sold in the Canadian market, making them somewhat of a rarity.

[m0nkyman]

Das ist, ja?

[VicHockeyFan]

Das ist, ja?

Shinier than I remember, but you've hit it square on!



These bags could also be used as impromtu bowling balls or curling rocks type devices to take out your friends feet-first in the school hallways, because they had four small hard plastic feet that made them slide real good with very little friction.

Fore!

Todays backpack can't do that, not enough mass.

[gumgum]

I had one just like that in elementary school! HA!

[Rob Randall]

Ha ha...here is my actual Adidas bag! Yes, I still have it.



I had it in storage for many years when they were uncool. Now that they are "in" again I use it from time to time. It never fails to bring a smile or comment from someone. Yes, Vic, if the linoleum was in good shape you could take someone out from 50 feet curling-style easily.

Hm, can I remember the other colours...

Red with blue stripes (popular)
Beige with brown stripes.
Yellow with green stripes(?) (rare?)
and vice versa.

[VicHockeyFan]

I remember a particular fav. of mine, very deep blue with silver lining/handles. But the one pictured was most popular, or maybe the exact opposite scheme.

I can see the tear already starting on the right rivet in your photo. I think rivet #2 was redundant. The thing always broke at the higher rivet. The first thing to go was the inner material in the handle. There was something stiff inside, but after a month or two that stiffness was broken at the first rivet and you knew it was just hanging by the much more flexible outer handle material.

[m0nkyman]

Mine was green with yellow stripes. I miss it.

(Go Brazil!!!)

[Holden West]

Ha ha, this thread rocks. VHF, I suppose if about an inch of the inner stiffener was removed, a shoe repair guy could probably rivet it back on, although it would probably look like hell. Apart from that, they were built to last, heavy duty vinyl with cloth backing. Not like that made in China crap today.

heh heh...oh, to get back on track....

Maybe I'm the last to notice, but the Super Save gas on Douglas at Princess is closed. Princess St. to me looks like a lot of what a lot of the downtown fringe must have looked like years ago...no sidewalks, a mix of run down houses, vacant lots and light industrial. Primo development site.

And the old Ballantyne's florist in the 1000 block Fort is now an Aveda salon.

[VicHockeyFan]

I like how the young guys are mum on the Adidas bag subject, they know not of what we speak.

Ya, SuperSave has indeed been gone for nearly 6 months.

[Mike K.]

I'm not touching that Adidas back subject...

[VicHockeyFan]

I'm not touching that Adidas back subject...

You are showing your young ignorance right there. It was NOT a backpack.

[Mike K.]

Was it a manpurse?

It's ok, I won't make fun.

[gumgum]

Sport bag!

[Galvanized]

Mine was blue and yellow. It was awesome, though my wife has a purse that looks just like it but smaller so I can see why some would call it a man purse.

BTW, this is what a real man purse looks like:

[TheVisionary]

Mine was blue and yellow. It was awesome, though my wife has a purse that looks just like it but smaller so I can see why some would call it a man purse.

BTW, this is what a real man purse looks like:

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I love the "man purse" joke. It's so fitting! There's a fancy lunch bag at Home Outfitters/HBC that sort of looks like a purse in pink and light blue. It also comes in shiny foil and beige. I frequently make jokes about it being a man purse for lunch. Do real live people have a need to carry their sandwich in a stylish purse? Come on, the sandwich is going to be devoured and turned into feces anyway, no matter how good it is. You're only spoiling the sandwich if you treat it like a little princess and coddling it!