Grape escap Bob Mackin News Reporter NLY British Columbia wines? Pir. Pity not, MacDonald. MacDonald is co-owner of one of Edgemont’s aewest businesses, Edgemont Village Wines. The seven-month-old store sells noth- ing but B.C.-made wines bearing the seal of approval from the Vintners Quality Alliance. The B.C. industry is voung and experiments a lot, MacDonald says. That means B.C. wine afi- cionados are afforded a wider selection of quality wines at a good price than those from other wine hot spots. “There’s probably more vari- eties on the vine here in B.C. than anywhere clse in the world. We grow 44 different kind of grapes, many of which are varietals. In places like California you're lucky if vou have more than half a dozen.” MacDonald has had a longtime interest in local wines, dating back to his days in the accom- modation and hospitality industry. So what’s_—_s his favourite wine? “Oh, probably Cipes Aurora, the champagne style wine, 1992 vintage. It's got beautiful toasty notes and it’ delivered in a beauti- ful, clean crisp taste. If you ask me again in an hour, J’! probably tell you something different.” says Brian Taking care of business Wanda and Francois-Claude Karout are having fun taking care of business. The husband-and-wife team from Lebanon has owned Qucen’s Stationery for more than nine years. Wanda looks after greeting cards, gift wrap, party favours and candles, while Francois-Claude runs the office and school supplies, and business services end. “Fifty per cent is giftwraps and cards and 50% is sta- tionery and the post office,” he said. “During the year, when activity is lower in one field, the other picks up and vice versa. It’s really well balanced.” Karout says he bought the store in 1990 from its pre- vious owner and fixed it up. “We started filling inventory, bringing everything the village needed,” he says. “We brought back all the cus- tomers that had been displaced and regained their con- fidence. Our concern is to serve the clients in the old way where there is personal contact, personal service, north shore news @ BUSINESS = EDGEMONT Village Wines’ co-owner Brian MacDonald samp!es some of his wares. One of the area’s newest businesses, the store sells quality B.C.-made wines. not like the big boxes where you don’t know anybody.” Wanda says some customers stay for hours, enjoying the warm and humorous sentiments of the greeting cards. “I have some people who go around looking at the cards and laughing themselves silly. They just need a cup of coffee, unfortunately there’s no food or drink in here because it’s dangerous with afi the paper products.” Once upon a time Diana Piket is an expert on what she sells. The sales representative at Kidsbooks in the Village reads as much of what’s sold at the store as she can. Wednesday. May 26. 1999 - North Shore News - 15 in the Village “Tread a minimum of 10 books a week,” she saves. “How can vou sell what you know nothing about?” When the News visited the bright, inviting store, the books on Piket’s reading list were Owl Enchanted: A Twist on a Fairy Story by Gail Carson Levine and White Jade Tiger by Julie Lawson, a local author. The hor sellers these days are the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, she savs. While books for children and teenagers are the main merchandise at the three-and-a-half year-old store, customers can also choose from parenting books, teaching aides, videos and stuffed animal pup- pets. Or they can take a load off their feet on the store’s comfortable sofa. “It's a very good store, the store does incredibly well, we're well located in an area tor kids books.” Kidsbooks’ other location is at West Broadway in Vancouver. Today’s styles At Current, manager Tami Tasaka and assistant Anne Wright think global and act local. The six-year-old women’s fashion store is stocked almost exclusively with locally made garments under the label of Origin. The Vancouver company takes the latest high-end stvles devised in the world’s fashion capitals and makes lower-priced vez- sions right here in Vancouver. “They think it’s wonderful that it’s made in Vancouver,” says Tasaka. “The quality and the price is very reasonable.” Business has changed in recent years, and with that the fashion demands of Current’s customers. “Before it was the career executive, career woman, now we're getting into more casual,” Wright says. “The casual Friday look. businesses are requiring it and that’s what the ladies want to wear.” The chain of seven stores is getting ready to introduce a parallel line for larger sizes and does plenty of work in the communities it serves, like planning fashion shows and consult- ing. “In Edgemont it’s a nice area and you really get to know the cus- tomers,” Tasaka says. “They become almost like friends and the regulars keep popping in.” Commercial Avenues is a bi-monthly feature of the North Shore News’ business section. While it is by no means a comprehensive guide to any of the areas it focuses on, it seeks to capture a snapshot of the day-to-day life of busi- nesses selected at random that call the strect home. If you have a business that is part of a unique or otherwise worth- while block, or know of anv, share it with us. Write to Commercial Avenues, c/o Bot Mackin, North Shore News, 1139 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver V7M 2H4. E-mail crobert@nsnens.comt>. oe ee a so 2) sf CURRENT's Tami Tasaka and Anne Wright model KIDSBOOKS' Goldie Abaee (eft) and Diana Piket are some of the store’s affordable fashions. avid readers of the books they sell. WANDA and Francois-Claude Karout are the hus- band-and-wife team that runs Queen’s Stationery.