eB LENORA Currie, of Bryan Stratten Hair Design, lightens up Karen
ameison’s hair and judging by the smile, her life as weil.

‘ips niiz, right; and grandson Tibor Princz, 25, sitting on
ine. work at the family’ ‘Ss Art t Upholstering Studio.

ng usiness ‘for 48 of his 54 years, Giuseppe Dente
avs a classic cut of suit is Stil the best and longest wearing.

north shore news

USINESS

Wednesday. May 27, 1998 — North Shore News — 19

RITA Moore shows off the exclusive frames and sunglasses she. buys from Europe. She says

most people buy one or two pairs, but there are some who own four or more pairs, of glasses." a

NEWS photos Paul McGrath -

Judy Smith
Contributing Writer

AMBLESIDE could never
be called the mean streets.
But it must fcel insulating
to have your business right
next to the West Vancouver
police station.

So, safe from with-
out and within, the
mini United Nations
of. shop owners on
their short block of
1300 (Marine Drive
peacefully co-exist.

And the variety of “MARINE DR. 1308

cultures are nicely
bridged by Rita
Moore, a former interpreter in
Switzerland and England.

: On her second career, Moore
is now an optician and for 16
years has owned Optix, a fashion

, eyewear store.

“Being an interpreter is a very
stressful job so I switched to some-
thing . less stressful,” she said,

_ explaining why she made such a rad-

ical change in her life.

She learned the optical business
when she arrived in Toronto 30
years ago. ‘

To keep on the cutting edge,
Moore buys mostly European
frames and sunglasses. “I go to trade

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shows twice a year. I try to have
exclusive fremes, sot what. every-
body else has.”

But it takes a while for European
eyewear fashion to catch. on in
Vancouver. “On the west coast it
takes a year and a half to come here.
On the east coast it’s right away.”

The reason, she feels, is people
are more conservative here. “There
are exceptions, but in general they

have to see ita little while on
television or .maga-
zines.”
People view wearing
glasses as a fashion
accessory now rather
than the awful life sen-
tence it used to be, said
Moore

The fashion plate

Giuseppe the Roman Tailor is a

26 year veteran of the street.
Giuseppe Dente first learned the rag
trade in his native Tealy and then
toak his show on the road to
Canada in 1968.

“Pve done this training ail my
life. I started when I was six years
old.”

He said the business has changed
a lor since he started. For instance,
Dente, 54, remembers how precious
thread was when he started in the
business. “We used to save every
piece of thread after sewing. Now

you can buy 10,000-metre spools.”. -,
that”

Styles haven't changed
much. over the “years, he -said.
“Women change. all the: ‘time bur
men are usually the same.”

“Dente uséd:to make all the suits |

he sells, but now he does: made-to-
measure because “it just ‘takes.
much time to make new suit(s)
more.” :
Rack in Iealy, he’ sai id it ‘used to
take 40 hours to hand-stitch’a suit.

But now, using.: machines, it, only:

takes one or two days. Men- today
might buy pvo or. three suits a sea-
son. — they don’t need the suit to

~ Jast for vears. Dente’s said his other
bread and butter business. is alter-

ations and renting formal wear.
Many customers coming and

going said a variation of, “Oh, that’

Giuseppe, he’s the best tailor. in

West Van. Nobody does better work’

than him.”

Hair wizard ;
She cut a Starfish design jnto a
woman’s hair,

Thar’s probably the most bizarre

request hairstylist Lorena Currie has -

had in the normally conservative
West Vancouver.

“This friend of mine likes to have
something different shaved into her
hair every time she comes in,” she

See Furniture page 21 -

Semot lnvestacat Executive
A je Director
eet ent