The Body Shop Metrotown Changemakers' Workshop

The Body Shop is leading the conversation of sustainability, ethically sourced ingredients and waste reduction with its Changemakers' Workshop concept stores. The Metrotown Burnaby location has recently reopened as the newest Changemakers' Workshop concept shop. I had the opportunity for a 1 on 1 tour to learn more about the space and its products. 

I had no idea what a "Concept Store" was, so I turned to Google for answers: a selection of products, services and experiences encompassing a concept. My guess was a model store for what future retail spaces would look like, but eh, this is why we have Google! The Changemakers' Workshop concept stores are a space to foster a relationship with the community it serves in addition to continuing to educate consumers on sustainability. The Body Shop Burnaby team partnered with local eco-organization, PECO and together created an original piece of art from collected trash and empty product containers. 

Maenam Thai Food for Lunch

With an ingredient driven menu featuring the freshest ingredients, Maenam never fails to bring the flavour with Thai food. Maenam has mastered traditional favourites like Pad Thai, various curries and roti. Opening in 2009, Maenam had been a dinner focused restaurant, but has recently expanded their meal service to lunch. The team always goes above and beyond to create memorable moments for their patrons and have collected numerous awards, accolades and most recently the Bib Gourmand Award from the Michelin Guide. 

If it were up to me, I would have Maenam's Pad Thai daily because I love the sweet, tangy, savoury flavour combination. I can devote an entire blogpost to their Pad Thai, but it would be remiss of me to not mention their other food offerings as well as their stellar cocktail program. 

Springtime Hail in Vancouver

 

Sunny blue skies, blooming flowers and unexpected hail storms are all the makings of a great Spring in Vancouver! It has been months of gloomy wet grey days in Vancouver, so I speak for everyone when I say I want sunshine! I am starved for sunshine. It is downright cruel that Vancouver teased us with a handful of sunny days only to turn our weekend icy and cold. 

I struggle with anxiety and cold grey days exponentially worsen how I feel. Sunshine instantly lifts my mood and gives me a boost in energy to be productive. Considering my full-time job involves working indoors in a windowless negative pressure lab, I look forward to getting outdoors on my weekends. It has been a long cold and grey winter, so is it really too much to ask for sunshine in April? The Cherry Blossom Festival is kicking off in Vancouver today, but now the delicate sakura petals are going to be destroyed by the harsh icy hail. We all look forward to the Cherry Blossoms turning Vancouver pink, but nobody wants to walk the cherry blossom tree-lined streets while getting soaked by heavy rain and ice. I did not realize just how angry and upset I am until I began typing out this post because my plans to picnic underneath a Sakura tree is officially cancelled because of the horrible weather.