Businessnews

‘CLOSED SUN.-

EDITORLINA CHUNG |

THURSDAY, FEB. 13, 2020 |

THE VOICE

Sam Shaer, owner of Vic's Styling Centre on Fraser & 45th, cuts hair and talks about the decrease in customers. Pay parking came into effect in the South Fraser area during the Thanksgiving Day
weekend, October 12-13, 2019. Shaer has owned his shop for 16 years. iA CHUNG PHOTO

Pay parking hurting bottom line

Some small Fraser Street businesses reporting a 30% customer downturn

@ ByJACOB HOHEISEL
mall businesses say pay park-
ing on Fraser Street is taking
its toll.

It’s been four months since
the introduction of new park-
ing meters and pay parking lots
in the Fraser Street area between
43rd and 49th avenues and some
small businesses are reporting
fewer customers and a downturn
in business.

Sam Shaer, owner of Vic’s Styl-
ing Centre, a barber shop, said
he has to speak out against the
meters.

“Tt affects everyone on Fraser

Street ... especially in the back
[lots]. People
driving from
other neigh-

bourhoods don’t
stay as long now
because they
have to watch the |
time.”

Shaer says his
business is down
20 to 30 per cent.

“The big busi-
ness takes over the little business.
It’s like a shark eating all the small
fish.”

Sam Shaer
OWNER, VIC'S
STYLING CENTRE

Weaving sparks

Students gain
appreciation of
Indigenous values

By SAFOURA RIGI-LADIZ

I angara’s Salish weaving course
gives students an opportunity
to learn a once-lost tradition

of B.C.’s Coast Salish people.

The history of the traditional
weaving practice and its cultural
applications are an important part
of what students learn. Students
are taught to prep the wool, which
includes spinning and dyeing the
wool using natural dyes, before using
it for weaving.

Stephanie Aitken, chair of Langa-
ra’s fine arts department, said instruc-
tor Debra Sparrow teaches students

everything about the process.
“There’s a huge component with
Debra’s class about conversation,”
Aitken said. “It’s a history class
disguised as a weaving lesson in
many aspects.”
Aitken took the course last year.

Vancouver city council voted to
end 60 years of free parking in the
area at the recommendation of the
city’s engineering services depart-
ment.

A petition signed by 90 busi-
nesses, representing about 50 per
cent of the stores on Fraser Street,
opposed the installation of meters.
The city still went ahead despite
the opposition.

The engineering service’s report
cited revenue generation, an effort
to cut emissions, and a way to
rotate more traffic through the
area as reasons for installing the
meters.

Rob Nijjar, executive director
of South Hill Business Associa-
tion, said that North American
studies about implementing pay
parking in business areas show
that although there is an impact
to businesses at first, the benefit
is more people come into the area
and they’re able to find parking.

Theresa Nguyen, owner of
Purple Rainbow Florist, said like
the other independently owned
shops in the area, her business is
down since the meters went in.
When people do come into her
shop, Nguyen said they don’t stay

as long anymore.

MONEY FROM FRASER

STREET PAY PARKING LOTS

» Approximately 260
parking spots

Spread over12 parking lots.

» Approximately
$851,760/year

To be collected by the city from
above parking spots.

SOURCE: LINA CHUNG USING CITY
COUNCIL INFORMTIONM

conversation, learning

student who has taken the course, has
learned other aspects of traditional
Indigenous culture by completing
the weaving course.

“One of the most wonderful things
that I’ve learned about Aboriginal
people is their generosity,” Duttchen

Sparrow, a yan . said. “They
Coast Salish artist, It'sa history class don’t measure
specializes in di . d their wealth by
weaving. Together 1SQuISEG as a what they have,
with her sisters, o " they measure
they revived this Weaving lesson... their wealth
lost art of weav- ~ STEPHANIE AITKEN, by what they

ing, according to
Aitken. Her art
is currently being displayed at the
Vancouver Art Gallery.

“It was really great to hear Debra’s
experiences with her life and her life
choices to revive this lost art,” said
Leah Hille, a fine arts student who
completed the course last semester.

Carolee Duttchen, another

LANGARA, CHAIR FINE ARTS

give away, and I
think we could
learn a lot from that.”

As a result, Duttchen said she
wouldn't sell her art; she would give
it away.

This is the third time Langara has
offered Salish weaving. Classes are
limited to 10 people, with five slots
held for Indigenous students.

ee he

Carolee Duttchen shows off Salish weaving she created during Debra Spar-
row's course, last semester. She will be gifting it to her daughter-in-law.

SAFOURA RIGILADIZ PHOTO