Arts&life EDITOR JAN BEVILACQUA | TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2021 | THE VOICE Clockwise from left: Jessica de Haas holds a sign outside of her shop; jewelry and hats at Funk Shui; handmade scarves on display at Funk Shui; brooms on display at Granville Island Broom Company NICOLETTE COLOSiMO PHOTO. A BC Buy Local flyer at a shoe store susmiTTED PHOTO Local retailers: shop, dont ship As supply chain struggles continue, small businesses are reaching out = ByNICOLETTE COLOSIMO week-long shopping campaign is encourag- ing Vancouverites to buy ocal as people worry about empty store shelves before the holidays. The BC Buy Local campaign kicked off Monday by suggesting that shoppers looking for deals online consider local shop websites. The COVID-19 pandemic and recent flooding in B.C. have created a supply chain shortage, which is expected to affect local businesses. With holiday shopping season in full swing, many businesses are urging shoppers to buy local. Jessica de Haas, a textile and fiber artist at Funk Shui, has been selling handmade felt accessories and cloth- ing for the last 15 years on Granville Island. De Haas said it’s important to buy locally because consumers put money directly back into their communities. “There's a face and a human behind every small business, and those people are in turn going to spend that money in their community as well,” she said. Amy Robinson, who oversees BC Buy Local as the executive director for LOCO BC, said the campaign encourages shoppers to consider the impact of their purchases, both socially and environmentally. “Think about the wider ramifica- tions for your community and the local economy and that you're help- ing to keep friends’ and neighbors’ businesses alive,” Robinson said. “You know, you're helping to reduce green- house gas emissions.” De Haas said it is typically more environmentally sustainable to support local businesses. Sarah Shwieger, owner of Gran- ville Island Broom Company, sells handmade brooms made in the shop. “There is less of a strain on the envi- ronment when you're not shipping everything,” she said. De Haas said she has noticed more shoppers have been coming in since news of the supply chain shortages. BC Buy Local is a seven-day campaign that started Monday with recommendations each day on how shoppers can support local business. “We are recommending that day three is to give experiences because of all the supply chain issues, climate change (and) impacts of transport,” Robinson said. Robinson said with the recent flooding and ground transportation issues, some businesses have had to modify how they source goods. Among those, a bakery in North Vancouver, Bad Dog Bread. “(They were) telling me that they couldn't get grains from the rest of Canada, so they had to lean on other B.C. suppliers in Agassiz and Armstrong a little bit more heavily,” she said. Andi Fillion, a café manager on Granville Island, said she prefers to support local artisanal stores and avoids big shops and malls. “Buying locally comes at a price, and it’s a lot easier to go to other shops to just pay a cheaper price, but you are in turn getting a cheaper qual- ity product,” Fillion said. De Haas recognized the price point of locally made goods is gener- ally higher, but hopes people will acknowledge the craftsmanship and value in a product that's unique and long lasting. “Tt might not be a big brand name, but it's something that will last for a really long time,” she said. Festival Holiday events are making a post-pandemic comeback = By CHRISTOPHER MACMILLAN anDusen Botanical Garden \ | is lit up once again after the COVID-19 pandemic dimmed holiday festivities last year. In November 2020, a provincial health order issued by Dr. Bonnie Henry banned all social gatherings to prevent the spread of COVID-19. This came after a restart plan initi- ated in May failed to curb COVID- 19 cases. In response, Festival of Lights was cancelled for the season and refunds were issued for pre- purchased tickets. Emily Schultz, supervisor of reve- nue and visitor services with VanDu- sen Botanical Garden, said she is excited to finally have visitors return for the event and that they expect a busy season. “I think there's a lot of pent-up demand, people are just really excited to enjoy those holiday events that they used to before. So we're seeing a lot of advance ticket sales now,” Schultz said. While there may be more visitors this year, because of current provin- cial health orders, visitors will be required to show proof of vaccina- tion before entering. Masks will also be required indoors, and ticket will only be sold in advance online. Despite these restrictions, Schultz said that the garden has added new activities and art displays to the Festival of Lights experience. “We have lots of new themed areas. We've kind of moved things around this year, and added lots of different artistic elements that we've brought into the garden. I would highly recommend the rose garden, the blue river and Heron Lake as feature points as well as the white of Lights returns to Vancouver tunnel that we can see right here on the edge of Livingston Lake,” Schultz said. Some activities will not be offered this year to reduce surface contact and limit gathering. Kids will be able to write letters to Santa Clause but will not be able to take photos with him. The carousel will also not be making an appearance this year. Schultz said that the event will still have plenty to offer families. “We recommend allocating at least an hour to enjoy the event, up to two hours. It is 15 acres. It's outdoors in a botanical garden, and we have over one million lights so it's fun for the whole family, [and also] great to enjoy as a couple, with friends, [or] with family. So [we] encourage everyone to come out this year,” she said. Festival goers Leah and Brian Cunningham have never attended the festival. “This is our first time. We were supposed to come a couple years ago but couldn’t get tickets,” Leah Cunningham said. An) Wd Le tld Wy i ty Owl display decorated for the holidays at the VanDusen Festival of Lights. CHRISTOPHER MACMILLAN PHOTO