Whether she likes them or not, Jill Whitford has just about had enough of avocados.
She鈥檚 standing in the midst of a sprawling 20,000 square-foot warehouse that has been completely transformed over the span of two months.
What was once home to a produce wholesaler and more recently an avocado factory will soon become Vancouver鈥檚 newest arts and culture space.
Eastside Studios is moving away from pits and produce to party time on June 1.
鈥淲hen it does come together and it does work, and you have so many people provide so much immense support, it makes all the effort worth it,鈥� Whitford told the Courier. 鈥淎nd it makes it happen really easily once you do secure that space.鈥澨�
Whitford and a team of four others took over the Malkin Avenue warehouse in East 麻豆传媒映画in April. Split between two floors, the top level is a mix of both private and co-op art spaces. The lower level covers at least 10,000 square feet and includes rehearsal spaces, photo suites and huge performance area that will play host to gigs, markets, speaker series and more.
Whitford鈥檚 group is also behind the wildly-popular Eastside Flea Market that gives creative types a place to sell their wares. Securing a space to create content that鈥檚 sold within blocks of one another is a natural fit.
鈥淲e have something that I don鈥檛 think anybody else in the city has, which is the community already built around the East Side Flea,鈥� said Alberta Randall, who covers off on the operational side of the warehouse space. 鈥淪ome of these people have been working with us for the past five-plus years and they鈥檙e our family, so we already this army of local makers and vintage pickers who will support us and who need us to support them.鈥�
Like most others in the 麻豆传媒映画arts scene, finding the space was an exhaustive process that spanned months. Whitford looked throughout the East Side, combed Craigslist every day and worked with multiple realtors during the three-month search.
Once she found it, word spread instantly. No advertising was needed, save for a couple Instagram posts. Every private artist suite was filled within 24 hours.
鈥淲e got flooded with emails, inquiries and questions from people who wanted to see the space that day,鈥� Whitford said. 鈥淧eople were trying to leave deposit cheques then and there. They were telling us 鈥業鈥檓 a professional artist, I have nowhere to create and it鈥檚 affecting my livelihood.鈥� They were so desperate.鈥�
The flood of attention wasn鈥檛 surprising to Whitford. She says it鈥檚 a fact of life that鈥檚 permeated across virtually every artistic discipline in Vancouver.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nothing that we didn鈥檛 already know,鈥� Whitford said. 鈥淲orking in the small business and creative communities, we鈥檙e constantly hearing there鈥檚 a lack of space to sell your goods, make your goods, to store your goods or to do anything that is independent. The space doesn鈥檛 exist and when it does exist they are insanely expensive.鈥澨�
The studio鈥檚 life could be a short one. Whitford has a two-year lease and there鈥檚 talk of developing the area. Plans are also afoot to relocate St. Paul鈥檚 Hospital into the neighbourhood.
鈥淥ur lease will be up and we鈥檒l definitely struggle to find another space 鈥� it鈥檚 only going to get harder from here,鈥� Whitford said. 鈥淚t will come to an end eventually, and it will be sad but that鈥檚 OK. You just make it last as long as you can.鈥�
Eastside Studios鈥� opening day bash on June 1 will include a food truck, craft beers, an outdoor patio area, DJ sets and performances by Necking, Monsoon Moon and Babe Corner.
For info, see
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