Up a narrow set of stairs, amidst bins of overflowing fabric and lace, filtered attic light and dust fairies dancing in the warm air, a little girl learned to sew.
, 31, is the continuation of many family traditions, from musical expression to sustainable lifestyle, but it was the making of garments that she has spun into a career.
Both her grandmothers were seamstresses, and some of her fondest memories were of creating outfits for her dolls in her Grandma Barbaras attic sewing room.
I was always nosing around the great vats of fabric. Id make outfits for Barbies that always looked really good from the front, she says with a laugh from behind the front counter of her clothing store, Twigg&Hottie.
Originally from Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Island, Vaira always expected to be a music teacher. Adrift after an unsatisfying stint in the Malaspina Jocal Jazz program, Vaira ended up moving to Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»to live with her brother, Mario an up-and-coming music producer.
The singer stumbled upon the now defunct Helen Lefeaux School of Fashion Design and realized the new direction was a perfect fit.
I hadnt sewn from a pattern until I went to school, but my family always pushed us to do creative things that we were interested in. For me fashion is still such a creative thing, but its a creative thing I can put borders around.
During the 10-month intensive program, covering all aspects of the fashion world, Vaira met future business partners Glencora Twigg and Christine Hotton.
Shortly before graduation in 2003, Twigg and Hotton linked up to buy a vintage consignment store on Main Street. After running it as-is for a short time, the two fashion grads started incorporating locally-made fashions, including their own designs, into the selection. The offerings initially leaned towards avant-garde or super out-there, depending on who you ask but (3671 Main at 21st) has mellowed with time and found its niche in the Main Street vernacular.
The physical product in Twigg&Hottie is varied but what ties everything together is that one step must be taken out of the regular production process: made in Vancouver, made elsewhere but of sustainable fibre, or the underlying quality is a bit special. We want to connect people to the garments and to the reason weve chosen them for the store. Things dont come from a store, theres a huge backstory to every product.
Up Main theres so much interesting stuff to check out and interesting perspectives. We each have our own little thing going on. Some people might have the misconception that all local design is Thing A, but really theres a lot of variance in that. The shop does a great job with their one particular aesthetic. an amazing shop with beautiful things, is another.
Were a little bit more on the eclectic side, so our one thing is the eclectic-ness, she concludes.
Vaira joined the team as a co-owner in 2006 and says one the rewards of being in business together for so long is that the three women have gotten to watch each others lives unfold. Twigg and Hotton have both started families and Vaira has continued to pursue her musical passions, performing regularly around Vancouver.
Eight years in, Twigg&Hottie sits proudly alongside , Smoking Lily, and as one of the longest-running clothing retailers on a street that has seen some change.
Recently Life of Riley on the corner closed. Hum another example of local and Canadian closed last summer.
Theres been a lot of emptiness, but where the Hum space was, the new soap store [] is super cool, all refillable soaps and lovely little bits and pieces. Shes a wonderful addition to the street along the same mindset but not diluting it.
But despite their longevity, there have been frustrations for the sustainable lifestyle proponents.
It can be hard to sway a lot of people that paying $10 for something crummy that falls apart and having to pay that $10 over and over again is just the same as paying $60 for quality that youll have for a long time.
There was a really big boom a couple years ago. It felt like people were super on the local train, but the economy has really been trickling down. It has been all over the map last couple of years. People are holding their cards very tight, and that mentality too, is Oh, I want to buy something, and they pick that cheaper thing to satiate that urge rather than making a good informed decision.
People who shop along sustainable principles always will theyre doing that because they feel good about it and it's a good product but some people cant see past the bottom line of (price).
The economy seems to be thawing and the women are optimistic that things will level off. As more restaurants like Last Crumb Bakery and Cafe (coming July) round out the area, Main Street can only become more of a destination.
The girls plan to keep up with the resurgence by offering Trunk Shows, where entire collections are brought to the store by the designer and offered at 15% off; deals of the week through their ; and a late night shopping event with other retailers along the street coming this summer. ()
