Hidden gem: This East Vancouver decor store is a boho dream
Made in Vancouver is a collaboration between Vancity and Daily Hive. Together, we’re turning the spotlight onto local businesses, organizations, and individuals who are helping to create a healthy local economy.
Located in East Vancouver, there is a little neighbourhood home decor and giftware shop featuring independent artisans.
The Coast Goods is a female-owned business that offers ethically made goods, mostly local with a splash of global.
Vancity has been supporting local businesses like The Coast Goods with different programs. Now until Sept 30, Vancity enviro™ Visa* cardholders will earn 1.5x the rewards points at select businesses through the Load Up on Local program. To learn more, visit vancity.com/local
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“When you shop at the Coast Goods, you’re putting money back into the community. Not only are you helping to support a local mom and her daughter through university, you’re supporting the livelihoods of many local makers and small businesses,” said McLean in an interview with Daily Hive.
“We have already given back to a few local and global charities such as Covenant House and the UNHCR and hope to keep that momentum going.”
She also has always wanted to focus on smaller and more sustainable work, supporting local trades, craftspeople, furniture makers and artists whenever possible.
She is an interior designer and has run her own company, mango design co, for the last 18 years.
“While I have loved what I do, I’ve also suffered burn-out working in Vancouver’s crazy residential renovation world while solo-parenting for the better part of two decades. I wanted to get away from a life hunched over the computer screen for endless hours, often angry and frustrated. I wanted to feel more human. I wanted to feel like part of this community. ”
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She had a dream to create a shop focused on independent artisans for decades. She told us that she had notebooks and sketchbooks full of ideas for years, and picked the name “The Coast Goods,” and bought the web name a while ago.
“The name came not only from where we live but also my desire to always live near the sea.”
However, last year she finally made her dreams a reality by getting an opportunity to open a retail space in East Vancouver.
“When Covid hit in March 2020, new projects halted and my designers needed to be home taking care of their families. Simultaneously, I had an email from a friend who was giving up her lease on a little retail space in my neighbourhood. It took me all of two minutes to write back and tell her I wanted it,” she said.
She said that timing is not always right to switch paths or fulfill new dreams, but “when it is, be brave and take the plunge.”
“People thought I was crazy taking on a lease and opening a shop in the middle of COVID, but it was because of the pandemic that this opportunity opened up, and I took it and I’m loving it,” said McLean.
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The design of the shop and the selection of goods they’ve curated evoke a “laid-back coastal vibe.”
“The shop is design-driven, yet whimsical and unpretentious… maybe a little like me,” said McLean.
They offer a selection of pottery, art, weavings, dinnerware, glassware, table linens, bedding, bath textiles, pantry, bar goodies, bath and body care, candles and essential oils, jewellery, dog toys, and more.
“We are working on a website and online shop but I’m honestly not in a big rush to make that happen. I like the real thing, the touchy-feely aspect of a physical shop, meeting people, being social.”
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Not only has on The Coast Goods been supporting the community, but the community has been supporting them in return.
“The community has been so supportive and the push for shopping local is real. We’ve provided a friendly little haven for our neighbours to buy gifts and get a little retail therapy through these weird and challenging times,” said McLean.
You can stop by their shop at 1302 Victoria Drive between 10-6 pm Tuesday to Friday, 11-6 pm Saturday, and 11-5 pm Sunday.
“I have lived, worked and raised my daughter in this neighbourhood for 15 years. There are a lot of folks with deep roots in the neighbourhood and many new young families discovering how fabulous it is. I know there was a need for a shop just like this.”
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