Lemonade Stand Signals Start of Summer

LEMONADE STAND OPENS

A sure sign of summer is when the lemonade stand opens up.

With opening sale prices of only $0.50 per glass for a small, or $1 for a large glass, business was brisque for Natasha and Orion's Lemonade Stand.

The pair are not new to the world of high finance, having launched a successful start up business last year by McLean park, the pair are hopping for success.

"LEMONADE, GET YOUR LEMONADE" the pair could be heard calling, for blocks around... Paired with their aggressive marketing techniques (chalk signs around each corner) the pair are off to a profitable start this summer.

"We'll be open on hot weekends this summer and sometimes during the week" said lemonade stand proprietor Natasha.

"Would you like a lemon wedge on the side?" asked Orion with impeccable service manner?

The pair are confident that they'll reach their goals this summer of raising enough money to "buy lots of candy".

What the clients had to say:

" Great Lemonaide " - Jill

" This is really good, " - Tracey

" What a great deal " - Roberta

NAR says 75% of consumers expect web savy agents.

A 2004 study by the National Association of Realtors indicated that 74 percent of consumers begin the home buying process online, and 75 percent expect their agent to be Internet-savvy.

Isn't that an interesting little bit of statistics from Google Analytics. The stat is actually from a 2004 study by the NAR so...

A: You can expect that those numbers are higher now
B: You can bet that realtors are looking to the web to connect with clients more.

The article from Google shows that an agency as big as Remax world wide is looking to take advantage of the tools that Google has to offer. Integration with google maps, google base and other google features helps consumers to find what they're looking for better, while the connected realtors that take advantage for these tools will naturally get more clients than those that don't.

It will be interesting to watch this space as the times change and more players start to compete in this space which is still dominated by only a few relatively small players.

Artists in Strathcona

Ryan Townsend's UNION AND HAWKS, my old beat

Submitted by Ian Beaty on Wed, 2007-02-14 17:57.

I wrote a review of Vancouver songwriter Ryan Townsend's tune UNION AND HAWKS and afterward, realized my review was as more about me and my old neighbourhood than about Ryan's song. Critics are so self absorbed. So I thought i'd blog it.

I usually comment on the musical and production values of a track. But what grabbed me about this tune right away was it's title- an intersection of two residential streets in the heart Vancouver's Strathcona area. As someone who spent many years living on Hawks avenue, just two blocks down from Union, and who spent plenty of time hanging out at the Union Market which overlooks the song's "title corner" as it were, i wanted to know what Townsend's take would be.

Though I qualify as one of the "well-fed" if not "wealthy" in Townsend's lyric, I've been following the gentrification of the area with interest over the past 8 years--the establishment of artists and hipsters in the area and the influx of investors and developers that inevitably follow. Just three weeks ago, I was evicted from my own home after developers bought it. They've begun renovations, which, i concede were WELL overdue. I've got mixed feelings on the issue, but there is certainly no denying that while the area is being tangibly improved (at least on the Union and Hawks side of the tracks), many long time residents, my dear neighbours, are being displaced.

So instead of complimenting Mr Townsend on his guitar stylings- which aren't always totally steady but work very well- or wondering if his southern drawl (union and hOWks)? s isn't a little affected, I think he's done something very interesting by writing about the forces at play at this (pedestrian only) intersection that really is at the heart of a Vancouver neighbourhood.

City Cancels Spring Clean Day for Strathcona

The city of Vancouver has decided that it will not sponsor the local area clean up that it has sponsored in the past for those in Strathcona homes.

In previous years the city has sent garbage trucks to the foot of McLean Park where local area residents were encouraged to use the day as a chance to clean up the neighbourhood.

Any mattresses, wood, cupboards, or other garbage could be brought to the trucks and loaded up for disposal.

Local residents are upset by the cities lack of support for an area cleanup and are encouraged to write a letter to the city to tell them why it should not be canceled.

849 Union Street for sale

848 Union Street is for sale.
This charming character house has been fully restored with permits by a professional architect and it includes a basement suite with seperate entrance.

There's a big deck in the back yard ready for entertaining and a lovely airy feeling inside.

To view this property, contact Rick Stonehouse Real Estate to arrange a private viewing.

Housing Prices Soar

• Recent housing prices have reached record levels with many private homes in the area selling for price tags nearing the million dollar mark. Long kept a locals only secret, it would seem that with the Olympics around the corner, Vancouver's Strathcona community has become "the" place to live.

  Urbanites are flocking to the community and snapping up the few remaining un renovated houses in an attempt to get in before prices raise any further. Local Vancouver Realtor Rick Stonehouse reports more listings than any previous year, a clear indication that the market in the area is hotter than ever.