Hastings-Sunrise *project
…was not a project at all at first. It started as a pure curiosity-driven hunger for getting immersed into the community that was subconsciously pulling me in.
Eventually, especially after teaming up with East Village BIA, it turned into this endless photo series and time capsule of one little neighbourhood in East Van.
11 a.m. line-up for brunch on a lazy Sunday. Hairdressers, one for every music and fashion style people around here follow. A juicy burger in a laid-back, Tarantino-styled diner. Parks with wallpaper-like views of the mountains. Or that smiling barista who somehow makes you hate Mondays a little less.
But my favourite moment is the late-afternoon stroll — the kind where the “it’s summer!” kind of sunset blinds you for a second, and everything feels alive.
Hastings-Sunrise isn’t just a neighbourhood — it’s a rhythm. Shaped by people who live, work, and care here. That sense of belonging seeps into everything, shaping the stories and faces I’m drawn to follow.
This place holds a piece of my soul — rough around the edges, warm at the core. A neighbourhood where I know my grocer by name, stop to chat with a friend on the street, and make afternoon plans with a neighbour.
Halina
"We all started from the bottom! Cece, John, and CJ all once worked at La Meza Grill in Delta as dishwashers and prep cooks. Cara was a barista at Starbucks. Jenzen washed dishes at Swiss Chalet. We began in a Langley ghost kitchen, and now we’re here welcoming Vancouver into our dream.
Community is at our core. In fact, our mural by Mara includes the Baybayin words “Kapwa” and “Bayanihan,” celebrating the Filipino spirit of helping one another through life’s hardships."
Rumblefish
"I think we have such an abundance of seafood right outside our door and we should all be able to enjoy it.
Too many people have dedicated their lives to creating the ideal of what a restaurant should be. It should be somewhere where you go and think, "I could never get this anywhere but here". You shouldn't be able to recreate someone's menu by grabbing this and that while walking down the Costco frozen food aisle and pushing your shopping cart of powdered sauces and canned vegetables."
Threefold Brewing
“All three breweries in Threefold have roots in the area. Breweries in Vancouver are pretty restricted by zoning, but East Vancouver has always been home for our beers.
Slow Hand is known for their easy drinking lagers, Boombox for their hop-forward IPAs, and Temporal for the barrel-aged beers.
We've only been open for a few months but it already feels like we're part of a community.”
Innocent Ice Cream
"It wasn’t about launching a business, it was about sharing something I loved—and then it became a business.
This location actually holds deep personal meaning—my dad used to take me to the Dairy Queen that once stood where our shop is now. Sharing Peanut Buster Parfaits with him is one of my most endearing memories. I want our shop to create those kinds of moments for others.
We’re always dreaming up ways to do more, give more, and sprinkle a little extra joy around."
