Crafts 'n More ...much much more!

In May, while my husband was sipping his cappuccino in Steveston Coffee, I decided to slip next door to Crafts 'n More and see if they had embossing tools.

I love this store - with the profusion of silk flowers tumbling at the front door, jumbles of fat balls of yarn crammed inside oversized baskets, and the most inspiring craft projects arrayed in the windows.

I meandered my way up and down aisles padded tightly with endless this and that. It's amazing the number of hobbies they managed to squeeze under one roof. It's sort of like your grandmother's version of Michael's - cozy, friendly, and personal.

A tall slim lady asked if she could help me. I stammered out something about embossing tools. She drew my attention to bottles of solution lined up like stern soldiers on a top shelf. She was no expert on the subject, she conceded, but her daughter used the product for her embossing project. Unsatisfied with what she could suggest, however, the lady beckoned an older woman over from the front counter. Given that they didn't carry want I needed, the three of us stood elbow to elbow and discussed my options.

It turned out that my interest in embossing came well after the rest of crafters had moved on to bigger and better things. Typical of me, I thought, always a step or two behind what's in vogue.

The older lady suggested Michael's but first she walked me back to the front desk. Instead of putting money down for specialty tools, she demonstrated how I could fashion my own embossing tip with a pen. Just be sure to place the paper you wish to emboss atop something soft, like sheets of newspaper, she advised. She proceeded to do an impromptu demo so I could replicate the process at home. They both waved good bye and good luck to me as I exited the store, taking nothing with me but a warm glowing feeling of awe and gratitude.

Wow, I thought, these ladies really cared! You wouldn't find that sort of service from a big box store.

Now I know what Crafts 'n More means - it means more care and attention, more sharing of ideas, and more of plain good old fashioned one-on-one interaction.

Mondo Burger raises the bar on an old favourite

A few months back, my friend Dvora raved about a new restaurant in Steveston. It had apparently changed her relationship with all other burger joints this side of the Rockies.

The first time my husband and I tried to set foot in Mondo’s Burger Bar, we couldn’t get in the door.

On our second expedition, however, we managed to snag the table farthest from the hub of activities – right smack in between the entrances to Mondo’s and Papi’s, which are like two siblings sharing the same parent.

We were surprised at how sparsely staffed the restaurant was. A man-in-black (sans the wraparound security detail glasses) stood behind the bar and a female server covered the rest of the territory. The ambience was breezy, much like that of Papi’s, but with the dial turned all the way to “casual.”

We also noticed, with much pleasure, the modest menu pricing. After flipping through the selections, we zeroed in on a Mondo burger for $5.95 and half an order of fries for $1.50.

My husband sauntered over to the bar and paid for our orders. Then we waited...

A few minutes into this anticipatory moment, the man-in-black drifted over and asked us how we were doing. He said that the party sitting at our table usually gets ignored; we said we didn’t mind.

The Mondo burgers arrived just as our hunger meter hit its peak. Ah, and worth the wait they were.

Definitely of the manly variety, the Mondo burger outranks all others in weight and bulk. It is made to be held with two hands. After inspecting mine from all angles, I decided to cut mine in half and take the leftover home.

When the server offered to pack up the uneaten portion for me, I was tempted to ask for a box as I habitually do, but decided - just this once - to let her cart my baby away instead.

Much much later, when it was obvious that she had forgotten all about us, I motioned the server over. A look of horror crossed her face. She had dumped my baby in the trash. I knew that I should have gone with my initial instinct. She apologized, of course, but didn’t offer to have it replaced. I stewed… for a good hour or so.

The moral of the story is, give Mondo's a try. But pack your own doggie bag. It will free up the staff to attend to more pressing business and (this is more important) guarantee that your Mondo baby will not be thrown out with the crumbpled napkin and checkered paper liner.

Steveston's Starbucks sparkles on the Web

Are there Stevestonites out there who haven’t set foot in the Starbucks shop on No.1 Road?

I may be biased but I think it may well be one of the prettiest watering holes in a world awash with this brand of liquid gold.

And I am not alone.

Winter, a young man from Houston, made a personal commitment to visit every Starbucks on our planet just for the sake of doing something that’s never been done before. I suppose that’s as good a motive as any, don’t you?

Since 1997, Winter has travelled the globe, facing difficulties and joys unique to the itinerant life. So far, he has covered 8532 US/Canada stores and 1406 international stores which include UK, Japan, France, Spain, Mexico, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Puerto Rico, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Greece, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Czech Republic, Portugal, Chile. To view his photos and read his comments, visit him at www.starbuckseverywhere.net.

If you’re like me, you would immediately navigate to the section devoted to our corner of the world. You'll see that Winter had captured the Steveston Starbucks in a breathtaking early morning shot, just as the seagulls circled overhead and the crows screeched from the treetops, no doubt. He immortalized that moment on November 25, 2006 - just eight months after the store opened its door - and his heartwarming comment framed what he saw though the viewfinder to perfection.

But, instead of tell you, why don't I just show you!

Welcome, Veggie King Market

I don’t know about you but I couldn’t wait for this store to open its door.

A food desert is defined as an area with little or no access to foods deemed essential to a healthy diet. With the new greengrocer at the corner of Moncton and No.1 Road, Steveston can reclaim its title as a food oasis. A deep green, ruby red, blazing orange, and earthy brown oasis.

In addition to the fruit and vegetable corner at Super Grocer & Pharmacy, we can now feast on nature's bounty at the Veggie King Market, the newest kid on the block!

Finally, the big void Seacoast Produce left behind has been filled. Would you believe that years after they shut down their operation, I still miss their organic chips, exotic condiments on those splintery wooden shelves, the tub of jiggly fresh tofu swimming in its water bath, and a community-size bowl of stir fry vegetables that spared me hours of cutting, slicing, dicing, chopping, and julienning.

I don't know if the Veggie King Market will ever have ready-to-go stir fry vegetables, but for now, I am just happy that I can walk - not drive - down the street to pick up my apples and bananas.