Last weekend, Ottawa hosted its very own version of the crazy cool art show/festival thing (it's really hard to classify exactly what it is...don't judge me) Nuit Blanche.  From 6:22pm to 4:23am, people were able to roam around our capital city and participate in plenty of interactive art events.  Considering this was Ottawa's first time hosting the event, I'll be extra nice and give the city the benefit of the doubt here - I really expecting a lot more excitement!  I mean, walking through galleries at 4am could have been so cool, but I while I was out I just kind of felt that the excitement for the night had already passed.  That being said, there were some pretty cool things to be seen - elephant sculptures in the courtyard, drawing rooms with paint for everyone to join in,  a chalk wall expressing life goals, and a colourful series of vigil paintings around the fountain.   Since this was only Ottawa's first time, we really couldn't know what to expect.  But things will only get better - looking forward to the next one! - J

This post is much overdue, however, better late than never - right?  As some of you may remember, last  February during Ottawa Fashion Week, I was interviewed by some friends of mine who are working on a documentary, and they were kind enough to let me do a guest blog post on their website. Di, the star of the film, returned the favour with an insightful post for us.  Well, a few weekends ago, I got to be an extra in another one of their projects.  The project was a short film, entitled Snipe Club - a spin-off of Fight Club, but instead of throwing punches, we threw some pretty harsh fashionable insults (the best of the bunch - "If Alexander McQueen came back as a zombie, he'd eat you last.").  All the lovely ladies who helped out got to unleash their inner bitch, and let me tell you, there were dirty looks all around.  After a long day of filming, we wrapped the night with some pretty great footage.  I'm so glad to have been a part of this, and can't wait to see the final product (and to share it with all of you of course!) - J

Capital Oh Profile: Sarah Hyde

Sarah Hyde, owner of Slaysh Skateboard and Snowboard shop, is an wickedly awesome individual. Having operated her own boutique since 2007, Sarah is no stranger to both the challenges of local retail, and the numerous rewards. Slaysh is more than a store. It's a unique experience, a community, and a dream. Under Sarah's leadership, Slaysh has injected a splash of cool into the Glebe unlike any other retailer on Bank Street. Last month, Slaysh and its many supporters celebrated the shop's 5 year anniversary with a bash and the release of a series of collaborations between Slaysh and its favourite designers. The event not only shook up the neighborhood, but allowed Sarah and her team to look back on the last half-decade. The experience was emotional and exciting, and Sarah and I (another Sarah!) reflected on it last week in an inspiring conversation. - S


Capital Oh:Your five-year anniversary was last month: how did it feel to reflect on the last five years?

Sarah: It was actually pretty exciting. Leading up to it, it didn’t feel like five years but I think once we had the event and the collaborations were finished, it finally sunk in. It was emotional for sure, but it was really exciting as well.  But when you reflect back and see that it’s this huge accomplishment, that's when all the stuff you forgot about, the challenges, even the people you’ve met--things you don’t think about during a regular day...when you sit back and reflect, it all comes back to you at once. Especially all the people who have come out and put in work: seeing them come back to support you is really cool.

Tell us about Slaysh’s rebrand. It’s obvious you’ve gone a different route stylistically with the recent renovations.

I originally thought when I first opened up the store that on the fifth year, we’d redo the interior. It’s a normal thing when you look at high fashion stores like Chanel or Givenchy…any of those, they’re re-branding every five years: they redo their whole interior because they want to keep it fresh. And the customer is important too: you might have the same customer, but they’re looking for something different. Our customer had evolved and the brands we were carrying were evolving, and the customer was also a bit older than originally. Things were changing with who we were targeting and who we were carrying, but the look didn’t really suit it. So we did an overhaul: we changed the logo, changed the look of the shop just to make sure that the visual aspect of coming into the store matched what you were buying.

What influenced the new look? What sorts of things were inspiring you when you designed it?

It was a look I had liked even prior to doing the first renovation five years ago, but I think that the Ottawa customer wasn’t ready because we didn’t have a lot of boutiques here yet compared to somewhere in say, Europe or New York. [In those cities], they were already shopping this way: they had the stores laid out, merchandised versus having every piece facing you alone. So I didn’t want to do it in the first little bit but after five years I thought it would work. Customers are becoming more aware of fashion. They’re always online, they’re searching stuff and they don’t need everything right in their face. They want to discover things and sort of shop around so I did a lot of travel…I went to Europe years and years ago and took pictures and remembered some shops that visually I really liked. I also more recently just went to New York a couple times, but the last trip was just to get inspired and to look at different merchandise and different shop design. The wood we found from an old barn in Britannia from the 1800s, it was taken down and we had stacks of barn boards at [at our disposal]. I didn’t want to go and spend a ton of money.

Why do you think boutiques in Ottawa have become so good at creating their own unique identity through the aesthetic? The window displays in Ottawa are among some of the most unique and creative in Canada. Why is this so important?

I think that’s the difference between a small boutique and a big box store. And I think in Ottawa, if you look at the percentage of mall stores, or big-box stores, other cities definitely have more privately-owned boutiques so I think it’s even more important in Ottawa to stand out. Not only that, in a boutique, it’s not just about what you’re saying or selling, when you walk in, you create an atmosphere: whether its product, your staff, the look of the store, the music you’re playing. It’s everything. People don’t necessarily know what it is when they walk in, but they feel like they’re in somewhere different than if you just go to a mall. You take pride in your shop, you work hard, you want to put it all together and you want to make sure it’s all flowing together.

Do you have any advice for an aspiring boutique owner?

I always say planning. Most of it is planning. You have to have a vision and you have to be passionate about it. If you think you’re gonna go in to it and be like “oh, I’m gonna make money and I’m gonna sell clothes!”—you’re not like it, no way, you’re gonna get sick of it. But if you’re actually passionate about it and you like what you’re doing, you’ll know it’s right, even during your ups and downs. 

What do you like about Ottawa? Why is it a Capital-cool city?

I've lived here most of my life, I went away to school but came back again because I really like that its a big city and it has everything that you need, but it has a sort-of small town feel. You walk down the street and see people who know your business and its actually really nice because everyone is so connected and so involved. It's great. It's big enough to have everything, but still small enough that people care. 

Thanks Sarah!

Slaysh

775 Bank Street

613 667 5831

www.slaysh.com

Guest Post: Perfection-Satisfaction-Promise

Hey there, Ottawa! Eat up this delicious, vegetarian post by my lovely friend Megan, who visited Perfection-Satisfaction-Promise and cooked up a review that will definitely whet your appetite!- S

No haven for the indifferent philistine, Indian vegetarian restaurant Perfection Satisfaction Promise is rich with the artistic, philosophical, and spiritual influence of Sri Chinmoy, a renowned Bengali author, poet, artist and spiritual philosopher. Colourful prints of his art hang from the walls, a single shelf near the beverage cooler contains a sampling of his books and other works on eastern philosophy and meditation, and the staff, both servers and cooks, wear traditional Indian saris. A stack of sheets containing a passage of Chinmoy’s teachings on happiness is located near the entrance, and patrons are invited to take one as they exit. As well as displaying his artistic and philosophical influence, Satisfaction Perfection Promise actually derives its name directly from Sri Chinmoy, whom the owners had a chance to speak with at a prayer meeting held by Chinmoy. Indeed, the little restaurant is conducive to the peace and tranquility its owners and staff support. Located at 167 Laurier, at the corner of Laurier Ave. E. and King Edward St. and set steps down from the sidewalk, Perfection Satisfaction Promise offers a bright, cool escape from the frenetic activity of the city outside. Greenery is plentiful, with plants on every window ledge, and the ambient flute, drum and occasional sitar of classical Indian music play softly from overhead speakers. While the place is relatively small, lending it an intimate atmosphere, good use is made of the space it offers, with bright white walls and ceiling, save for one yellow accent wall and a large mirror.

Perfection Satisfaction Promise’s menu offers an array of mostly Indian soups, salads, entrees, and deserts. Many foods are vegan, and are easily identified on the menu by a tiny lettuce leaf symbol located next to each one. All items on the menu are vegetarian. Considering inflation, the cost of most dishes relative to their serving size is fair if one considers that all entrees, soups and salads, as well as most baked goods and deserts served by Perfection are prepared in house, using whole (and wholesome) ingredients. Prices range from $2.00 for a baked or fried Indian Samosa, to $10.25 for a veggie burger served with the house garden salad or a bowl of soup. I visited Perfection Satisfaction Promise on two occasions prior to writing this review, and am partial to their Red Lentil Soup, which, coincidentally, was their soup of the week on both occasions. Prepared with red lentils, spinach, lemon, sweet potato and Indian spices, the Red Lentil Soup’s mild flavour is not bland, but delicate, aromatic, and slightly spicy. With a consistency similar to pea soup, the red lentil soup goes well with the free slice of 9-grain brown bread offered with each cup or bowl, which the customer ladles his or herself. Both the baked and fried samosas are satisfying as sides or snacks, filled with spiced and diced potato and peas, and served with a tangy tomato-onion chutney. Perfection’s organic lemonade, prepared in the restaurant and served in a tall class for $3.00 or a shorter glass for $2.25, offers a refreshing accompaniment to any meal or snack, and any one of the restaurant’s six varieties of cakes, squares, and brownies should seriously tempt any diner with room to spare for desert. While I’ve never experienced much of a sweet tooth, I tried both the vegan carrot cake and the brownie and found both to be flavourful, rich and moist. Taking a third of the menu, Perfection Satisfaction Promise’s signature is a selection of “Painted Potato” dishes going at between $6.50 and $9.00 per serving. The Painted Potato choose-your-own-adventure experience begins with a choice of baked potato, mashed potato, sweet potato, or brown rice, over which a topping is served. The diner next selects one or two vegetarian toppings out of eleven. Don’t be fooled by the label “topping” though; each topping is a medley of flavours and textures on its own, from the Indian Dhal to the Pesto and Sour Cream to the Broccoli and Cheese. - M

Perfection-Satisfaction-Promise

167 Laurier Avenue East

613 234 8840

Bloomfields: The Challenge

We're back!  S and I took some much needed vacation time, and though it may have seemed a little long, we promise that we are ready to get the ball rollin' again!  We're super excited to share this post with you guys because we've put a lot of love into it.  Now, I don't want to ruin the premise of the video, but we challenged Bloomfields to create one of their beautiful, unique arrangements out of grocery store bouquets and dollar store accessories.  They went above and beyond our expectations, that's for sure.  Thanks to our friends at Bloomfields for stepping up to our challenge too!  We couldn't have done it without them! 

We're also in the midst of renovating our blog, even though it may not look like it.  I promise we are hard at work trying to create a new and improved Capital Oh - it's going to be great!  We're open to suggestions too!  You can tell us what you like and what you don't, what's workin' for ya and what isn't.  We'd love to hear what our readers have to say.  Send us an email at capitaloh@gmail.com, or leave us a comment. - J 

Bloomfields Flowers

783 Bank Street

613-230-6434

www.bloomfieldsflowers.com