Musings from Grooster on Vancouver, Shopping, Local Businesses, Events, Restaurants, Cafe deals and other things.
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Grooster Acquired by CityXpress
posted by Lesel, CEO at
, May 22, 2012
I'm
thrilled to announce that Grooster
has been acquired by CityXpress, a digital e-commerce publishing company
headquartered in Vancouver. CityXpress
runs the development and operations for SwarmJam, a national daily deal
site. Grooster’s
focus on providing top quality merchants with connections to great local
consumers will carry on through SwarmJam.
The past
couple of years has been amazing. We launched Grooster in June of 2010
and were the first Vancouver-based website in the daily deal space, competing
at the time with only WagJag, Groupon and Living Social. We launched the
Grooster Gallery of deals in October 2010 and in the summer of 2011, we
launched our redesigned website with a retail specific product offering to
serve a niche in the local market. Over this entire time, Grooster has stayed
true to our values by featuring only the best businesses that we could find for
local consumers and by providing promotions that are sustainable and affordable
for our merchant partners.
It’s been
a pleasure to interact with so many great local consumers and many of the best
businesses in Vancouver. We are super excited to join the team at
CityXpress to innovate and create new advertising solutions that connect local
consumers, local merchants and publishers. CityXpress is based in
Vancouver and has offices in Winnipeg and Florida. It
has many publishers in its network and has sold over $400MM worth
of products and services on behalf of nearly 200,000 local vendors.
Thanks again to our loyal customers and supporters, please keep a
watch for us at SwarmJam (and CityXpress) and all good things ahead! Note that the Grooster.com site will remain open for redemption purposes until August 31, 2012 and feel free to contact us at info@grooster.com for any past purchases.
All the best,
Lesel Radage
CEO and Founder
Gift Guide 2011 - Last 3 days!
posted by Lesel, CEO at
, Dec 22, 2011
Three days left till everything is wrapped up and under the tree. We're including the last 3 installments in today's post. Merry Christmas!
Engineers and builders at heart, we've always enjoyed a good puzzle. We're big fans of Castle Logix, where we're given a book of clues that guide us to construct castles with wooden Blocks.
The puzzles are good for all ages and get kids solving problems and thinking logically. A great family game.
Cost: $30
Granville Island, Cambie, Point Grey
The perfect accessory is always a welcome gift. We love the natural wood designed jewelry by Billy Would Designs. Each piece is locally designed and handmade using only recycled and reclaimed hardwood - sometimes even old skateboards.
We love the Raven necklace. Ravens tend to symbolize wisdom and knowledge. We know we'd feel smart wearing one.
Cost: $88
It's always good to get something for the bacon lover on your list. Look no further than Sea to Sky Seasoning's Bacon Salt. Perfect on tomato sandwiches, popcorn, eggs and spinach salad.
There are a variety of other salts available as well - some with Vancouver flair like the Vij's inspired Curry Salt and the pink and fruity Davie Street Salt.
Cost: $5 each, $26 for eight flavours.
Granville Island
Labels: Food, Games, Gift Ideas, Jewelry
Gift Guide 2011 - FOUR days left!
posted by Lesel, CEO at
, Dec 21, 2011
It's not quite that time of year, but everybody loves a BBQ. The portable Cobb BBQ Cooking System is in a class of its own - perfect for patios or the beach. Unlike
typical grills, the Cobb can roast, bake, smoke and fry while the safe
cool-to-touch base makes it ideal for taking anywhere.
Cool features include a canvas carrying bag and a stainless steel flavour well that holds and evaporates liquids to provide more flavour to your meats and veg.
The Cobb uses a very little charcoal which minimizes the smoke produced.The grill still reaches over 500 degrees inside, while the base is completely cool outside.
Cost: $124
Find it: Johnstone's BBQ
165 Pemberton Ave
North Vancouver
(PS - Johnstone's is a BBQ lovers paradise!!)Labels: BBQ, Gift Ideas, North Vancouver
Gift Guide: 5 days left
posted by Lesel, CEO at
, Dec 20, 2011
 |
| Photo from Meatandbread.ca |
One of the best presents is the gift of time. (And we don't mean a fancy new Cartier!)
Wrap up a note that promises a lunch date for early in the New Year. Take your BFF to Meat & Bread and grab a most delicious Porchetta sandwich. After lunch, spend a bit of time browsing the shops around Gastown.
Find It: Meat & Bread
370 Cambie Street
in Gastown
Labels: Gastown, Sandwich
Gift Guide 2011: 7...6..days left!
posted by Lesel, CEO at
, Dec 19, 2011
 |
| Image from Icebreaker website |
Icebreaker. We love everything from Icebreaker and at their Flagship location in Kitsilano, we've found perfect items for all the people on our gift list. The store in kits has a great selection of their lifestyle pieces that can be work everyday!
Icebreaker has adapted merino wool from sheep that live in the extreme Southern Alps of New Zealand into a lightweight system of all-season wool garments. Layers these pieces in summer and winter. So comfortable and versatile.
Find It: Icebreaker Store, 2089 West 4th Avenue
We love Scandinavian design. We lived a while in Finland, some years back, so Marimekko is one of our favorite spots for gifts.
Their funky tea towels is sets of two are the perfect hostess gift now and at anytime of the year.
Cost: $29
Find It: marimekko in Yaletown
Labels: Clothing, Gift Ideas, Housewares, icebreaker, marimekko
Gift Guide 2011: 8 days left
posted by Lesel, CEO at
, Dec 16, 2011
Time spent in the kitchen is time we hold dear. Prepping and readying meals with (or for) friends and family is a great way to spend our evenings. For our loved ones that cook, we like to give gadgets.
The microplane grater is the easiest way to add a hint of ginger, the zest of lemon or a dusting of parmesan cheese. Hands down, the best we've tried.
Cost: $23
Labels: Cooking, Gift Ideas
2011 Gift Guide: 9 more days!!!
posted by Lesel, CEO at
,
Every gal could use a little BesoBeso.
The Kaitlin Blue Amazonite bracelet perfectly represents this jewelry collection, where the timeless charm of semi-precious stones is mixed with sparkling 14K gold accent beads. 'BesoBeso is easy layer, love and live in'.
Cost: from $75
Find it: Kiss and Makeup
925 Main Street, The Village at Park Royal
West Vancouver
Labels: Gift Idea, Jewelry, West Vancouver
2011 Gift Guide: 10 Days Left
posted by Lesel, CEO at
, Dec 15, 2011
We love sharing in good cheer. Sadly we are far from some good friends and family. This year we'll be having sparkling wines delivered to homes of those we love and miss.
Prosecco (sparkling wine from Italy) is always a favorite, as it reminds us of fond years spend with amazing friends while living in San Francisco.
Cava (sparkling wine from Spain) is another festive favorite. It reminds us of our travels through Spain and many weeks spent in Barcelona.
Cost: $18 - $25.
Find it: Marquis Wine Cellars, BC Liquor Stores. Labels: Gifts, Wine
2011 Gift Guide - Days Left: 12...11!
posted by Lesel, CEO at
, Dec 14, 2011
An oldie, but a goodie. One of our favorite kid's books is Up In The Tree by Margaret Atwood. A simple story of two kids who get stuck in their favorite tree and then are rescued by a bird.
Our copy is decades old. We love the illustrations and the flowing verse.
Cost: $14.95
Find it: Kidsbooks.ca
The holidays can be super busy and we like to put a little ease in our entertaining and our gifting. The Black Olive Jam from Dundarave Olive Company makes the perfect accompaniment to crackers and cheese.
Black Olives are mixed with apple jelly, fresh rosemary and lemon to provide a savory jam with a hint of sweetness from the apple and sour of the lemon.
Cost: $12.95
Labels: Food, Gift Idea, Kids
2011 Gift Guide - Days Left: 15...14...13!
posted by Lesel, CEO at
, Dec 12, 2011
A little greenery goes a long way. And these Air plants in lovely little terrariums from Olla Urban Flower Project in Gastown make the perfect gift for the not so savvy gardener.
Air plants live on...AIR (and a gentle misting once in a while). They are perfect just on their own and even better in groups in a glass bowl terrarium.
Cost: from $10.
Find it: Olla Urban Flower Project
235 Cambie Street, Mezzanine
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| photo from Belmondo.ca |
Belmondo Organic skincare is locally made in small batches with whole and all natural ingredients. The base of this skin care line is organic olive oil. Designed to protect, nourish, and enhance the skin's natural beauty, these products contain no preservatives, alcohol or synthetic fragrances.
Packaged in chic small glass bottles, we love the names of the products: 'The Cloud' face cream. "After the Rain" toner, and "The Dew" facial oil. Belmondo makes a lovely addition to anyone's daily routine.
Cost: $10 - $52.
Find It: at Belmondo
and a selection of local retailers.
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Ever since we first came across these at Dream on Granville Island, we've been coveting the orange and blue bicycle belt buckle from Flightpath Designs.
Locally made - these awesome buckles come in styles to suit everyone. Look no further for retro tiger, vintage camera or airplanes, cool song birds and funky flower belt buckles.
Cost: $40
Labels: Belt Buckles, Flowers, Gift Idea, Skincare
2011 Gift Guide - 16 Days Left
posted by Lesel, CEO at
, Dec 9, 2011
Chocolates. Mink Chocolates. Decadent handmade chocolate bars, bonbons and ganache. We love Mink's subtle flavor infusions in perfect rich dark chocolate. Any flavor will do, but for the holidays, the Rum and Eggnog bar suits us just fine.
Cost: From $3.25
Find it: Mink Chocolates
863 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
Unit F-110 Morgan Crossing, SurreyLabels: Cafe, Chocolate, Downtown
2011 Gift Guide - 17 Days Left
posted by Lesel, CEO at
, Dec 8, 2011
With cold and wet weather upon us, dry feet are a must. Vancouver born, Native Shoes are inspired by classic shoe lines and made with the lightest, most comfortable material available. We were stunned when we picked up the Jimmy Boot - it's nearly light as a feather. The Jimmy is perfect for Vancouver's wet weather and the commute up to Whistler.
Cost: $90
Find at: nativeshoes.com and a bunch of local retailers.Labels: Clothing, Native Shoes
2011 Gift Guide - 18 Days Left
posted by Lesel, CEO at
, Dec 7, 2011
The holidays are a time for giving. And helping needy kids is a great place to start.
The Vancouver Sun Children's Fund recently launched a program called Adopt-A-School to assist children in inner-city schools in Metro Vancouver. Under this program, educators at individual schools are identifying their needs and the Fund is helping to raise awareness of the needs and also money to address the issues. Vancouver Sun readers are also encouraged to donate goods such as coats, shoes and gloves to the schools.
The Vancouver Sun Children's Fund is matching every penny donated by readers for the Adopt-A-School program. The Fund was started 30 years ago and is run entirely by staff at the Vancouver Sun, so none of the charity funds are used for administration costs.
One of the easiest ways to help is by 'liking' the Fund's facebook page. For every 'Like' $4 will be donated!
Labels: Charity, Kids
2011 Gift Guide - 19 Days Left
posted by Lesel, CEO at
, Dec 6, 2011
We spend a fair bit of time with crayons in hand, drawing with our small people. Over the years, Scribbles by Taro Gomi's has been our favorite coloring and drawing book, hands-down.
Each page comes with a simple instruction to provide you with a little nudge. We love the creativity this book inspires.
Appropriate for ages 2 to 100. No kids? Consider using it as an interesting guest or coffee table book with a small box of crayons and see what transpires.
Cost: $27
Find It:
RaspberryKids.com
KidsBooks
Labels: Art, Kids
2011 Gift Guide - 20 Days Left
posted by Lesel, CEO at
, Dec 5, 2011
Color Bug by Kevin Murphy is just like eye shadow for your hair. This colored powder will transform your hair in seconds and it washes out just as easily. Currently available in pink, purple and orange, rumor has it that more colors are in development. Gift this to the super-fun gal or guy in your life!
Cost: $20 each
Where: Sutro Salon
473 West 8th Ave (at Cambie)
Labels: Beauty, Cambie, Hair, Salon
