The Urban Jungle: A Hipster Safari

This week's blog prompt fits in very well with what my map was about. “Safari” . . . “Tourist's guide,” pretty much the same thing, right? So here is a partial look at my map.

The Urban Jungle: a Hipster Safari

Make the strange familiar and the familiar strange.

The term “hipster” is difficult to define because it is often marked by contradiction. Those deemed “hipsters” attempt to go against the herd in an effort at non-conformity. Hipsterdom is, arguably, difficult to map because those who make up the sub-species of “hipsters” would never self-identify as such (although this is the case, for the purpose of this project I will refer to them as such). Some might disagree with this statement though, because hipsters tend to gather at the same habitats, easily identifiable by their dress. Every urban area has a hipster sub-species accompanied by hipster habitat. In Edmonton, this habitat encompasses Whyte avenue and 109^th street. The following map will attempt to guide you on a journey: to discover what it is about place that both attracts a species and creates one. On your journey challenge yourself by seeing if you can spot these hipsters in their natural habitat.

Blackbyrd Myoozik

Since being a hipster is about carefully crafting an identity, it only makes sense that music is a part of that identity. The music medium of vinyl has recently become popular with hipsters. Perhaps it's the raw sounding quality of the record that makes it so appealing, a connection to the original form of semi-portable music medium. More likely, it is about going against the grain. Blackbyrd Myoozik carries both CDs and records of an obscure nature (and, let's face it, a very much non-obscure nature) which makes it perfect for hipsters.

Gravity Pope Shoes

Don't even think about going into this shoe store wearing sweat pants and ugg boots. What makes this store “hipster” is not necessarily the products they sell, but the people who work there. If you want to be helped you are going to have to look like one of them. It is not enough to simply stand with a shoe in your hand and an inquiring look on your face. Suggestions for blending in include (but are not limited to): messenger bags, oxford shoes, and a look of pure scorn.

Black Dog Freehouse

If you look to your left, across the street, you will see the Black Dog Freehouse. Where better to be seen than at a pub that looks, from the outside, as if it's about to collapse in on itself. There is no need to go into this habitat as I am able to describe exactly what lies inside. When you first walk into the Black Dog you will feel confused for a moment. No you have not just stepped into a hunting lodge or a plaid factory, but rather a place where hipsters can go to drink and to let people see just how much they don't care. Dimly lit, this place has all the feel of an old english tavern without any authentic charm.

Cafe Mosaics

Just as not all vegetarians are hipsters, not all hipsters are vegetarians. This doesn't stop some hipsters from showing just how “evolved” they are by eating vegetarian (occasionally). Hipsters are selective, so by restricting their diets, they are able to add another reason to the very long list of why they are better than everyone else. Remember: to a hipster it is only ok wear animals, not eat them.

American Apparel

Because dress is so important to hipsters, American Apparel is more than a clothing store: it is a religious experience. Hipsters come from all over the city to pay homage to solid colour v-neck t-shirts and leggings. Now that they have started to sell plaid shirts as well, there is no telling what they may achieve. Some predict they will put goodwill out of business.

Sugar Bowl

We come to the end of our tour with an opportunity to observe the social and mating habits of the hipster. Like a peacock, the hipster will enter into the social arena dressed to impress, decked out in his or her finest “vintage” apparel. Grab a beer (they have an extensive list)and a snack (the edamame and paprika popcorn are both great choices), sit back, and enjoy the real show as hipsters use wit and sarcasm to one up each other- there can only be one king(or queen) of the urban jungle.

raindrops keep fallin' on my head

Nature in the city can be your best friend . . . or your worst. It is something utterly inescapable despite the efforts of infrastructure to tame it.

Nature comes to mean many different things to Edmontonians. First there is the natural beauty of the river valley. Gorgeous not only to look upon, but also to walk in, this area is a haven not only to runners and bike enthusiasts, but also to the homeless population on Edmonton, who use it for shelter from the elements during the warmer months. The river valley is also home to wildlife in the city, a sanctuary for bunnies, birds and bugs.

But there is more to Edmonton nature than just the river valley. When I think nature in Edmonton the first thing I think of, without fail, is the weather. I know, I know, I'm like a broken record when it comes to the weather. It's just that there's so much of it! To me the weather is an obstacle that affects my every day. How much time does the average person have to spend (per year) thinking about what to wear or what to pack to account for weather conditions. Just yesterday I was walking around 124^th street with my friend. She wore cute booties and I wore rubber boots. I found that I was able to walk right through even the deepest of puddles, where as she was forced to weave complicated paths in an attempt to keep her feet dry, an endeavour that eventually failed.

I think that nature has a kind of adversarial relationship to the city. Nature is the very thing we try to tame by paving roads, erecting buildings, and clearing areas of plant life. Nature, though, is not by any means passive in this fight. Nature does anything in her power to destroy roads, erode buildings, and stubbornly grow regardless of man's attempts to tame.

*** On a related note, yes the puddles SUCK SO MUCH, but it means that the snow is melting. For that I am thankful.

Please don't sue!

I was originally going to use this blog post to write something about the interesting people of Edmonton but actually found that I have more to say on the fallback topic (I know, lame). That being said, the one location in the city that I have a ton to write about, which also happens to be my place of work, I'm not exactly allowed to name. In fact I believe I even signed something at one point saying that I would not “miss-represent” the company in any way on the internet. So I'm not going to name names. The location I speak of may or may not sell books on Whyte avenue. It may or may not be a large company. And it may or may not also contain a coffee shop. So there, I think we all know the place I may or may not work at.

The bookstore I work at if often scorned for being a giant soulless book empire that attempts to quash innocent independents with a swing of their mighty, discount-wielding fists. I cannot count the number of times I have overheard people tell their friends “Well I only shop at independent bookstores.” while drinking a latte from a corporation coffee shop, the hypocrisy of this statement apparently lost on them. These are the same people who label chain bookstores as “evil” without looking beyond their preconceived notions and finding out what they might actually be doing for the community, and the city as a whole.

My workplace is not just a bookstore. It is a refuge from the arctic temperatures for people who have nowhere else to go. It is a place people can come to when they're lonely and simply want someone to talk to, or a shoulder to cry on. It's a place parents can bring their kids when it's raining and they're unable to play in the park. My bookstore is a place where people can build connections within their neighborhood, community, and city outside of the realm of the internet.

The impact of this bookstore reaches far beyond it's walls, into different parts of the city. Every day we are raising money for a charity that gives money to school libraries so that kids might have the resources to develop a life long love of reading. We do this not only by asking people if they can give 1, 2, 5 dollars today, but also by holding raffles in the winter and selling lemonade in the summer. Every Christmas each of our “evil” chain stores is paired with an elementary school in an economically disadvantaged area of the city. The children at these schools write out wish lists of books they would like to read. Booksellers at our store then pick out these books and ask customers if they would please purchase this book, because it would make all the difference to a child at ________ school.We also go out into the community for read in week and, you guessed it, read to kids.

I have also overheard the notion that big box bookstores don't care about local authors, only noble prize winners and best sellers. This is simply not true. We know that part of being in a community is engaging with it in any way possible. That is why we have a “local author” section and consignment in our store. In fact you can find books in our consignment section that have been written in this very store. We don't just make these books available but also bring authors into the store so that people can have conversations with the mysterious figure behind a title. This bookstore is about more than reading a NY times best seller, it's about readers and authors getting to know one another. We hold author events for just this purpose.

Wow. I think I need to discontinue this rant before I say too much (if I haven't already). I guess what I'm trying to get at is that despite what Adbusters or See magazine might think, large company bookstore are not all that bad.