Built on the traditional territory of Katzie, Kwantlen, and Matsqui First Nations, and the former fur trading post for the Hudson Bay Company, Fort Langley is a gem nestled in our corner of BC. If you’re looking for fun and eclectic shops, breathtaking scenery, and a good dose of history to go with your locally-brewed coffee, this is the place to be. The town has worked hard to preserve its history and heritage appearance, while also nurturing major growth in small businesses that provide unique shopping and amazing food. Because we have serious Fort Langley pride, it is with great pleasure that we highlight one of our favourite coffee shops just a short block from the river. 

Hello!  

My name is Shana from Life as Wife and Mom, I am a local small shop enthusiast blogger and photographer. I am beyond excited to be invited to the magazine to share some amazing local shops within our community. When you support local, you have the opportunity to fuel a neighbour, a mother, a father, a daughter… a person in our community directly! I have made it a conscious decision to purchase as much as we can from local vendors.  

I am a serial thrifter.  

 No seriously, I have an addiction. I love thrifting so much, I routinely post things for sale online because I have a constant rotation of things going in and out. This is primarily due to my rule of “one in, one out.” Whenever I bring something home, something has to go. Also, while I do buy things with the intention of keeping them, sometimes after a few dates out with the clothing in question, I realize I don’t love it as much as I did or my body changed and it no longer fits right. So I thrift it. I live in a tiny space, which means my closet and dresser storage is at a premium and cannot support my love for unique or new finds, hence my one-one rule. My solution to a sad day? Go thrifting. Having a day date with my husband? Ooh, there’s a thrift shop across the street, let’s go check it out. Too broke right now? Sell some stuff. Then go thrifting. 

Get your holiday gifts wrapped at Central City’s Charity Gift Wrap Centre from December 7 to 24!

Prices start at just $2 and a wide assortment of attractive eco-friendly wrap and bag options are available. The Charity Gift Wrap Centre is located on the south side of the shopping centre adjacent to Tim Hortons.  The gift wrap centre is coordinated by the Surrey Central Lions Club and staffed entirely by volunteers. 100% of the proceeds from the service benefit the Surrey Food Bank and elementary school breakfast program.

Visit www.centralcity.ca for more details.

We’ve all heard it. “I want to support local or ethical, but I just can’t afford it.” This is basically how big box retailers thrive – they churn out mass volume for cheap labor and cost, and families on a budget flock. This isn’t to shame, because all of us do it. I love my Target runs or saving up coupons to get everything my daughter needs from Gap. I’m writing this because most of us have a heart for being more ethically conscious, and wanting to provide a cleaner, less-polluted world for our kids, but need some help doing it. So if you are from BC or Canada in general, here are some helpful tips for how to afford ethically made products.