LIKE MINDS FLOCK TOGETHER
The Aviary in Mount Pleasant inspires local artists to share workspace and creativity
The curiosity that’s sparked by the light, airy, storefront window of Mount Pleasant’s The Aviary was something co-founders Andrea McLean and Stella Boyland were counting on when they decided on the space for their co-working studio for creatives, which they launched two years ago.
As designers, both McLean and Boyland were looking for a different kind of environment to work in. McLean was working from home, and Boyland for a large corporate firm, and they were inspired to create an environment similar to the one they shared while studying architecture at UBC in the early 2000s — namely, creatively collaborative and esthetically appealing to them.
This is something they achieved at the Aviary, located at 637 East 15th Ave.
“What’s really cool to us,” says McLean, “is we’ve engaged with creatives outside our little niche. We now interact daily with graphic designers, makers, photographers; it’s really seeing design from a different perspective. And because we’re all small business owners, everyone has the same challenges: How do you bill your clients? How do you win a proposal? So we have a bookkeeper who now works for a lot of people here. We all support one another in our creative and business pursuits.”
There are a number of coworking spaces now operating in Vancouver, says McLean, such as WeWork, but prior to opening the Aviary, there was nothing that catered specifically to creatives.
“It had to feel right,” she says. “So people could feel creative in the space, and we really want design and architecture to have a bigger presence. There are some great events that happen, kind of peppered throughout the year, but we don’t think that design is just a moment in time, it happens every day, and there wasn’t really anything or anyone embracing that on a regular basis.”
“And to be able to have a storefront was a big deal,” Boyland says. “Vancouver needs more awareness of design, or good design, and we felt that being on the street we can engage a little more, so we have workshops here, and events, and people can see, and they can choose to participate. That was a big factor.”
The Aviary is white, from floors to walls to ceiling, and large windows allow for huge amounts of natural light. The front window and reception area are used for installations, pop-up, and retail events, such as for companies like Australian skin care brand Aesop (which was testing out the east Vancouver market) as well as the Aviary’s now annual holiday market.
“We curate product from people who work here, from other designers we know in the city, and other things from a little further away, who we admire,” says McLean.
“It went really well this year; over time this will keep growing.”
There are two types of memberships people can choose from, to work at the Aviary: drop in, which is “kind of like yoga,” says Boyland (you buy by the day, or in groups of 10), or monthly memberships, for those who will be there every day.
“We paid attention to the details, invested in good (Herman Miller) seating,” says McLean.
“They look good but also have ergonomic support. Our business has slowly built.
“It hasn’t been an overnight success, but we’re doing really well, and the people that interact with us, whether they’re people that come here every day, or for events, or artists that come in, and have workshops, or do installations, people come back. They feel really welcome here, and we really like hearing that.”
A group from the Aviary is heading off to Modernism Week in Palm Springs (Feb. 15 to 25), says McLean, and it’s not the first joint holiday they’ve shared.
“A lot of great relationships are formed here,” says McLean.
“Great business opportunities, friendships have sparked. Nothing romantic that I know of !”
“I’m waiting for that one,” Boyland adds.