The idea of sustainability is here to stay, and more and more people are looking for ways to make the old new again. Zola Dore takes sustainability to a new level with her funky store located in the Cannery in Penticton.
Dore, who has lived in BC and the Yukon, moved to Penticton after several disasters, including having her Yukon coffee roastery burn to the ground and her mother pass suddenly.
Now she's settled in to Penticton and runs Gypsy Wagon Trading, where she creates and sells funky furniture and more.
"The whole reusing furniture and rug hooking came from my sustainability ethic," said Dore, who also creates hand painted rugs. But there is more than antiques, funky furniture, and rugs at Gypsy Wagon Trading. There's art and lots of it.
"When I had my coffee roaster in the Yukon I showed local artists in my coffee shops, it was a natural progression to bring that into my new store here in Penticton," she said.
She hadn't planned on having a permanent location and the name, Gypsy Wagon Trading, came from her mobile wagon that she planned to take to farmers' markets and festivals to sell her funked up furniture and art.
When she stepped into the space at the Cannery, she said she knew she was home.
"I instantly loved this place. It reminded me of Granville Island where I first got my start in the coffee business. I loved the mix of the food, industry, and art in one building. The Cannery is almost foreboding when you look at it from the outside but when you go inside there's this great magical world. My store is a huge open space with windows and lots of room to display."
As for her love of Yukon art, she explains why she loves it so. "There is a different sensibility with Yukon artists. It's whimsical, colourful and a little quirky, because you have to be a little crazy to be up there."
Gypsy Wagon Trading shows Okanagan artists, Yukon fibre artists, glass artists, metal sculpture and visual artists, plus Dore's funked up furniture, rug hooking and floor cloths.
"Most people have found me through word of mouth," she explained. "There's a little of everything in here including vintage furniture and home décor. I'm not trying to be an antique dealer; the goal is to find people who will cherish these pieces like they should be cherished, pieces that will last for generations. I want to give people the experience of having something they will always take with them, whether it is a piece of art or a piece of vintage home décor."
Dore does demos on Tuesdays and Thursdays for rug hooking, floor cloths, and funking up furniture. You can reach her at 250-490-7334 or email gypsywagontrading@gmail.com.
Gypsy Wagon Trading is open mornings from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday and Saturday's from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.