Mattress Vancouver

As a consumer in a capitalistic society, you have choices for what you buy and where you buy it. There is no one warehouse for shampoo or light fixtures and fortunately we all don’t have to buy the same ugly trainers. We are free to spend our money on any product we deem economically superior.

The consumer’s responsibility is product comparison. Finding the lowest price and best terms is a demanding second job. Fortunately, some companies are making it easier for the consumer. Their prices and the quality of their products places their item or service on a level far above their competition.

Simmons Mattress Gallery is one of these companies.

SMG is currently offering up to 60% off on beds in their warehouse. That is a massive markdown that can’t be beat.

They are also offering free delivery. Customers don’t have to lift a hair.

SMG will also remove and recycle your old mattress, an environmental benefit that will help you sleep even more soundly at night.

Save money, buy a quality product and have it delivered. Simmons Mattress Gallery has it all covered.

We have just over a month to go till Christmas. Are you ready?

The Starbucks cups were out on the 1st, St. Paul’s Lights of Hope turns on next Thursday and the Christmas Train starts up on December 2nd, Each unique event reminds us of how close we are coming to the family holiday.

And there’s so much to do…

The cleaning is what stresses us out. Vacuuming, scrubbing, dusting, polishing – it all must be done before the family arrives.

Then there are the lights to be hung, the tree to buy and the sweets to be baked.

Finding time to rest over the holidays can be a chore in itself. To improve your horizontal hours, purchase a Simmons Beautyrest mattress from Vancouver’s mattress store. It will be a gift that you can enjoy every day of the year. You can’t say that about the Rudolph-themed slippers you received from Uncle Rob.

So treat yourself to a new bed and counteract the Christmas sleep withdrawal.

Asleep At The Switch

Christmas crafts sales are a one-stop shopping centre for all those people on your list that need something simple but festive. From ornaments, to wreathes, to salt and sweet treats, you’ll find everything under the broad blanket of Christmas crafts.

This weekend hosts a number of Christmas craft fairs around the city. Simmons Mattress Gallery suggests the following sales:

Friday, November 25th

-9th Annual Chilliwack Christmas Craft Crawl

Various times and locations in Chilliwack

-North Delta Potter’s Guild Christmas Pottery Sale

Artspace Studio (11425 84th Avenue)

-Richmond Potter’s Club Christmas Sale

Richmond Cultural Centre (7700 Minoru Place)

Saturday, November 26th

-Dunbar Community Centre’s Annual Craft Fair

10am – 5pm (4747 Dunbar Street)

-Renfrew Community Centre’s Craft Fair

10am – 3pm (Eastt 22nd and Renfrew)

-Strathcona Community Centre’s Winter Craft Fair

601 Keefer Street, Vancouver

-Urban Artists’ Craft Fair

10am – 5pm Roundhouse Community Centre

-Woodside Gallery Christmas Arts and Craft Show

10am – 5pm (2226 Lougheed Highway)

Homemade Christmas Gifts

The historic Yale Hotel and Blues Bar is closing its doors after 130 years of operation. One of Vancouver’s finest small-act musical venues, The Yale will close for twelve months to undergo a much needed renovation plan. November 21st will be the final show day.

Opened in the 1880s, The Yale was one of only a handful of buildings to survive the 1886 fire. It became a musical frontier in the early 1900s and has been supporting emerging and established blues, jazz, R&B and soul acts ever since.

The renovations will help The Yale take on Vancouver Heritage status. The renos will also improve the facilities in the club. Planned improvements include an upgraded sound system, a hardwood dance floor and a raised roof above the stage area.

The final five nights will feature 5 genres of top-end local and imported talent.

Wednesday, November 16th

-The Best of Boogie Woogie

Featuring Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne

Thursday, November 17th

-The Best of Country and Classic Rock

Featuring Chilliwack

Friday, November 18th

-The Best of Electric Blues Guitar

Featuring David Gogo

Saturday, November 19th

-The Best of Rockin’ Soul Blues

Featuring the All-Star Blues Revue

Sunday, November 20th (Afternoon)

-Big Band Blues

Featuring Dal Richards

Sunday, November 20th (Evening)

-The Best of R&B, Soul and Blues

Featuring Brickhouse and special guests

The Yale: Vancouver's Only Rhythm and Blues Bar

Random Fact: From 1889 to 1911 the Yale was renamed The Colonial,

before returning to its original handle.

Warning: A deadly virus is finding its way into homes across Vancouver. Families are being warned to educate their loved ones before the viral outbreak reaches epidemic levels.

The symptoms are tired springs, midnight sag and motion distrubance. These three manifestations have caused many citizens to lose a full night’s rest. Sufferers may appear bag-eyed, lethargic and irritable. Any person displaying these signs should not be approached.

The outbreak is thought to be contagious, with many homes having two or more affected beds.

Luckily, Simmons Mattress Gallery has found a cure.

The Beautyrest mattress line can rejuvenate the energy depleted by the infected beds. With the purchase of a Beautyrest mattress, sufferers can return to their regular sleeping schedules overnight.  Patented non-flip pocket coils will support the weight of the inflicted patient, offering a comfortable layer of cushion. The coils’ individual nature limits motion transfer between sleeping partners. Beautyrest’s quality design will prevent sagging over time, keeping the virus at pay.

Prescriptions can be filled at the Simmons Mattress Gallery on Broadway in Vancouver and on Schoolhouse Road in Coquitlam.

The Virus Is Not Yet Airborne. No Need For Radiation Suits.

Old beds should be discarded immediatley. Simmons Mattress Gallery suggests using one of Vancouver’s four mattress-recycling companies. 

When watching a film, our gaze is directed at a subject that has been chosen for us. We give the director free reign to control our sight line. This exchange encourages new experiences, some of which are cultural.

This week, the Vancouver Asian Film Festival hopes to direct our eyes towards the North American Asian experience.

In their 15th year of operation, the VAFF is intent on providing a cultural bridge between Asian and non-Asian communities. The Festival will run from November 3rd to November 6th, with all shows screening at Cineplex Odeon International Village, near Roger’s Arena.

The films range in subjects from cross-cultural love for the Vancouver Canucks, to a historical documentary on the migration of asian settlers to North America.

Also included in this year’s festival, as a part of Vancouver’s 125th celebration, is an encore presentation of “Love Letters,” the photo and video campaign shown last June. Love Letters was an open call for Vancouver citizens to submit digital records of images and video that conveyed their love for our fair city. VAFF will show Joanna Wong’s entry on the festival’s opening night.

Tickets for all the shows may be purchased online at the Festival site or the day of at the Festival box office. Passes are also available for the true film buffs.

The British Academy of Sound Therapy has named “Weightless,” by the Marconi Union, to be the most relaxing tune ever.

The sleep-inducing track beat out offerings by Coldplay, Enya and Mozart.

Marconi Union produce ambient electronica. For “Weightless,” the group worked with a number of sound therapists to construct a song that soothed the listener through specifically chosen harmonic intervals.

The Telegraph, which reported the story last week, commented that the “carefully arranged harmonies, rhythms and bass lines help to slow the heart rate, reduce the blood pressure and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.”

The eight-minute track is so effective, that drivers have been warned not to listen to the track while behind the wheel.

The study published the list of the top ten songs for inducing sleep like qualities. “Weightless” was number one. Coming in at number eight, was Adele’s current chart topper, “Someone Like You.”

When compared with other relaxation methods, “Weightless” trumped massage, walking and drinking tea.

It’s a shame they didn’t match it against a Simmons Beautyrest mattress – but that wouldn’t be fair.

The new moon has a special significance in October (and no, it has nothing to do with Vampires). It marks the date of the cultural festival known as Diwali. Observed by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, Diwali is a fall festival that celebrates ‘good over evil.’

In traditional celebrations, the triumph of good is portrayed through the lightening of lamps and candles.

The new moon is the darkest day of the month. In a natural setting, void of electrical lights, the candles represent a defeat of the darkness that exists during the absence of the moon.

Like Thanksgiving, Diwali is traditionally a family occasion, with activities organized around the family unit.  But it is also celebrated with community events and decorations.

The slogan for Vancouver’s publicly organized Diwali celebrations is “Light your Spirit.” There are five major events put on by Vancouver Celebrates Diwali. They run from October 15th to the 23rd. Here is a brief summary of the planned festivities:

October 16

“Dance All Sorts Diwali Style” (2:00 pm)

-The festival will begin with a performance by Bageshree Vaze, a contemporary kathak dancer, who will preform at the Roundhouse Theatre in Yaletown. Tickets at the door.

October 18

“Diwali Bright Lights” (4:30 pm)

-This night is dedicated to emerging South Asian artists in the Vancouver community. It will include classical Indian music and a variety of dance groups, including the ever-popular Bollywood style. The event will take place at the Heritage Hall on Main Street. This is a free event.

“Chai House on Main Street”

-This is an upscaled version of the earlier event. The headline performer will be Grammy winner Chin Injeti. Tickets are $10.

October 23

“Diwali Downtown” (12:00 pm)

This is a family event to close out the public festival. It runs from noon till 6:00 pm at the Roundhouse in Yaletown. There will be a variety of musical acts, dance teams, craft workshops and traditional Indian food. Tickets for this final event are by donation.

Festival of Lights

How often do you wake up minutes before your alarm goes off?

With the right sleep conditions, our bodies naturally wake up at a similar hour each day. If you are sleeping on a Simmons Beautyrest, this event is probably a common occurrence.

Until recently, scientists had trouble determining the cause of this natural phenomenon. The scientific community was roughly aware of the mechanism that prepared us for sleep, but little was known about the way we wake-up.

Now researchers at the Salt Lake Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla California have located the gene that triggers our body to wake-up at a given time.

Researcher, Satchidananda Panda, claims, “the body is essentially a collection of clocks.” These clocks subconsciously trigger our brain and other organs to carry out involuntary actions. Our body’s natural drop in temperature before we fall asleep is one example.

With the ‘wake-up’ gene located, sleep scientists can now expand their study of sleep disorders. There is also hope that the discovery can aid research into chronic illness and aging.

You wouldn’t think the airport would be a weekend destination spot, but YVR has other plans. This summer, experience ‘Take-Off Fridays’ at the Vancouver International Airport for games, family events a live DJ and multicultural mingling.

The final Friday event is August 27th. The fun starts around eight in the morning and wraps up around four at night. The festivities are spread out over both the domestic and international terminals.

Activities include face painting, dancing, food specials and the ‘money machine.’ The latter offers each contestant a chance to grab as many YVR bucks as they can. The catch: you need to grab them while standing in a closed wind cylinder. Each ‘buck’ you grab can be used towards purchasing items at stores around the airport.

The backdrop to this event are the finely carved and crafted First Nation artifacts that routinely offer travelers a glimpse at the beautiful history of the first West Coast peoples.

Come and enjoy the richness of YVR with the whole family. Your kids will love it and you will be reminded of how lucky we are to have such an amazing airport to welcome and bid farewell to travelers from all over the world.

Zimbabwe is a country with deep political problems. It’s economy has been suffering for more than a decade and personal freedoms have been being steadily reduced as its president for the last twenty years, Robert Mugabe, struggles to retain control. It is far from a safe region to visit.

This is a tragedy for art lovers around the world, as Zimbabwe is home to Africa’s finest stone sculptors. The word Zimbabwe actually means, ‘Great House of Stone’ in the Shona language.

Fortunately, many of the stone pieces being produced in the country are now part of a traveling exhibition that will be visiting Vancouver for the next month. The works are being shown at the VanDusen gardens. It is the only Canadian stop on the world tour.

The pieces are strategically displayed around the gardens amongst the beautiful flora that Vancouverites have come to love.

Two of the artists behind the works, Passmore Mupindiko and Patrick Sephani, are giving daily lessons on stone art. The two artists are currently traveling with the stones and the exhibitions two curators, Vivienne and Joseph Croissette.

There is no extra cost to see the sculptures or to attend the daily stone workshops.

Zimsculpt

Looking for an educational activity for the family this weekend. All Discovery Walks is offering a interactive tour of one Stanley Parks secret bogs. The tour begins at Lost Lagoon at 1:30 and ends around 3:30.

Vancouver Community College Science Instructor, Maria Morlin will be hosting the walk that will focus on the role of bogs and wetlands in forest ecology.

This is an excellent opportunity to subtly get your children back into an academic setting. You may want to research the topic of bogs beforehand with your family, to get them thinking about the subject matter. While on the trail, encourage questioning by modeling. Maria will be happy to answer any questions you or children bring to light.

Educators might also want to take part, specifically those working with students in Grades 3 and 4. ‘Habitats and Communities’ is a big part of the Science curriculum for these grades. Maria’s tour may inspire you to organize your own forest walk in the fall.

If you do plan on attending, you may want to wear appropriate footwear. We suggest boots.

Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the start of the tour.

Beaver Lake

The fireworks have come and gone, but there are still a number of free public events being offered around the city. The most popular are the Fresh Air Cinema screenings being shown around the Lower Mainland.

“Jaws” aired on Tuesday in Stanley park. Word has it there was more laughs then screams. Still a classic that everyone enjoys. The defining line: “We’re going to need a bigger boat.”

This Tuesday the classic urban Cinderella story comes to Stanley park with the screening of “Pretty Women.” We’ve never really been big Julia Roberts fans, but when Richard Gere snaps that jewelry box shut and Julia flashes those pearly whites, just for a moment we can see how she rose to fame. What a smile!

"Snap!"

The film we are dying to see airs on August 30th. “Stand By Me,” the quintessential end of summer/innocence film will closeout the summer series at Stanley Park. From “Chopper sick balls,” to the ‘barfarama,’ to the rail-tie sing-a-longs, “Stand By Me” has it all; even a few tears. Bring the family or a date and relive your youth in the open air of Stanley Park.

On Friday, August 28th, the Malkin Bowl Summer Concert Series welcomes Ben Harper to Stanley Park. This is one of the most anticipated outdoor shows of the season. Tickets went on sale in May, but there are still some being sold online. If you see one show this summer, catch Ben Harper’s set in the park.

Harper is touring on his most recent album, Give Till it’s Gone. Like most of his previous works, the album contains a strong message of hope, mixed with the pain of life. Always spiritual, Harper’s tracks reverberate with healing and religious conviction. But even with their strong Christian message, Harper’s words attract a strong secular audience that can relate with the pain and joy of love’s handiwork.

If you have never heard Harper’s music, download Live from Mars. Standout tracks include “Please Bleed,” “Women in You” and the quintessential mix-tape track “Walk Away.”

Harper will be playing between the cedars and beneath the stars at the beautiful Malkin clearing. Bring a blanket and some friends and let the one-man choir receive your heart.

Ben Harper Playing the Slide Guitar

Support comes from beneath. It stabilizes the main structure. It is the foundation on which outstanding achievements are made possible.

For the Vancouver Canucks, that support is the tireless playoff performance of Ryan Kesler. Bloodied and bruised, number seventeen is currently leading the NHL in playoff points, but most nights it is his work away from the net that is earning him respect around the league.

Killing penalties, winning faceoff’s and banging the boards, Kesler is giving it all this post-season. He is supporting a team whose top players (Daniel and Henrik) have mysteriously disappeared. He has stitches across his lip from an errant puck in Game Five; when asked if he wanted anesthesia for the wound, he refused it, saying it would only slow him down.

His fearless play and defensive stamina earned him over twenty-one minutes of ice time in Game Six against the Nashville Predators. Setting up both goals, Kesler earned the praises of Predator Coach Barry Trotz: “As I said when I was going by him, if he doesn’t play that way we’re probably going to Game 7 and we might win the series, but he played to a level that few people can reach in a series.”

Kesler, in a post-game interview with Scott Oake of the CBC, claimed that Trotz’s comments were humbling.

Now the assistant captain is carrying the Canucks into the Western Conference Finals, a feat managed only three times by the franchise.

Without him, the Canucks might be counting the clubs in their golf bag. With him they are the most powerful team in the NHL, destined to play for a chance at the Stanley Cup.

Lead on Kesler. You have a whole city on your shoulders.

Are you looking for a unique theatrical experience that will arouse your senses, bring you to tears with laughter and inspire your passions at home? Of course you are!

This week, our city hosts the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival. For three nights, international stars will join the performers of Vancouver’s growing burlesque scene on two different stages.

On May 5th and 6th the show will take place at the Rickshaw theatre. There will be three performances each night, with single and ensemble acts.

On May 7th, the action moves to the Vogue Theatre. This night will include a long line-up of stars that will perform from 8:00 on.

If you are curious about the burlesque artistry and would like to get involved as a participant, there are workshops being offered on Saturday May 7th at the Chicken Coop at 2280 East Hastings. Tickets are $20 per class. There are three classes being offered at this location along with a make-up class at the Prophouse Café.

General Admission seats for the nightly performances are $20. There is also the option to purchase tickets at fourteen VIP tables.

So pull out your fans and your fishnets and take in some sultry theatre at the 6th Annual Vancouver International Burlesque Festival.

You grew up with little, but you dreamt of a better existence where money was not a concern, just a commodity that trickled in as a result of your hard work. You paid for school on your own, worked harder than your classmates and graduated at the top of your class. You spent years as an associate and finally earned a partnership.

The house you live in is bought and paid for, your children are almost through school and retirement is edging closer.

Question: Why are you still sleeping on a queen size mattress?

You have proved your royal worth over and over. You are the benevolent ruler who leads your household. You have an army of staff below you at work. You have succeeded in climbing to the very top of your profession.

It’s time to spread out and enjoy your nights on a king size bed. If anyone has earned the space and comfort that a king size mattress provides, it is you. Treat yourself at Simmons Mattress Gallery and buy a new bed for you and your Queen to spend your nights.

Congratulations. You deserve it.

Bedroom Royalty