happyfrog Testing Team: Lark 8th Ave

As a part of the happyfrog Testing Team I’ve had some cash at my disposal to go ahead and spend at local businesses or on local products. I came across a super neat handbag in a magazine a few days ago and although the bags aren’t handmade in BC (they’re from NYC) the store in which you can purchase them is 100% locally owned and eco-friendly so I’m hoping my listing on happyfrog is justified.

I took the 19 Metrotown bus over to Burnaby the other day (a great alternative to bus/skytrain connections) and on the way back I hopped off at Main and Kingsway. After meeting up with John, we skipped down to Lark, which is at 2235 Main Street. They didn’t have the Beck(y) Sk8bags out on display so I had to inquire about them. The sales girl was very helpful and emerged from the back room with an armful of styles, including the square tote, two clutches and about a dozen iPod cases.

Now the iPod cases are pretty clunky – seeing as how all these bags are made from recycled skateboards, so the Lark staff suggested they be used as a camera case and showed us how their Canon Powershot fit perfectly into the satin-laced pocket of the holder. I tried it out on my iPhone and decided that a leather case with satin on the inside and a wood plank on the outside would be pretty safe for whichever electronic device I wanted to store inside.

I’m actually pretty sure anything would withstand being dropped in this case. I was pretty much sold on the items before I waked in the door but after a couple of handy suggestions I sealed the deal and bought a nifty holder. Why not go with the clutch ($135)? I usually have too many things to carry and a purse with a strap is my best friend. The square tote would have been perfect but with a hefty price tag (more than the clutch), it just wasn’t in my budget.

I understand that I did end up spending a heck of a lot on a simple device holder but this is pretty much what the happyfrog assignment was designed to do. Get me out of the house spending dough on enviro-cool items at local retailers or salons and reporting back about how you can look up even more places on the happyfrog directory.

I’ll be creating a listing on happyfrog for Lark since they have locally designed merchandise, like handmade scarves from an organic alpaca farm but also environmentally-conscious doo-dads like the PO-ZU biodegradable slippers:

They come in boxes made of coconut and natural latex which is also used for the cushion inside the sole. With the box comes a packet of seeds which can be planted in the winter in your home and then in the summer you can take the whole box and plant it in your garden and it will biodegrade. [Lark’s blog]

Lark is located at 2315 Main Street, online at Lark8thAve.com and now on happyfrog under Fashion& Beauty.