Rob Lewis. Kitsilano.ca founder
Today is our 10 year anniversary. Feel free to make some noise.
Most people don’t know how the Kitsilano.ca blog began or what its purpose is. We are not the neighbourhood BIA. We are a simple community blog. Our goal is to cover the neighbourhood beat. We do so thanks to many talented volunteer contributors who share their tips and experiences from all walks of Kitsilano life.
When it all began, February 1, 2005, there were only a couple of guys who needed beer money. Meet Rob Lewis: the guy who founded Kitsilano.ca.
10 Year Anniversary Q&A
1) Why did you start Kitsilano.ca?
By chance really. Someone else had registered the domain name Kitsilano.ca but let it expire, so I grabbed it. At the time I was dabbling with blogging at work and thought that it might be fun to write about the neighbourhood as well.
2) How has it evolved?
What started as a hobby blog has evolved into a community resource thanks to a dedicated editor, enthusiastic guest contributors, and supportive sponsors. While our moniker is hyperlocal, Kitsilano.ca has an opportunity to represent the community while connecting it to all Vancouver has to offer.
3) Describe the reader community.
Our readers are young, urban, upper-middle class singles and couples who have disposable income and are looking for fun things to do in their community — whether it’s going out for dinner, seeing a movie, grabbing a coffee or sprucing up their wardrobe. And in the summer months our online audience swells as Kits Beach lures tourists and suburbanites to find out what going on in our beach community.
4) Tell us something most of us don’t know but should know about Kitsilano neighbourhood.
While everyone likely knows that LOCAL Public Eatery used to be Malones. Did you know that in the late eighties it was a drycleaner and a 7-11?
5) Tell us something most of us don’t know but should know about Kitsilano.ca.
5a) In 2005 we printed promotional stickers that looked just like the neighborhood parking decals. Folks started sticking them on their cars and the city issued us a warning. https://www.kitsilano.ca/2005/
5b) Our most profilic commenter goes by the pseudonym ‘Bill Barilko’ and has commented on the site over 300 times.
Thank you to all the writers and commentators who have shared their thoughts on Kitsilano.ca over the years. We’re always looking for more voices. Keep sharing your opinions. Drop us an email if you’d like to write for us.
Last modified: November 23, 2017
