Even though summer just began a few days ago, chances are you’ve been thinking about your bikini bod for months! Here are some city spots where you can find some of the best, most original ways of whipping yourself into shape while also having a blast. And remember, confidence is the key to getting your most CRAVE-worthy beach bod!

Exhale Studio (1083 Cambie St)
This Yaletown studio offers just about every favorite fitness activity you can dream of, from Kundalini yoga to to Afro-Cuban dance. The variety will keep you coming back and each time, you’ll be working a new part of your body. For anyone who says getting in shape is a chore, we challenge them to a visit at Exhale. If dancing to your favorite hip-hop hits is a chore, then we say,  Give us more!
exhalestudio.com

Burlesque Beauties (see website for locations)
This tantalizing dance form has caught on like wildfire in cities everywhere, and now you can get in on the fun by taking a class taught by the professional seductresses themselves! The Nuvo-Burlesque Dance and Fitness classes are packed with feminine, flirty moves to encourage powerful bodies and spirits. You’ll exude that confidence with ease the next time you slip into your teeny bikini.
burlesquebeauties.com

Elements Wellness Centre and Studio (#207-2678 West Broadway)
For a holistic, multi-varied approach to health and fitness, we love the services provided by this Vancouver studio. Rejuvenate your body and mind with traditional spa services, refelexology, acupuncture, and nutritional coaching. The centre also provides comprehensive life coaches to help you begin at square one to craft a lifestyle that is as beautiful as you deserve.
elementswellnesscentre.com

How many times a year do we utter the words, “If only there were more hours in the day…”? Well, on the summer solstice, you will get your wish since today, the sun shines longer than any other day of the year. Today of course also marks the official start of summer, and with it, we celebrate all the best things about this much-anticipated season! To welcome the return of flip-flops, barbecue’s, vacations and more, we’ve compiled a list of activities to do in order to take advantage of those extra minutes of sunlight. Grab your friends and family and head out – you won’t want to miss a second of your summer solstice celebration!

A picnic is a simple no-brainer for a summer occasion, but you might decide to get a little creative for the special occasion by coordinating a late-night sunset picnic in your city’s most scenic setting. Bring a playlist of songs with the word “sun” in them to set the right mood.

If you’re an avid outdoors-woman, you’ll want to really maximize your extra minutes of rays! Head out for an
evening hike, run, or bike ride and extend it a little longer than usual. You’ll get an extra boost knowing that this is the only night you’ll be able to savor the sunlight during your routine workout.

Spending your solstice doing water activities is an excellent idea if you live near a body of water. Boating, surfing, kayaking, or even just lounging beachside will give you that summer glow you’ve been missing all winter. Plus, watching the sun lower over sparkling waves is a sight that can hardly be beat, and one you’ll want to store in your memory for the next winter.

Say Mother Nature decides to throw you a curveball and sends rain instead of shine, well don’t let that stop you from enjoying the spirit of the day. Curling up with a book and hot tea can be relaxing during a summer rainfall or storm especially if enjoyed from a patio or porch. If the day is more gray gloom than thrilling boom, head to your local arboretum or greenhouse to get your tropical nature fix.

What inspired you to open your business?

What is your favorite go-to destination with your girlfriends?

Zing Paperie & Design (#60323 Jervis St, Coal Harbour, Seawall)
Once the commencement parties have ended, and the caps have been tossed, a graduate will need a way to stay in touch with her wide circle of friends and professors. Sure, she’s got Facebook but a handwritten note says a lot more these days. Personalized stationery might be the ideal gift for your technologically-overworked grad which you’ll find in droves at Zing Paperie & Design, along with other thoughtful gifts like handcrafted journals, photo frames to capture the special moment.
zingdesign.ca

Changes Clothing & Jewellery Bar (4454 W 10th Ave)
This boutique’s name alone is fitting for the new graduate in your life, but so is its new and like-new selection of designs and accessories. The place has been named Vancouver’s Best Consignment Store Award multiple times since 2002, and its jewellery bar features one of a kind Canadian artists. A special necklace to commemorate the occasion or a great pair of working-gal shoes will make a fabulous gift.
changesclothing.com

Markus J Hair & Well-Being (2567 W Broadway)
After weeks of long, sleepless nights spent studying in the library, your grad deserves a little pampering. This Vancouver salon is all about providing their customers with a totally indulgent experience, with customized color and cuts, signature facials and hair and scalp treatments. Owner Mona Leung also holds private hair workshops, so that the new grad can enter the new phase of life with a brand-new look.

What is unique about your company?

First Services Hospitality is unique because our owner/manager has worked in Vancouver for over 20 years in senior positions from Catering & Banquet Manager, Restaurant Manager, General Manager Food & Beverage Services, Director of Food & Beverage and Hotel General Manager. During this time has worked in a variety of venues (restaurants, hotels, universities, venues and casino operations) in the Hospitality industry. Brenda Phillips really does understand the challenges of staffing events properly, having well prepared and presented food, having properly trained staff and working with owners of hotels and restaurants. With all this experience she is able to provide first hand help in ensuring that proper checklists are completed to a customers satisfaction.

What do you enjoy most about being a business owner?

Being in control of my own destiny. Helping staff, customers and colleagues on a more one-on-one and not getting lost in the corporate world and being a figure head without being seen. It is common to see me at events, prepping in the kitchen, leading training programs or working closely with owners in their operations.

What advice do you have for women who would like to open up their own business?

Follow your dream and turn your passion or hobby into your career. It is much easier to have a career as an owner in something that you love to do. Do your homework and be accountable to your customers and do your best always.

First Services Hospitality
2000 Panorama Drive,
Port Moody, BC
778 988 9440
firstserviceshospitality.com/

The more we have gotten to meet our lovely CRAVE counterparts around town – and around the world – the more we find out that CRAVE women are all truly kids at heart. From the bright red high heels we wear, to the colorful creativity infused into our projects and businesses, it’s almost like the real-life version of playing ‘grown-up’. At least, on the really challenging days, that’s how we like to think of it! Whether or not you’re shopping with a child in mind or simply indulging your own inner kid, we think you’ll adore these terrific shops featuring play toys, itty bitty clothes, and things that make you “ooh” and “ahh” with a wistful nostalgia.

Chick Pea (613 Front St, New Westminster)
We love the playfulness of bright, bold colors, but we also appreciate the quiet ambiance within the brick walls of Chick Pea, a European-inspired boutique in New Westminster. Moms will be delighted to find products and must-haves for both their little ones and themselves, including organic cotton t’s and onesies and sweetly soothing natural bath and body potions.
chickpeakids.com

Hipbaby (2110 W 4th Ave)
Carla van Messel has been running this aptly-named children’s boutique for over ten years and over time, has developed a savvy eye for finding exceptional, affordable gifts, keepsakes, and clothing for kids and tots. Forty percent of the store’s inventory is designed and manufactured in-house, and the selection is constantly changing. This is a store for the urban mom who appreciates a broader color spectrum than just blue and pink.
hipbaby.com

Mally Bibs (see website for list of retailers)
Just because bibs get covered in spaghetti sauce and purreed green peas doesn’t mean they can’t be fashionably adorable to start with! And the good news about these well-designed cover-ups, made by Nicole Garza, is that their soft leather front makes for a durable and easy-to-wipe-clean surface for your little one to really let loose at meal time.
mallybibs.com

How does ING Direct support women entrepreneurs?

We’ve targeted individuals and small businesses. We do a lot of workshops and classes offered, for example budgeting and savings workshops and sometimes have special speakers. And we’ve found that women are much more receptive to our workshops. We get a lot of response from women and they are very much engaged. ING Direct used to have a partnership with Smart Cookies. They also rent out their boardrooms to different companies. All these workshops and classes are complimentary, no charge.

What did you enjoy most about being a part of the CRAVE Symposium 2010?

I just thought it was a great opportunity to meet all these women in various aspects of the business world. Saw a network forming that you just know was going to continue, very motivational and great for everybody. Sharing of knowledge was the most important part of the symposium I would say. It was very beneficial and really, a great thing.

What are the top 5 tips you have for women who own their own business?

1. Women need to let their brand represent their own personalities. If they are the brand they will be most successful.

2. Always great to write mission statement, vision and values. Although it’s in your head, it’s always good to have it as a reference point to keep your vision always close to you.

3. Use the resources that are available to them like Bizplan pro and Quickbooks. These are all low or no cost resources that make the administrative side of a business so much easier. Don’t need to do all the admin work themselves.

4. Always set a budget and make sure you always set aside at least 10% for miscellaneous. That’s one of the smartest things to do in regards to financial planning.

5. Have fun and share knowledge with others and inspire one another between various small businesses. It’s truly one of the greatest things about being a business owner.

ING Direct Canada
vancafe@ingdirect.ca

Women are known to be particular when it comes to certain things: our morning latte’s (must be piping hot), our toilet seats (must be down), our fabric softeners (must be REALLY soft), and our shoes, which must be not only amazing but able to stick with us as we jaunt, jog, and journey around town. As one of the few things that can inspire either rapturous joy or sorrowful pain (goodbye four-inch heels with no support), picking out the right pair can be a daunting task. Luckily, our city is full of women who understand the importance of a good shoe and have made it their business to offer up the best of the best to the rest of us. Here are a few of our favorite spots to find your perfect pair – or pairs – in which to take on the city in full force!

Kalena’s Shoes & Accessories (1526 Commercial Drive)
A CRAVE gal will always be proud to support local enterprise, but she also know that when it comes to shoemaking – nobody does it quite like Italians. For over 40 years, the owners of this trustyworthy boutique have bridged the seven-thousand mile gap between Vancouver and Italy to bring us the best of the country right here at home. Considering the country is shaped like a boot, shoes are a natural business there!
www.kalenashoes.com

Lola Home and Apparel (1076 Hamilton Street)
This charming boutique brings “French whimsy” and “English eccentricity” to Vancouver’s Yaletown district. Though it’s not exclusively a shoe shop, and in fact carries a wide range of chic gifts, apparel, and home items, the place has been known to carry rare gems like a pair of silver sequined sneakers we found two years ago. Check in regularly for a constantly evolving selection including feminine flats with jewel details we’ve been eyeing for weeks.
www.lolahomeandapparel.com

Misch (2960 Granville Street)
Clean, crisp, classic, chic. Misch is a boutique that feels like a breath of fresh air each time we walk in. The shoes (and the rest of the goodies) are all a mix of understated elegance and style from a mix of emerging and well-established designers. We love that all the shoes carry just the perfect amount of attitude to let us add in our own personality without overdoing it. A real treat for summertime style.
www.misch.ca

The Women’s Enterprise Center (WEC) is the fairy godmother of women-owned business, providing loans to start-ups and expansion projects province-wide. But the Center does much more than simple loaning, they also provide free and low-cost workshops and mentoring services to women in the early stages of business development. WEC’s programs have proven invaluable to new businesses doubling their chance of success within the first five years when 65% of business tend to fail. We chatted with Laurel Douglas, CEO of the Women’s Enterprise Center to get her tips on women entrepreneurship and to get to the heart of what drives her in her work.

What tips/advice do you have for women who would like to start their own business?
One tip – business plan and cash flow, make sure they are both very well done. Don’t hire someone to do it, do it yourself so you know what you’re talking about.

Make sure you are really interested in the area you are going in, you will spend more time and money than you think you will in this area, so make sure you like it.

Develop your leadership presence – “trust your gut”. Recognize that you may be faced with a huge number of decisions, and they have a lot more knowledge than they give themselves credit for.

What do you love most about your job and why?
Adding value and making a difference, that’s what I’m all about. I enjoy working with so many organizations that are so committed to what they do  in the field of helping women start, grow and succeed in business.

I enjoy the value I bring for women in business, everyone who works in WEC really helps because they’ve all had their own business and making a difference is important to all employees.

Personally, I enjoy being able to help the women work as a team and grow in ways better than that they would otherwise be able to do on their own. In other words, “Unlocking their potential”.

What are you looking forward to most at the symposium?
I’m looking forward to the neat format for exchanging information and getting concrete feedback from people. Also seeing the difference the mentors will make directly in the businesses being think tanked.

Be sure to come to our upcoming symposium on Monday to learn more about Women’s Enterprise Centre!

What is it about a pair of sunglasses that can turn a girl-next-door into a red-carpet-diva? Maybe it’s because sunglasses spell old-world glamour just as much as red lips and a fur coat too – and because we still haven’t forgotten the image of Jackie O’s white-rimmed oversized shades almost fifty years after she first made them a must-have accessory for women around the world. To celebrate the return of sunshine in our city, we’ve scoured the streets to find the best spots to find your made-for-summer accessories, including sunglasses and beyond!

Fine Finds (1014 Mainland St)
This Yaletown boutique has got a little bit of everything: gorgeous clothes, incredible shoes, fun sunglasses styles, an assortment of luxurious bath products, gifts items that will humour and inspire, and even things for the little ones in your life. For the warmer months, the store has added bright color and bold design to their uniquely chic pieces – we’re really in love with the holster-style crushed leather purses from Sienna Rag & Co in earthy taupe shades for an adventure-inspired summertime look.

Tutta-Mia (1302 Victoria Dr)
Tutta-Mia is a true local gem featuring hard-to-find local designs, where you’ll always be sure to find something truly unique for your own personal style. The boutique also puts an emphasis on environmental sustainability with a large collection of organic knits and green-friendly products. We are always fans of the faux suede handbag selection from KAIROS for its versatility in the weather (water resistant) and its size – which is perfect for a picnic pack to the beach!

Vetrina Moda (525 West Georgia)
This salon style boutique is high-fashion all the way. The pieces are handpicked in Italy so the styles are exotic, daring, and luxurious. Expect to find an assortment of European designer sunglasses shaped and styled so that you’ll want to hop on a plane to experience la bella Italia for yourself. We also love the flowing maxi dresses in loud bright colors and silky-soft fabrics that will be perfect for a romantic excursion, even if you don’t make it to Italy.