Two Bay Towne Leather Wallets – Vlog Entry
Another video blog entry, this time looking at a couple Bay Towne Leather wallets, “Handmade by Mason in the USA”. In the video I mention that the credit card wallet was going to be given away and in fact it was; Jeff is the new owner of the Bay Towne Leather credit card wallet shown here.
My Video Review of the Marlondo Leather Briefcase
After a few days of carrying my Marlondo Leather 14″ briefcase, I took a few minutes to film a video review of the briefcase. Here it is, for your viewing pleasure.
Bay Towne Leather’s Credit Card Case – And a Giveaway!!
Once again I have acted upon my passion for quality leather; this time I bought a credit card case from my friend Roge at Bay Towne Leather.
Bay Towne Leather Credit Card Case
The credit card case (pictured to the right) that Roge created for me is an excellent piece. Made of 5oz Premium Oak veg tan cow hide, it can hold eight credit cards (or driver’s license and other cards).
I particularly like the closure system – Swiss Army button studs. They slip into the little slots on the lid-flap hold the case closed very securely.
The outside of the case is dyed the deep reddish brown known as Cordovan while the inside is natural, uncoloured leather. This is a beauty of a little wallet/credit card case.
Credit Card Case
My “problem” is that I carry too many cards. What with credit cards, debit cards, loyalty cards, Tim cards and health cards, I have too many cards to comfortably fit inside this sweet little piece of leather.
When I told Roge at Bay Towne about my “problem” he offered to make me a new one at his cost. I said no way, seeing as I chose the wallet even after reading the dimensions and knowing how many cards I carry. Instead of having him foot the bill for my mess-up, I have asked Roge to make me a larger credit card case/wallet from his collection. He is in the process of making me a larger version of the “The Little Wallet That Can.”
So what should I do with my Bay Towne Leather credit card case? I paid $33.75 for it and I would feel awful just leaving this beauty of a little credit card case sitting in a drawer in my shave-cave, so… with Roge’s blessing, I have decided to give it away.
How can you win this little giveaway gem? All you have to do is make a comment on this blog post; in your comment include a number between one (1) and 488 and a link to the one item from Roge’s Etsy page that you would like to purchase or an item that catches your eye.
On Monday, May 20th, 2013 at 6pm PST I will use my Random Number Generator App to choose the winning number. If there is no exact match, the next nearest number will be the winner. As well as choosing your lucky number, be sure to cut and paste a link to your favourite item on Roge’s page into your comment to be eligible to win.
Happy Mothers’ Day
Happy Mothers’ Day to all the mothers out there. If you get a minute (or three) listen to the advice this young man has to offer.
Chris Brogan on Customer Service
Nearly every morning I get an email from blogger extraordinaire, Chris Brogan . Sometimes I learn something and sometimes I just delete the message.
Chris Brogan
This morning I received an email that really made me sit up and pay attention because it was on issues I’m really interested in; customer service and shopping local.
Here is the opening to Chris Brogan’s piece;
I sat at the counter at my local restaurant the other day and waited for over 7 minutes without anyone bothering to acknowledge that I was there.
And then I walked out. And so did my money. For good. In fact, I drove to McDonalds, got some scrambled eggs and an iced coffee, and was in and out of the system within the same 7 minutes. (You can save your comments with disdain for McDonalds. If you’re a parent, you go there, unless you don’t. Either way. It’s not the point.)
Now, before you try to defend this other place, no, it wasn’t busy. Yes, at least two employees had seen me, and frankly, I don’t much care. If I had been even greeted, I would have been able to tolerate the wait. But not even a hello.
By comparison, the Ale House and the Barking Dog (both local places) have trained their entire staff to greet anyone they see walking in, and wish everyone walking out a great day. You feel warmly greeted there.
I so completely agree with Chris that I just had to share this post with you.
Like Chris, I like good customer service. I’m not talking about someone kissing my a$$ to get me to shop in their store, I just expect people to treat me and my ideas with respect.
As most of you know, I love leather. Wallets, briefcases, satchels, belts, overnight bags and more.
So the fact is, in this age of the interwebz, everything is a “local place”. My friend, Roge at Bay Towne Leather is a guy who knows how to treat customers. He typically repsonds within a few hours when I email him questions about the leather products he makes and he is very open to trying to do things in new and creative ways. (I have a cool new wallet on order from him, my first foray into Horween leather). He tells me he is always learning from his customers.
Another shop I have been having a great time with is Marlondo Leather. Once again, he (Ma Londo is the owner) works in his small shop with a handful of other leather crafters. Ma is always open to doing things differently to make his customers happy. Of course he has his limits, but he, like Roge, is always willing to listen and learn.
The difference between these shops and many others I have tried to deal with is that the owners treat me, the customer with respect. I like that.
These shops may not shout out my name when I walk in the door of their shops but they certainly do know how to treat me, and all their customers with respect. If you are looking for a leather wallet or bag or briefcase, I encourage you to visit Ma or Roge. And let them know that I say hi.
Boat Rentals on Granville Island
When the weather gets hot in Metro Vancouver many people head to the beach. Beaches are great and all, but they get too crowded with sun bathers and the freaks who insist on throwing a frisbee or football around. Add in the muscle men and females without enough clothing and I’m looking for an alternative place to chill out.
My solution is to go the boat rentals on Granville Island and get out ON the water. However, my weekend plan to go out and get on the water didn’t work out quite as well as I had hoped.
Apparently you have to have a license to operate a pleasure craft? Fortunately, you can get your online boat licence at BoaterExam.com
Unfortunately I did not know about Boater Exam until after I had gone through the hassle of loading the family into the car, driving to Granville Island, parking the car and then walking with our kids and half our household belongings across Granville Island.
Boat Rentals on Granville Island
I suppose I should mention that I do not actually own a boat. Typically, I do the boat rentals on Granville Island when the spirit moves me to get the family out on the water.
It came as quite a surprise to me when the young lady behind the counter asked if I had a Pleasure Craft Operator Card. Me, “Uhh, no…”
Not a bad thing to require boaters to have a valid license I suppose seeing as my family’s safety would rely on how well I understand the rules of being on the water.
To make a long story a bit shorter, we did not go boating today. Instead we came home so that I could look into how to get a license. If you want to learn the safety rules and regulations and take the Transport Canada exam you too can visit the good people at Boater Exam. They will make sure you know your stuff before you get to the dock.
Crowd Sourcing a New Family Car
As many of my followers know, I have been searching for a new family car for quite some time. I have taken a Ferrari Maranello for a test run, a Mercedes Serenity and I even had guest poster Lee-Anne tell her story of how they came to their decision to purchase a Kia Soul.
Ferrari Maranello
I have to admit, I am getting tired of trying to figure out what kind of car to take out next! Everything I recommend to my Sweetheart is overruled. I have no idea what to do. I have no idea what the nbext car should be…well, I actually do know but because it is coming from me, Sweetheart overrules my choice.
So here is my thinking; YOU can decide what car I should take out for the next test drive.
You can do a little bit of research to let me know which car you think would be the best car for my family. To do that research, visit AutoBlog for Canada car reviews, read up on the car you want me to take out and then in the comment section of this thread paste a link to the car YOU think would be appropriate as my next family car.
I will then do everything I can to do my Life In The Burbs-style review of the car or truck that my followers want me to take out. So over to you; what is the next car I should consider for the family car?
Where to Get Some Apple Pie
Just a very quick and simple blog post today in which I turn to you, my trusted reader to answer my question. That question is, where in Metro Vancouver can a bloke get a walloping big slice of deep dish apple pie?
That’s it. Where can I get some apple pie?
Buy Me A Coffee?
You may notice that to the right of this post there is now a thingy that says, “Buy me a coffee?” with the donation amount set at $1.96.
Coffee?
What is this? The price of a tall dark coffee at my favourite shop. If you decide to click the button that says “Donate” a PayPal page will open up and you can donate whatever amount you want to donate.
I will be honest, it does cost me keep this blog up and operating. Not much, but it does cost me and it has cost me each month since I started.
So, if you feel so inclined, give me a click on the old Donate button and “buy me a coffee” to help me pay for the fun we are having here. If you like.
Burger and Fries at Jules Cafe in South Burnaby
Countless times I have driven by Jules Cafe on the corner of Rumble and Royal Oak Ave in south Burnaby. Countless times I have looked in and wished I had time to stop for a taste.
Jules Cafe Sign
Today I took the time to stop and have a taste. Let me say, I was not disappointed by what I found. In fact, I do believe that I have found one of the best burgers in the Metro Vancouver area.
I ordered the Canadian bacon burger with a slice of cheddar cheese and mushrooms. To fill out my order I added the fries and a can of soda combo to my burger.
The burger was excellent; it was just like the kind of burger you would throw on the barbecue in your backyard. A thick, hand-formed burger patty, thick, crispy bacon and big thick slices of ripe tomato on leafy slices of lettuce.
Jules Cafe Open Burger and Fries
While the burger was excellent, the fries were good; a little soggy but very flavourful with their skin on.
For just under $10, this burger, fries and soda is an excellent value meal.
I will definitely be returning to Jules Cafe to sample their sandwich selections, paninis and, when I get the chance, to sample their breakfast menu.
