A brief history of the Butchershop Floor

For an almost unimaginably long time, an undisturbed strand of forest stood on a wooded hill overlooking the mountains and traditional Squamish winter fishing grounds.

As urban development encroached south from the industry in the False Creek Flats, the site of 195 E. 26th was developed into a soda pop bottling factory. Eventually, squirrels and raccoons stopped disrupting the bottling activities and moved along to Queen Elizabeth Park.

Some time later, the site was taken over by South Seas Meats Ltd. -- a business still in operation (at 3595 Fraser Street and 8031 Brunlor Drive in Burnaby). No one came looking for a bottle of soda pop... or if they did, they left instead with a brisket of beef.

Upon graduating from Emily Carr, one Forbes Latimer sought a place where he could set his plans into motion, establishing in 2000, after wrestling with the dismantling of a defunct (and ripe) meat locker, the Butchershop Floor Gallery (Dot Com) in the disused butcher's shop. Occasionally, people still came by looking for choice cuts of goat meat -- a forgivable mistake, given the deceptive nature of the gallery's name.

In early 2004, operations were turned over to a collective, "the 20", freeing Forbes to pursue other curatorial possibilities abroad -- which didn't keep all manner of people from dropping in looking for Forbes. (Really -- he used to sleep in a bunk right here above the window!) Due to fundamental incompatibilities between the collective's operations model (such as it was), their retail business license, and the location's zoning at the end of an strand of residential area, they were led by the City of Vancouver (whose willingness to look the other way permitted a great four-year run) to terminate operations at that site, and moved out as of January 31st, 2006.

(The collective is seeking to bolster and supplement their documentation of this period: if you have any photographs, recordings, unforgettable anecdotes regarding occurrences in the Butchershop or other related memorabilia, please send them in.)

Tonight, following a period of intensive and long-overdue renovations, the Little Mountain gallery and theatre studio will emerge from a cloud of drywall dust, masterminded by the brains behind wink, and presenting at their grand opening from 11 am through 11 pm the start of an exhibition of work by Robert Mearns (who will be in attendance), refreshments and music provided. Despite the change of hands, they will likely be deluged by people wanting to know what's happened to the Butchershop Floor gallery. By this point in the reading, you have no good reasons to be one of these people.

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That's all well and good about the space, but what about the collective?

While a butchershop is a physical space, The Butchershop has been more: a group of people, working together. They fully intend to continue doing so regardless of access to actual butchershops or even deli counters. Following their tenure producing cultural events in the dedicated but ultimately inadequate facilities at 195 E. 26th, it is their intent to continue producing concerts, readings, recitals, exhibitions, screenings, workshops and everything else they were known for as a production company under the "Butchershop Presents" banner at a series of satellite venues better suited to the individual events.

This series will be kicked off April 21st with a concert at the Marine Club (573 Homer St. at Dunsmuir, upstairs) featuring the LIFERS, PALM PIRATES, and the final performance of Vancouver's golden boys of pop-punk, the PAPER LANTERNS -- a band too raucous to ever successfully be presented at the old Butchershop location.

At some point in the future, following some intensive strategising and fundraising, they plan to resume activities in more legitimate dedicated facilities. In the meantime, to serve the extended Butchershop community and avoid falling off the radar, they have exported many of their regular event series to new venues -- inquire directly for further specifics:

• Ehren Salazar's monthly Hidden Agenda cabaret has been embraced at the aforementioned Wink (151 E. 8th at Main);
• Aleese Nessler has relocated the Butchershop's famous Life Drawing sessions to the somewhat snug confines of Urban Source (3126 Main at 15th);
• the Perpetual Motion Roadshow's Vancouver tourstop (though finished for this season) is now located at the new Spartacus Books (319 W. Hastings at Cambie), where Rowan Lipkovits (full disclosure: uh, that's me!) will also be hosting the 2nd anniversary of the monthly "57 Varieties" open stage / variety show, also the evening of April 21st;
• Matt Robertson and Wesley Cameron curate the Lobby Gallery in the Dominion Hotel (210 Abbott Street at Water as "Until We Have A Helicopter".

(Still in the air are Jeff Younger's Alternative Worlds improvised music night and the monthly film showcase; please write in if you know of a suitable location in which to conduct these activities!)

Furthermore, the Butchershop collective is putting its heads together with other spaces (such as the Seamrippers collective and Secret Location) who have been feeling the undue pressure of scrutiny from the City with an eye toward federating for mutual assistance and support. The acronym is UNARCC -- one to keep your eyes open for. (But don't go and snitch to the Man, you narc!)

To keep on top of the shifting information making itself available in these turbulent times, the Butchershop recommends subscribing (if you have not already) to their e-mail list and to stop in to check out the collective's website for updates and further information regarding Butchershop Presentations.

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Last note

Q: Is this all just a fancy way of saying that you took the money and ran?
A: That would have been a nice option to have; taking the debts and shuffling off would be a better way of putting it.