Edmonton’s not a city that suffers from a lack of space. If anything, it has too much of it. But for these three entrepreneurs, space is not something they can afford to waste. Find out how they’ve learned to make the most out of the least with their businesses.
Barber Ha
500 sq. ft.
Linda Ha
Photograph by Aaron Pederson
It’s no secret that men don’t particularly enjoy the hassle of scheduling a hair cut, much less the expense of paying for one. “Guys don’t like to pre-book,” says Linda Ha, an Edmonton-based stylist with 15 years of experience. “If they need a haircut, they need it that day – or the day before.” In 2011, Ha decided it was time to help them out. She opened Barber Ha, a space dedicated exclusively to men’s grooming, where customers can get a smart haircut for $25, a classic straight shave for $35 and a combination of the two for $55. Best of all, they can do it without having to book weeks – or even days – in advance.
At 500 square feet, her new shop is much smaller than the high-end salons she was used to working in. But Ha says she prefers it that way. “It’s a more intimate environment,” she says. “When I was in the salon, you’d talk to your own client and if somebody butted in it would be uncomfortable. Here, everyone talks to each other. It becomes a group dynamic.”
Bibo Wine Bar
300 sq. ft.
Dianna Funnell
Photograph by Aaron Pederson
When Dianna Funnell left for a trip to Argentina a few years back, chastened by a failing marriage and an unsatisfying career as a yoga instructor, she asked her friend Brad Lazarenko (the owner of the Culina Family of Restaurants) to keep her in mind if he heard of any good jobs in the food and wine business. When she came back, he did her one better: “run my new wine bar,” he said. In 2005, they opened Bibo, a ten-seat hole in the wall on 89th Avenue near 99th Street with an aesthetic – and a floor plan – inspired by the tiny noodle houses that are popular in Japan. The cramped confines are a good thing, Funnell says, because they force people to stand and sit closer together than they otherwise might. “When they’re in that crowded space, they’re literally touching. And whether they’re strangers or friends, it makes it more intimate.”
Elm Café
195 sq. ft.
Nate Box
Photograph by Aaron Pederson
When Nate Box, the former head chef at the Sugarbowl, told friends he was opening up his own place, they didn’t imagine that he was going to pick a space that’s the same size as the standard North American bedroom. But Elm Café – which sits just north of Jasper Avenue on 117th Street and serves pastries from Duchess Bakery, coffee from Vancouver roaster 49th Parallel and Box’s wildly popular “craft sammiches” – has been a huge success in spite of its unconventional dimensions. “I had friends in the restaurant industry that laughed at me,” Box says. “They thought I was going to open this big restaurant. But I just had this feeling that it could work – that it could be something different.”