Riel "XL" R.'s Profile

Great design, very attractive store ... but ... it's a store.

Their sandwich board promised coffee's and what felt more like a digital lounge experience which was quite alluring to me.

The execution however failed badly.

I was in the store for almost 15 minutes without anyone coming to engage with me, there was only one person in the store and they were on the phone the whole time.  

Admittedly it sounded like they were dealing with a phone or cable hookup, so it was business, not social, but still .... there should have been someone else there to greet me.

In general instead of a digital lounge, it felt like a roomy retail store, not the experience that I was hoping for.  

While there were a lot of the phones and tablets available ... none of the tablets would start (not charged? or dummy versions) and half the phones were dummy ones too ...

I want to play with tech I'm going to drop hundreds of dollars on, I want to try them side by side in 'real life' stuff like uploading a video from it .. (none of the android phones were hooded up to accounts, you couldn't download apps or anything ...

**GENERAL RANT** Why would you not have some demo accounts to setup your phones with ? preload them with contacts, videos on youtube, pictures in picassa .. so you can get a real feel for using the phone .. not just how much it weighs in your hand. ***END RANT***

Anyway ... Ya, I was hoping for more "GENIUS BAR" like the big apple stores, not a color shift on a telus store with some camera's and self serve oversized photo ordering kiosks thrown in.

This could be so much better executed on so many levels.

**Crystal's ideas of a lounge with cocktails after 4 and events sounds much more up my alley... I really do think you could sell technology that way even better - especially in a neighbourhood like the west end.

My Video Review In The Moment
http://youtu.be/lQ1fVw...

I've been going to John for 15 years and have always felt relaxed and welcome in his casual, social environment.

Dj department has great gear and guys that really know how to use it

I like this place, its good old fashion quality food

The vibe here is totally pro, while still being fun.

I've been to spin class several times, it was a great work out and the music selection was right up my alley.

I've also had several personal training sessions with them and found the training to be excellent.

I would recommend the place to my friends, it's great.

Side Note: The CBC is running a show called "Village On A Diet" and Mike Veinot, one of the owners at Rep1, is one of the main trainers on the show.

Sort of fun, if you want a celebrity trainer, Mike is the guy to ask for :)

Charlies Rock's.

I mostly get movies there, but it's also got a huge music selection.

You'd think it was a dive, but they have a ton of stock and know what they're talking about.

Some good cheep electronics rounds out a good store.

We've bought a few pieces from this Gallery.
They have some really neat, 'out there' stuff that is edgy, but not too much so that it's not popular.

Expensive, but very good.

It's the first in what I hope will be a revival for businesses in the east hastings area.  They've got great food and an excellent wine list, the ambiance is nice as well, friendly but not .. you know ... too friendly :)

Ummmm.... Good Soups.

A bag of their chicken soup for anyone of my friends that are sick... instant cure and easy present that is really appreciated.

Sushi is good, not awesome but ... very good.

Lots of other stuff too including meats and other traditional super market items (for Japan I guess.. :)

We go regularly to pick up snacks between activities with the kids or to pick up an easy meal on the weekends.

Great prices on take out stuff

$2 to $4 range for most sushi rolls or other bento box items