This past weekend we cruised up the Sea to Sky (and tried not to get distracted by the awe-inspiring view) for a visit to Refresh Market in Squamish. As we pulled into West Coast Railway Heritage Park, twinkling lights greeted us from within along with a lineup of eager shoppers wrapped around the building. And it’s easy to understand why. Of 900 vendor annual applicants from across B.C. co-founders Shannon Lorenz and Rachel Boguski choose only a hundred for each spring and winter market, resulting in a highly curated collection of magical offerings.
In addition to market faves like candles, soaps and hand-painted greeting cards, Refresh also welcomes contributors with unique and innovative products such as all-natural eyelash serum (move over, Latisse) and moon phase calendars. Meandering the aisles, we discovered gems like Boreal Folk, a mobile apothecary that workshops out of an adorable 50-year-old bus and whose huckleberry lip butter is known to sell out faster than the couple (and co-owners) can whip it up in their artisanal wilderness lab. Pemberton Distillery served us sips of deliciously dry Schramm Organic Gin, distilled with locally harvested (and famous) potatoes (we may have picked up a bottle … or two!) and Three Corners Artisan caught our eye with stunning cream-and-rose ceramic cups edged in gold (the Chilliwack-based artist also runs pottery workshops out of a treehouse in her backyard).
After hours of glorious shopping and a seriously worked-up appetite, we made our way to local hot spot The Salted Vine—a kitchen and bar opened last year by industry veterans chef Jeff Park and restaurant director/sommelier Pat Allan. We nestled into the intimate yet lively setting to savour albacore tuna with confit tomatoes topped with dehydrated olive dust and apple puree, mind-blowing Bolognese potato gnocchi (with sundried tomatoes and garlic sausage to boot) and wagyu beef flat iron with chimichurri and sautéed kale. And dessert? We couldn’t say no to the sticky maple toffee pudding à la mode (so worth it). Full and happy, we opted to skip the drive back to Vancouver in the dark and stay, instead, at the conveniently located Squamish Executive Suites, dipping into the outdoor pool and hot tub before slipping into a most comfortable sleep as we dreamed of all our goodies from the market.
If you missed out on Refresh, not to worry. It’ll be back in spring with more delightful creations in store. —Rachel Johnston
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