Name: Jonathon Litchfield
Title: Owner, operator, curator
Organization/Business: Litchfield
Social: @litchfieldtheshop
What do you do and how did you get here?
I’m the owner of the Litchfield store and my journey in arriving here has been a life long endeavour. I have engaged in many different jobs prior and the store is an accumulation of my life experience. As it says on the front window this is “How We Live”.
If you had 15 minutes during work, how would you spend it?
I would run to Milano Coffee and grab something quick to fill my tummy. I rarely have a full 15 minutes during the work day.
If you had a few hours in Gastown, how would you spend the time?
I live in Gastown and spend a lot of time here. Depending on what time of the day it is, I would probably go out to eat. If it’s was a slow, quiet evening, I would go for an intimate dinner at L’abattoir. If it was for something quicker with friends, it would be Tacofino.
What do you love about Gastown?
There is so much that I love about Gastown. I love that it is authentic and that the neighbourhood is a multi-layered part of the city. There are many interesting things going on here, especially with food & beverage. It’s a special part of Vancouver with some actual, real history. Looking back in time, I find it fascinating to discover what has happened here. It is truly a cool part of town.
What’s your most memorable moment or experience in Gastown?
It was when we were building the shop here. It was a perfect blue day. The fall season had arrived and there were a lot of leaves on the ground. Each time the door opened, brightly coloured leaves would dance their way in, swooping and swirling about. The sun was streaming through the window and the air was fresh and crisp.
What interesting thing should we know about you outside of work. Hobbies, life, that sort of thing?
Right now I’m investigating the whole dimension of scent; how it affects us and how many people take it for granted. I’m really having fun exploring what that means to me and how it is expressed on a personal level. It quite exciting to explore how scent appears in all different aspects of living. I’m finding that it’s a whole world onto itself and that it’s quite fascinating once you become conscious of olfactory senses.