Name: Marina Markoc

Title: Owner and artist

Organization/Business: Tees.ca

Social: @tees_ca

 

What do you do and how did you get here?

My partner Sasha and I have been in the clothing business for over 15 years. Coming from Europe, we have always been attracted to Gastown with its architecture, vibe and culture. We are both artists and the neighbourhood here has a thriving artistic scene with many creative people producing fantastic things. For a long time, we had wanted to open a business in Gastown that brought clothing and local art together. I noticed that there were all these talented artists that were underappreciated. The idea behind Tees.ca was to highlight local artists and make their work known and accessible, by printing the pieces on limited run t-shirts.

 

What inspired the name and concept?

Having owned and operated a print shop for a long time, we were approached by many artists to engage in collaborations. The idea to create a t-shirt gallery was inspired by these shared artistic projects. After setting up our online store www.tees.ca the Tees.ca name also worked well for our retail location so we kept it.

 

If you had 15 minutes only, in Gastown, how would you spend it?

I would definitely go around and take some photos and I would visit a few of my favourite shops and friends that work here. I would just enjoy being in Gastown.

 

What do you love about the neighbourhood?

There are a lot of interesting shops and galleries here. I like that many of the businesses focus on things that are locally made. Gastown is the oldest part of Vancouver and I often have flashbacks of being home again. I love that Gastown is always changing, adapting, growing and yet still maintains it’s true essence and character. The diversity of the community here makes Gastown forever unique and always full of life.

 

What’s your most memorable happy moment or experience in Gastown?

It is really hard to pick only one, as I have had many happy times here. Christmas is always magical in Gastown and I love how the neighbourhood looks and feels during that time.

 

What’s your philosophy for a good life?

I believe in karma. I trust that if you treat others the way you would like to be treated, you will be relatively happy and things will work out.