|
|
July 11, 2003
Hafatzim comes to Kits
Home decor store is the first one outside of Tel-Aviv.
KYLE BERGER REPORTER
If you are walking down West 4th Avenue, near Arbutus, and you
notice a store sign that makes you think that you'd suddenly been
teleported from Vancouver to Tel-Aviv, don't blame your eyes.
It's because the Israeli home decor company Hafatzim has recently
opened its first store outside of Israel and they placed it in the
middle of Kitsilano.
Featuring a wide variety of household items, from dishes to beds
to patio furniture, Hafatzim offers colorful, West Coast-style items.
And because they use their own designs and handle distribution personally,
most of their items come at wholesale prices.
Judith Bar, who is the owner and prominent designer of Hafatzim's
wares, explained that her products are designed to be useful, while
bringing a more vibrant feeling into the home.
"I am always thinking that an item needs to be harmonious,
pleasant and good for daily use," she said. "Nature is
so harmonic, so why shouldn't our own home be the same as what we
see around us."
Hafatzim was born 10 years ago when Bar decided to stray from her
career as a university professor in the Galilee region of Israel.
She turned to her hobby and opened an arts and crafts gallery on
the third floor of her home. When her friend Ruth Dayan, Moshe Dayan's
ex-wife, introduced her to some business contacts in Cairo, Egypt,
Bar said she realized how easy it would be for her to mass produce
some of her own creations.
A year later, the first Hafatzim store opened in Tel-Aviv.
Today, Hafatzim products are sold in more than 50 Israeli stores
and featured in hotels and restaurants around the world. Bar's designs
are manufactured in Israel, the West Bank, Cairo, India, China,
Italy and soon in Canada. They also import some products from Poland
and Ecuador.
Her son, Guy, who has permanently moved to Vancouver to operate
the Kitsilano store, said they had considered several locations,
but felt that Vancouver was the best place to start.
"We were looking in London, Australia, China and Canada,"
he said. "We decided to start with Vancouver because we find
that the West Coast culture and attitude fits our concept very well.
Especially right here on West 4th Avenue."
Although Judith will be heading back to Israel July 20, she said
she will always feel a special connection with Vancouver's Jewish
community.
"I called my husband back home and said that, for the first
time, I can say that I am so proud to be Jewish," she explained.
"When you are in Israel you are not thinking of being Jewish,
you are Israeli. Especially in Tel-Aviv."
"I play soccer at the [Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver]
and I have made lots of contacts and friends here," Guy Bar
added. "It's the first time I have felt very comfortable in
a Jewish community outside of Israel. I feel like [I'm at] home."
You can visit Hafatzim at 2028 West 4th Ave. or shop online at www.hafatzim.com.
Kyle Berger is an award-winning freelance journalist and
a graphic designer living in Richmond.
^TOP
|
|
