SHOPPING
A
INVITATION
Distiller
Spotlight
MIKE STANFIELD
Mike Stanfield
showed up at the
Where Calgary office
on a cold and gloomy
Thursday afternoon in January
with a guitar case full of vodka.
That’s a typical day “in the office” for Mike (not for
Where Calgary, despite what you see about writers
on TV. We swear. Just don’t look in the bottom
drawer of our file cabinets).
403 266 4417
Who
You and the wonderful people
you want to share with us.
What
An original men’s fashion
presentation.
When
10 - 6 ish Mon - Sat
Where
SUPREME
Corner of 4th Avenue
& 3rd Street SW
Downtown Calgary
Why
Supreme is a catalyst for
change, using fashion to
connect aware & beauty-filled
people who are making
a difference.
Four years ago, Stanfield quit his corporate recruiting
gig to stay home with his kids and think about what
he wanted to do next. For years, Stanfield had been
experimenting with tasty vodka in his basement, and
when Alberta’s liquor regulations started to ease up
for small-scale craft distillers, he pondered turning
his labour of love into something more.
After a lot of trial and error, (and testing out the
product on lucky friends at parties), Mike perfected the recipes to his liking. Unable to afford
the start-up capital for building a distillery, and finding it difficult to partner with Alberta
distilleries due to the volume of product he wanted to produce, he found a Wisconsin
distillery to work with and Starr Distilling was born.
His company has seen great success with their first release Summer Love raspberry vodka. It
won Best Spirit product under $50 at both the 2017 Calgary and Edmonton Rocky Mountain
Wine and Food Festivals.
The brand celebrates Canadian summer, and the colourful artwork on the bottle brings you
right back to sunny days by the lake, thanks to Calgary illustrator Dean Stanton (one of his
most iconic works is the Sunalta Elementary School mural).
Summer Love is all natural, with more than a pound of B.C. raspberries in every bottle. We
can attest it’s great chilled over ice, or mixed with lemonade or club soda. Make sure to take
‘er easy, though—it’s not juice.
Stanfield says his favourite part is coming up with recipes in his basement lab and carrying
his guitar case around, while the business side can be humbling.
“You’re against some very big brands that are very good at what they do from a sales and
marketing perspective. It’s humbling to walk into a store and beg for some shelf space and
hope somebody will come in and buy it. The hobby part of it, the labels and doing your own
thing is fabulous.”
Some retailers that carry Summer Love raspberry vodka, and the second product, spiced pear,
include Co-op Wine Spirits Beer, Crowfoot Wine and Spirits, Kensington Wine Market, Vine
Arts Wine and Spirits, Willow Park Wines and Spirits and Wine and Beyond.
—Silvia Pikal
ARTISAN AND FARMERS’ MARKETS
The following listings include shopping areas,
malls, department stores, and independent shops
that the editors judge worthy of your attention,
including advertisers in Where Calgary. The map
coordinates at the end of each listing (E4, E8 etc.)
refer to the city maps on pages 51 to 52. If you have
an observation regarding any of our listings, please
email [email protected].
ADVERTISER
SMWL.COM
36
where.ca
MARCH/APRIL 2018
FOR FULL LISTINGS, PLEASE VISIT
where.ca/calgary
CROSSROADS MARKET Located less than five minutes
from downtown with ample parking, this historical building
is home to a year-round farmers market, antique market,
international food fair and flea market. Open Fri - Sun,
9 am - 5 pm. 1235 - 26 Ave SE, 403-291-5208. Map 1, H7
www.crossroadsmarket.ca
GRANARY ROAD This family attraction just outside
city limits includes a bistro by the renowned Canadian
Rocky Mountain Resorts group, a bakery and coffee
shop and a public market with vendors selling gourmet
and handcrafted items. Open daily, 9 am - 5 pm.
226034 112 St W, De Winton, 403-453-7623. Map 1, J5
www.granaryroad.com
Call ahead to book your
experience and for VIP parking