2021 Made in Vancouver Awards Winners: Wildcard

Winner

Notebooks from Paperbacknote

Though it’s the sneaky repurposing of pulp novel covers into freshly bound notebooks that wowed our judges, we’d also like to applaud Paperbacknote’s clever repurposing of the old books’ interior pages as well. The brand creates coasters and origami-inspired artworks out of old chunks of Archie Comics and the like, giving forgotten reads a new life on multiple fronts. But back to the winning product itself: cheeky retro paperback covers wrap fresh, crisp blank pages, carefully hand-bound and ready and waiting for writers to craft a new story (or grocery list, let’s be real) of their own.

$25, paperbacknote.com

Honourable Mention

Blooms with Purpose from Perennial Gatherings

We’re suckers for a beautiful bouquet, but these arrangements smell even sweeter: all net proceeds go to a new charitable cause each month. Most of the blooms and foliage are grown locally or hand-cut from florist Megan Davis’s own garden—a low impact on the planet, a high impact on social change. 

$30, perennialgatherings.com