On my recent adventure thru Gastown, to do research for the Community Focus section, I ran across a very charming lady by the name of Darya Abdollahi, assistant manager of Zientte on Water Street. Well, truth be known, I introduced myself after admiring the very many gorgeous items and pieces of furniture eloquently displayed in their showroom. She was both charming and knowledgeable as we discussed South American furniture.   Darya then talked at length about their team at Zientte and recommended that I speak with Pablo, the store manager. So I booked a meeting and went to see him.

We sat down at this beautiful kitchen table (of course) and began talking. He started by telling that there is a unique vibe that Gastown has and it makes it exciting to work there. I explained to him that there are so many historic building in Gastown that give it so much character.

His face lit up and he told me that virtually all of the buildings in the core of Gastown date back a century or more … including his (there is a wonderful collage of sepia toned photos of them while they renovated the interior to create Zientte). Pablo went say that he was all for the article I was writing about Gastown and that more people should come and experience the little piece of history that it as to offer and the electricity that it gives off.

Pablo also explained to me that Gastown is also becoming a big destination for locals too. The area has recently been improved with lots of exciting things to do, and there have been several new high rises that have come in just on the edge of the town. “A great place to stroll around on the week end.” he told me. Then he told me about Gastown’s Business Improvement Association and what a great job they are doing (they are the ones that place and maintain all the hanging flower baskets throughout town in the springtime … and there’s rumour of new cobblestone streets coming). I got the feeling that he is a very community driven guy.

So enough about Gastown, tell me about Zientte, I said (turning my gaze back to his gorgeous furniture). He told me that with all the new high rises and exposure he is experiencing much higher volumes of Metro Vancouver people (as opposed to just tourists) coming in to his shop. “One of our clients lives right upstairs.” he says with his figure pointed to the heavens.Pablo informed me that all of the products on display are unique and made in South America, Bogata Columbia to be exact.

Zientte was founded on the premise of making high quality main stream furniture but with a Colombian twist that we call warm contemporary, Pablo explained.
He continued by telling me that every piece of their furniture is not only appealing by design but also designed for comfort. He also informed me that the quality of their pieces rate no less than popular Italian brands, and went on to explain the cutting edge facility that he experienced in Bogata. Then he added something very interest … with our products you will get all of the design, comfort, and quality without having to pay European prices.

Further to that he enlightened me to the fact that every piece of furniture they have is unique and can be made for you in a certain colour or fabric as well as built to a specific size that you may require. Very cool … you never have to worry about going to someones house and they have the same couch!

Before packing up I inquired about all the unique art and artsy items that are all over his space. Pablo smiled again and told me that some are from Columbia but a great number of them are from extremely talented local artists that they promote. Again, with the community.

While walking back down the red brick street I thought to myself, Pablo is not just about the designer high end furniture, he’s a pretty down to earth guy … with a cool South American accent!