Being an “every day” tourist means looking for fun things to see and do in your immediate area, perhaps not every day but definitely on a frequent basis. Could be a hike, a walk, a new park, a museum or art gallery, theatre or live music spot you haven’t visited for a while or a hot new café or restaurant. Or it could checking out a new community in your city.

Recently, we headed to Manchester, an older light industrial area in Calgary’s inner-city dominated by gritty industrial shops and warehouses. But for those willing to see beyond the grit, there is a diversity of fun spots - from craft breweries to funky restaurants, from art galleries to vintage shops. In this blog we will visit an off-the-beaten path auction house, a leather warehouse, a Persian rug shop, a vintage clothing boutique, as well as lunch at an off-the-beaten-path butcher shop.

Note: Manchester UK was the world’s first industrial city, from towering mills to bustling warehouses. I wonder if that is how Manchester YYC got its name.

Where is Manchester?

It is east of Mcleod Trail and west of Blackfoot Trail, south of 25th Ave and north of 58th Ave. FYI: Almost 1,000 people live in Manchester.

First Stop: Artefact Auction

Artefact is not easy to find, we drove by twice and then when we did find it, it wasn’t clear where the front door is. But it was worth the effort, as we were warmly welcomed and invited to browse the preview of the hundreds of artworks and artefacts, to be sold at their upcoming online auction. The place is a rabbit warren of rooms each with a curated mix of art, furniture and artefacts. You can find everything from taxidermy to mid-century modern furniture, from Inuit art to modern art, from antiques to yes, artefacts.

Turns out this space has a long history of auctions as it was previously home to Frank Hall’s auctions. Frank still has an office upstairs where he still does appraisals. I have a history with Frank as he was the auctioneer and advisor for the Muttart Art Gallery auction fundraisers when I was its Executive Director back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

We found out they have a preview and online auction every month, so if you don’t find something you like this month, come back next month – or just browse online. We might just make this a monthly activity.

Address: 5240 - 1a St. SE / Website: www.artefactauction.com

The note on the door says entrance to the second floor, nothing about the entrance to Artefacts.

Next Stop: Buckskin Leather Company

Next door to Artefacts is what looked to be an empty building, but when I went over to take a photo of it, I noticed there was a side entrance with some cars, so we decided to explore. Inside is a huge leather showroom. Turns out Buckskin Leather is Canada’s largest leather wholesale house. The friendly staff happily shared with us their story. It all started with a warehouse in Edmonton in 1986, then a shop on Calgary’s 17th Avenue SW in 1987. Eventually, Calgary’s sales surpassed Edmonton so in 1996 they opened the warehouse in their current location. Today they have locations in Calgary, Edmonton and Nanaimo.

Buckskin carries hides from South America and Africa, in addition to North America. And while 90% of their business is with contractors (designers, ranchers, film and even groups who love to reenact Medieval history), it is open to the public.

Note: It has a good selection of leather crafting supplies. While we were there, a woman from Hanna, AB was shopping for materials to make various horse riding accessories.

If you look around, you will find lots of fun artefacts from saddles to a leather quilt, to leather in 50 different colours.

Lesson learned: Don’t judge a building by its façade!

Address: 5220 - 1a St. SE / website: www.buckskinleather.com/calgary-ab/

This is the front facade of the building.

Just some of the leather working materials

House of Couchie

While in the area, we thought we’d drop by Reclaim Vintage just a few blocks away as we love mid-century furniture. While Reclaim didn’t really have much furniture, next door is “House of Couchie,” a new boutique vintage clothing and accessories shop. For anyone into vintage clothing, this is a “must visit.”

Unlike the bohemian vintage clothing shops that are often jam-packed with musty clothing, this is an attractive, upscale, fashion boutique with curated displays of both women and men’s clothing and accessories - without boutique prices. We especially loved the old lockers with their hidden gems inside.

Turns out owners Emily and Alex, both work in the film industry and share a passion in vintage clothing and entrepreneurialism, so opening a retail shop after a few years of selling online and at vintage pop-up events made perfect sense. Emily has previous retail experience, owning a fine art gallery in the Beltline 20 years ago.

Note: There is a loft area where they make their own designer clothing using vintage pieces from their collection. They will also be offering classes soon.

Address: 5510 - 3rd St SE / Facebook: www.facebook.com/houseofcouchie/mentions/

Saramoon Rugs

But we were not done yet! In the loft area of Reclaim Vintage is “Saramoon,” a Persian rug shop. In this small space, Sara has 500+ rugs neatly folded or laid out on tables for easy viewing. She specializes in authentic unique handmade rugs from places like Sirjan, Najafabad, Bakhtiara and Nahavand. She focuses on vintage (25 to 70 years old) and antique rugs (over 70 years old) including prayer rugs, garden rugs and those with intricate geometric patterns. Persian rugs are known for their rich deep colours that last forever. Sara is very approachable and knowledgeable for anyone wanting to learn more about Persian rugs.

Address: 5510 - 3rd St SE / website: sarmoon.com

Don’t forget to head upstairs to check out the rugs.

Paolini’s

By now it was time for lunch and lo and behold, Paolini’s Sausage and Meats was just a few blocks south on 3rd Street SE with their famous lunch special – Soup and Bratwurst for $12. Yes, this is the same Paolini’s you can find at the Crossroads Market. This is no trendy sandwich shop you find along 17th Ave or in Inglewood that come and go. This is a butcher shop which opened in 1987 has a small cozy seating area with a very limited menu i.e. the special or four different meat subs. That’s it!

We shared the lunch special and a ham sub. The bratwurst with sauerkraut was tasty, the pea soup had lots of chunks of ham and vegetables, and the sub was delicious, with lots of ham, cheese, fresh tomato, lettuce and bacon. It hit the spot – and all in for $24.

Address: 5735 - 3rd St. SE / website: Polinis.ca

You can see the Lunch Special sign a block away.

The entrance is exactly what you’d expect for a butcher shop.

Other Fun Spots

There are many other fun spots in Manchester. A visit to Banded Peak, Bow River Brewing, Cabin Brewing Company, The Establishment and Prairie Dog Brewing would make for a fun day. The latter has a great BBQ menu for lunch or dinner. Or, you could do your own art walk (maybe cycle or drive) – Norberg Hall, Christine Klassen Gallery, Gibson Fine Art, Alberta Printmakers Society all call Manchester home. Coffee lovers will want to check out Bono Coffee Roasterie and/or Café 160C Coffee and Bakery (inside Unimarket). And if you are looking for an off-the-beaten-path fine dining spot, Alloy is the place.

Last Word

After lunch we couldn’t resist dropping into the 58th Ave SW thrift stores, WINS, Salvation Army and World of Thrift, all within a block of each other and on our way home. It was pretty much a perfect day for these “every day tourists.”

We're going to Manchester! Calgary that is!