Rolly's Garage

By Caitlyn Holroyd

Rolly’s Garage needs your help!

Some haters have succeeded in shutting the creative venue down and now owner Robin Lacambra must deal with the bureaucracy of building codes if Rolly’s is to have a second chance. Despite the sudden bad news, Lacambra is confident and determined to reopen the doors as soon as possible, even if it comes with a price tag of $100,000.

“I was devastated/frustrated when I received the news at the end of September,” she said. “I was fully booked until the end of November, and all of the events were neighbour-friendly, i.e. not noisy at night—plays, art openings, all-ages daytime concerts.” read more...

Rolly's Garage Fo' Life, Papa!

By Caitlyn Holroyd

Don’t let the name fool you. Rolly’s Garage, once a successful auto shop, is no longer housing cars and grease monkeys. Instead, Rolly's own daughter, Robin Lacambra, has transformed it into a one-stop venue for everything artistic. Since dad handed her the keys in late 2008, Lacambra has been garnering lots of buzz through the garage’s parties, art exhibitions and film screenings, so we decided to get the lowdown on her innovative project.

How did you come up with the idea for the Garage?

I’ve been throwing art and culture events since high school and 2 years ago, I was growing really tired of unaffordable venues for starving artists. One day when I was at my dad’s garage, I looked around and saw the ‘coolness' that could emerge out of the space and how awesome any event would look and feel in the garage. I asked my dad how he felt about me using the space after his operational hours, and he was down. He gave me a key and then I slept on the idea and did nothing because of how hectic school got for me.

THEN, in the fateful summer of 2008, my dad tells me that he was going to sell the garage. I was devastated and did everything in my power to not have that happen. At first, my dad said that if I wanted it, I’d have to buy it at the same rate that it was being sold for. So me, having no money myself, lined up a few potential investors and grudgingly went to my dad with a business plan in hand, money that wasn’t mine, and an idea for a venue that would potentially be taken out of my control because of the people with money involved. Luckily, at that moment, my dad realised how serious and dedicated I was. I didn't want to see that property owned or managed by anyone outside of our family, especially since there are next to no Filipino owned business properties in the downtown core. Anyways, my dad said that as long as I could afford the overpriced rent, all the bills, and let him use the space every now and then, that I could run the garage. So I agreed to his conditions and said, “I’ll even keep the name. Rolly’s Garage fo life papa!” read more...

If you're not spending the weekend barbecuing burgers and swilling beer , then your city will reward you: with Outdoor Art, amazing eats, free concerts by the lake, and Underground Opera. Break free of your backyard and stumble across some of these fantastic happenings. read more...

Garbage Strike? LCBO strike? Can't stop, won't stop! We're not letting garbage mountains and faux-hibition get us down! It's Pride Weekend, and who needs the liquor store when your favourite bars have 4 am last call? Whether you're checking out a chill patio or living it up Pride style there's plenty of party action happening this weekend to distract you from the work action. The best thing about 4 am last call? You have time to squeeze in all the things you normally have to choose between. HOT TIMES! read more...