E-Vona.com

Campoverde: Where Successful Vancouverites Meet and Find Romance

From e-vona.com
My phone rang one night, and from the other end of the line, I heard a voice shrieking got it! I got the job!" I recognised the falsetto voice immediately. It was Veronica, a cousin from London and aspiring would-be lawyer at the time. "Make room, honey," she exclaimed, "because I'm coming to Vancouver!"

A month later, Veronica arrived in Vancouver as a law intern. As a law student, she was a success -her intelligence and class never failed to bowl over her colleagues. Outside of her Vancouver office, however, was a different story: she spent weeks buried in her room, flipping through old movie reruns. Now, it might be worthwhile to point out that Veronica is the epitome of professionalism: sharp, to the point, assertive and to top it off, a stunning blond; she commanded attention everywhere she went. Unfortunately, her choices for going out and meeting like-minded people shrank to a minimum the minute she came to Vancouver. She was appalled when, after two weeks of working, nobody -male or female, asked her out for after-work drinks. "In London," she exclaimed to me one day, "we always invite the newcomer for happy hour drinks -it's only natural."

But what other urbanites consider 'natural' ways of socialising -such as after-work drinks, just doesn't fit in with the Vancouver social scene. That is because, quite frankly, Vancouver's social scene is fit more for sporting and outdoor activities like hiking, swimming, skiing, football and hockey matches, rather than dinner parties and night clubs. Utter the phrase "wine and cheese party" or "art gallery opening" and it's unlikely that you will get a very enthusiastic response. Utter the words "golf course" or "auto show" and watch as a Vancouverites' eyes light up.

Now, poor Veronica, being a wine and cheese type of girl, rather than a beer drinking sports enthusiast, came home every evening, grumbling about a lack of places to go to and meet people. I suggested a café, lounge or bar, where the majority of young urbanites congregate. "But then what do I do, just go up and talk to someone?" I was stumped and she was right: unless you are a super socialite or already have an established circle of friends, meeting new people in Vancouver is a challenge. After all my praising of this beautiful city, I didn't realise that making friends or even dating, involved so much effort and god forbid, such huge risk of rejection.

As luck would have it, a few weeks after Veronica left (on a less-than-positive note on Vancouver's social culture) I heard about Campoverde, the type of wine and cheese lounge Veronica was looking for. "It's a social club", a friend explained. Social club, I thought, isn't that where expensive ladies with poodles on their laps gossip with one another?

"It was different -there was no attitude at the door, no guys gawking at you -just a place where you I could meet for a drink after work." Okay, so far no mention of poodles. Rather, this is a social club, where young professionals and urbanites, can hope to see a friendly face after a series of hostile encounters in Vancouver's social scene. You can drop in just for a drink or become a member for $750, plus $35 dollars a month, which invites you to weekly outings, to ski trails, galleries, seminars, dinner parties and a chance to meet eligible women and men.

Still uncertain as to what a 'social club' meant, I headed to Campoverde myself to find out. I spotted Rachel Greenfeld, co-owner of the club laughing and gesturing to her own clients. The hushed tones they spoke in amongst one another suggested intimacy and for a minute, I hesitated to approach Greenfeld in the middle of what seemed an exclusive conversation between her and a couple of her mutual friends. Any worries I might have had melted away however, the minute Greenfeld beamed at me and made generous sweeps around the velvet-adorned hideaway, offering me a seat in any of Campoverde's ornately decorated rooms.

Creating a welcoming environment for all clients wasn't just an afterthought like for some lounge owners. For Greenfeld and childhood friend McFarland, co-creators of Campoverde, it's what made their place distinct from the Vancouver bar scene. "A nightclub doesn't encourage conversation, you have to shout over the music, so any contact you might have is all looks based. You go from one bar to another without really getting to know anyone." I suggested too that, at many nightclubs, many Vancouverites become defensive -especially women, when they are approached, and Greenfeld jumps in to say that at Campoverde, that just doesn't happen. "Here, it's expected that people go up to one another and introduce themselves, so people -both men and women don't withdraw or feel threatened when a stranger approaches them." Just like a world-class hostess, Greenfeld will make sure everyone in the room is introduced to each other, minimizing any initial awkwardness anyone might feel.

Eyeing the burlesque pictures on the walls and the dim-lit setting, I ask whether it's realistic for clients to expect to find romance at Campoverde. Absolutely, answers Greenfeld. In fact, she boasts, twelve marriages - including a match between an accountant and a plumbing inspector, were realised at Campoverde. One of the most incredible things Greenfeld has witnessed since opening the social club is seeing people, who haven't dated for over ten years, and are now dating regularly as a result of joining Campoverde. Since opening in December of 2002, the social club has grown to over 400 members.

First arriving from overseas, where "(in London) when it's your birthday it's your responsibility to host a dinner party" Greenfeld was appalled that Vancouverites had no structured way of socializing -let alone ceremonial dinner parties. People go hiking and swimming after work, she explains, but that's only with one or two people. At Campoverde, she claims, you can meet up to fifty unattached people a night. "Our culture has already taken away all structured ways of meeting people from ballroom dancing to church picnics, Campoverde is just a structured place for people to meet each other naturally." Greenfeld insists that the members consider Campoverde as 'their place', where they meet new people, but at the same time continue conversations with people from previous evenings.

The kind of crowd you might find at Campoverde? "Very entrepreneurial, outgoing, individuals in their thirties, forties, fifties and all quite successful." What about people in their twenties, I ask, thinking of Veronica. "We have had a younger crowd, and still do, but the majority of Campo members are more mature."

As I discovered, wine, martinis and tapas weren't the only thing being served up in the little, Burlesque-type hideaway. Campoverde works overtime as a social club, a networking paradise and a romantic meeting place. The vivacious Greenfeld hopes that Campoverde will represent the "new, international way of socialising -a way that's safe and fun and for all ages." Veronica, if only you were listening now.