Love of glam

Michael Venus: You have an amazing salon/boutique in one of the hottest up-and-coming cool areas, with lots of hot guys walking around-look at him, yum! So tell us all about it!

Anthony Crosfield: Well we moved to this area right after September 11th and a bus strike, so we had a meek beginning, not to mention the neighbourhood was not nearly as vibrant as it is now. Main Street now is so very exciting, especially with the skate shop around the corner. Gotta love boys on wheels! It’s been really fun for us, being part of a happening and growing neighbourhood-sort of slippin’ beneath the door before the whole world got in. By the way, we’re on Broadway. Broad way. We are off Main (snicker snicker).

MV: Alrighty, right right, so let’s talk about the concept and the motivation.

AC: The name itself signifies what I wanted it to be-Mine. I spent a long time deciding what to call it and decided to call it Mine because that’s what it was. I wanted the floral services and the hair salon and a sort of ambient shopping environment. From our beginnings (two-and-a-half years ago) we were starting to gel with our concepts and understanding where to spend our time with our services. We began realizing that it could be a place for multiple purchasing: people coming to get their hair, make-up, flowers and, say, even gift-wear for a wedding. We wanted all those facets at once. By doing all of that there, people remain consistent in their personal style, and that’s why we call it “the style source.”

MV: How and when did all this beautifying all start?

AC: It all started when I was a little girl, about five. I was sent to bed and braided my bedspread tassels and, well, ever since then, knitting, crocheting, macramé, weaving-anything textile. Two younger sisters, both victims of my creative torture. My mom got tired of my sisters looking like little hussies! Painted hussies. My idea of beauty was not necessarily what everybody else’s was, but that’s okay. To this day, it is still like that. My idea of beauty isn’t mainstream and that’s why I love my job: there is beauty everywhere and I get to find it.

MV: And conduct it! So another great and admirable thing is that your business partner is also your homosexual lover.

AC: Yes, indeed.

MV: How does that work? Do you ever get like stir-crazy being around each other all the time?

AC: More than anything, it’s the lack of time-off together. We work a lot together, but don’t get enough time in our personal lives. That’s what makes it a bit tricky. When we’re at work, I spend less time communicating with him than anybody else. He’s at the desk, I’m behind my chair. We rarely speak during the day. I get handed sticky notes all day long. We don’t take lunch at the same time, we don’t go to work at the same time-although we do usually walk home together. That is when we usually are decompressing from the day. The only reason why we can be so confident in what we’re doing is because of the trust we have for each other, which allows us to take risks. Sometimes your friend may think you’re crazy, but if you don’t push it you’ll never know.

MV: How long have you guys been together?

AC: We met in early ’97 at the Odyssey on a Sunday night drag show. It was November long weekend. He was with a hairdresser friend of mine, Trevor, and it was just kinda like babies in a crowd. It was like two big guys!

MV: You both really are giants.

AC: Well, we’re normal in our world (gigantic laughter).

MV: So, like being the city’s top-notch wig designer for the city’s premier drag queens-when did this all begin, you poofter?

AC: Probably since ’86, ’87? When I moved to Vancouver, Myria Le Noir had a twin brother Don-oops! I mean Ron-and he had dated a hairdresser from Castlegar where I’m from…

MV: Where?

AC: Exactly where? It about the same distance as Vancouver to the American border but 600 kilometers east. So it all came out that Ron’s brother Don was Myria and so I started doing her wigs and just sort of branched out from there.

MV: Well, you did one recently for my favourite drag queen in the world (who also happens to be my twin sister Cotton’s lesbian lover). You and her had a very exciting evening, so spill it Myrtle!

AC: Oh my God! Really? Do I have to (giggles)? I had so much fun! Los Angeles is spectacular. It’s very bright. Vancouver for sure has an edge on it, for sure somehow with style, but the sort of hype and glam that goes on is something you can’t fabricate here; it doesn’t happen. Everything was sparkly, you really understand why people get so excited. Going down with Joan-E, taking me down there as her stylist for the opening of the movie Connie and Carla, was a great reason to go to Hollywood. I still get a little giggly when I think of it, being in the back of the director’s limousine with the drag queen pulling up the back alley of Universal Studios. I was like: Where are we? Then we’re on the red carpet with Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood and E! All of these people were like, “Oh you look like. Oh, you are!” To do something that glamorous was great, that’s why I love all the drag queens. They epitomize glamour, over-the-top like Elizabeth Taylor or Cher.

MV: Fierce Mary! Runway, hello! Okay, so like, out of the blue, what is your favourite Depeche Mode song?

AC: Well, we got married to a Depeche Mode song called Home, so that’s my favourite song.

MV: Weird how I just pulled that question from nowhere. I guess my witchcraft powers are working. So tell me about the wedding.

AC: We got married on Halloween ’98. It was a black-and-white masquerade ball and we had 560 guests, Lee Aaron singing, open bar, Mick Shea spinning, some of the best bartenders like Lola pouring, Joan-E as our MC. It was a crazy night that cost twice as much as it did to open our store and we had it as a benefit for the McLaren Housing Society and received $4700 from the mandatory donations at the door. It was a great way to be able to do something to show people to live your dreams and reach high. Making a big splash and being in love made all that happen.

MV: So, like, who is the top and who gets something deep inside?

AC: It’s basically whoever did the dishes (laughs). No, we are most definitely ambidextrous.Michael Venus: You have an amazing salon/boutique in one of the hottest up-and-coming cool areas, with lots of hot guys walking around-look at him, yum! So tell us all about it!

Anthony Crosfield: Well we moved to this area right after September 11th and a bus strike, so we had a meek beginning, not to mention the neighbourhood was not nearly as vibrant as it is now. Main Street now is so very exciting, especially with the skate shop around the corner. Gotta love boys on wheels! It’s been really fun for us, being part of a happening and growing neighbourhood-sort of slippin’ beneath the door before the whole world got in. By the way, we’re on Broadway. Broad way. We are off Main (snicker snicker).

MV: Alrighty, right right, so let’s talk about the concept and the motivation.

AC: The name itself signifies what I wanted it to be-Mine. I spent a long time deciding what to call it and decided to call it Mine because that’s what it was. I wanted the floral services and the hair salon and a sort of ambient shopping environment. From our beginnings (two-and-a-half years ago) we were starting to gel with our concepts and understanding where to spend our time with our services. We began realizing that it could be a place for multiple purchasing: people coming to get their hair, make-up, flowers and, say, even gift-wear for a wedding. We wanted all those facets at once. By doing all of that there, people remain consistent in their personal style, and that’s why we call it “the style source.”

MV: How and when did all this beautifying all start?

AC: It all started when I was a little girl, about five. I was sent to bed and braided my bedspread tassels and, well, ever since then, knitting, crocheting, macramé, weaving-anything textile. Two younger sisters, both victims of my creative torture. My mom got tired of my sisters looking like little hussies! Painted hussies. My idea of beauty was not necessarily what everybody else’s was, but that’s okay. To this day, it is still like that. My idea of beauty isn’t mainstream and that’s why I love my job: there is beauty everywhere and I get to find it.

MV: And conduct it! So another great and admirable thing is that your business partner is also your homosexual lover.

AC: Yes, indeed.

MV: How does that work? Do you ever get like stir-crazy being around each other all the time?

AC: More than anything, it’s the lack of time-off together. We work a lot together, but don’t get enough time in our personal lives. That’s what makes it a bit tricky. When we’re at work, I spend less time communicating with him than anybody else. He’s at the desk, I’m behind my chair. We rarely speak during the day. I get handed sticky notes all day long. We don’t take lunch at the same time, we don’t go to work at the same time-although we do usually walk home together. That is when we usually are decompressing from the day. The only reason why we can be so confident in what we’re doing is because of the trust we have for each other, which allows us to take risks. Sometimes your friend may think you’re crazy, but if you don’t push it you’ll never know.

MV: How long have you guys been together?

AC: We met in early ’97 at the Odyssey on a Sunday night drag show. It was November long weekend. He was with a hairdresser friend of mine, Trevor, and it was just kinda like babies in a crowd. It was like two big guys!

MV: You both really are giants.

AC: Well, we’re normal in our world (gigantic laughter).

MV: So, like being the city’s top-notch wig designer for the city’s premier drag queens-when did this all begin, you poofter?

AC: Probably since ’86, ’87? When I moved to Vancouver, Myria Le Noir had a twin brother Don-oops! I mean Ron-and he had dated a hairdresser from Castlegar where I’m from…

MV: Where?

AC: Exactly where? It about the same distance as Vancouver to the American border but 600 kilometers east. So it all came out that Ron’s brother Don was Myria and so I started doing her wigs and just sort of branched out from there.

MV: Well, you did one recently for my favourite drag queen in the world (who also happens to be my twin sister Cotton’s lesbian lover). You and her had a very exciting evening, so spill it Myrtle!

AC: Oh my God! Really? Do I have to (giggles)? I had so much fun! Los Angeles is spectacular. It’s very bright. Vancouver for sure has an edge on it, for sure somehow with style, but the sort of hype and glam that goes on is something you can’t fabricate here; it doesn’t happen. Everything was sparkly, you really understand why people get so excited. Going down with Joan-E, taking me down there as her stylist for the opening of the movie Connie and Carla, was a great reason to go to Hollywood. I still get a little giggly when I think of it, being in the back of the director’s limousine with the drag queen pulling up the back alley of Universal Studios. I was like: Where are we? Then we’re on the red carpet with Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood and E! All of these people were like, “Oh you look like. Oh, you are!” To do something that glamorous was great, that’s why I love all the drag queens. They epitomize glamour, over-the-top like Elizabeth Taylor or Cher.

MV: Fierce Mary! Runway, hello! Okay, so like, out of the blue, what is your favourite Depeche Mode song?

AC: Well, we got married to a Depeche Mode song called Home, so that’s my favourite song.

MV: Weird how I just pulled that question from nowhere. I guess my witchcraft powers are working. So tell me about the wedding.

AC: We got married on Halloween ’98. It was a black-and-white masquerade ball and we had 560 guests, Lee Aaron singing, open bar, Mick Shea spinning, some of the best bartenders like Lola pouring, Joan-E as our MC. It was a crazy night that cost twice as much as it did to open our store and we had it as a benefit for the McLaren Housing Society and received $4700 from the mandatory donations at the door. It was a great way to be able to do something to show people to live your dreams and reach high. Making a big splash and being in love made all that happen.

MV: So, like, who is the top and who gets something deep inside?

AC: It’s basically whoever did the dishes (laughs). No, we are most definitely ambidextrous.