While it may seem an odd pairing that the owner of a successful tattoo shop decides to take the plunge and open a restaurant that serves roasted cauliflower, Vancouver’s Lady Bond sees it as a return to her roots.
That doesn’t mean that Bond, owner of Lady Bond’s Temple of Tattoo in Vancouver, doesn’t still laugh a little about this peculiar combination.
“I’m having a lot of fun with it,” Bond said recently.
Bond, who just celebrated her fourth anniversary at Temple of Tattoo, is not only close to opening a second tattoo location, but she’s already gotten her new restaurant, Sproos, off and running in Woodland since its opening on June 17.
So how exactly did Bond, who has been in the tattoo business for a decade, come to the decision to open a restaurant – and why in Woodland?
“The first part of my working career, I spent 15, 16 years in food industry,” Bond said. “Then I made the transition to tattoos.”
A conversation with Bond’s mother-in-law, Michann Bond, who lives on the Lewis River near Woodland, essentially got the ball rolling. Lady Bond decided to open a tattoo shop in Woodland – The Bond Tattoo Society, opening soon – but decided a restaurant was a good fit as well.
“I looked at the area, the demographics, who was already living in Woodland … and who was moving to Woodland,” Bond said. “When I’m building the tattoo shop, I would see people walking with their kids, with strollers. I just had a feeling they need that place.
“I started thinking, ‘if I lived here, where would I go?’ So we decided to build something that will pull people into the area.”
Introducing Sproos (pronounced Spruce), which is not your run-of-the-mill brewpub. There’s a turkey and sundried tomato Panini sandwich on the menu, in addition to that roaster cauliflower, as well as 31 taps for craft beer and cider.
Sproos doesn’t have a deep fryer or even a formal kitchen. They don’t do burgers and pizza, but offer more of a tapas-style menu. They also change the menu every eight weeks.
“Just to keep it fresh and funky, just like the beers,” Bond said with a laugh.
And about that name – Sproos?
“It (Woodland) was a logging town,” explained Bond. “There’s still a lot of that culture here. I started looking at the trees, lakes and wanted a name to tie it to the community. I like things that mean multiple things, and she (Michann Bond) loves trees, especially spruce trees.
“I looked up the definition and it also means to tidy up a room and look nice.”
The space itself is as unique as the menu. The bar has been constructed with wood re-purposed from a local barn. The organic feel of the wood is balanced by the heavy and fluid feel of iron. Bond said that the space was once a saw shop, 25-30 years ago.
“We’re so different from what’s in the area,” Bond said of Sproos. “We’ve been very well-received. I’m very thankful.”
Sproos is located at 236 Davidson Ave., Suite B, in Woodland.
Sproos
236 Davidson Ave. #B Woodland Established 2016 www.sprooswoodland.com
