In 10 short years, the community of Fernwood, located east of downtown Victoria, has gone from a quiet family community to one of the city’s funkiest and desirable neighbourhoods.
Fernwood has become a stylishly creative urban hub, home to designer street fairs, renovated heritage homes next to modern builds, hip boutiques, design studios, busy eateries and some of Victoria’s most fascinating people.
What makes Fernwood super special is the people that find themselves here are very artsy people, very community-minded people, and there are a ton of characters around — like Terry, the bubble man. Terry is Fernwood. If Fernwood had a heart, it would be Terry. He is bizarre, but wonderful and kind. Every day he gets up and he goes and gets his espresso and he stands outside, rain or shine, and he blows bubbles for people. Not just children, but for people.
A lot of Fernwood’s cache comes down to how accepting everybody is of everybody else. Fernwood has its own culture that’s unique to Victoria, but it’s got a kind of laissez-faire, Gulf-Island vibe.