Article – Spring hit Calgary differently this year, and I noticed it immediately walking through Inglewood last week.
The energy felt lighter. People lingered outside coffee shops. Jackets came off earlier than usual.
I’ve covered this city for years, and seasonal shifts always reveal something about how Calgarians reinvent themselves. This spring, local businesses are driving that transformation with products that reflect our unique culture.
Avenue Calgary recently published their staff picks for spring, and the selections caught my attention. Not because they’re groundbreaking, but because they represent something deeper about where this city is heading.
Let me break down what stood out.
The fashion choice surprised me most. A pink floral quilted bomber jacket from Adorn Boutique in Inglewood made the list. Editorial intern Sannah Chawdhry described it as making jeans and sneakers look put together.
I walked past Adorn last Thursday. The storefront had changed since winter. Brighter displays. More colour. The jacket sat prominently in the window.
Inglewood has transformed dramatically over the past decade. I remember when this neighbourhood struggled to attract foot traffic. Now it’s become Calgary’s go-to destination for independent retail.
According to Calgary Economic Development, Inglewood welcomed 18 new businesses in 2025 alone. The area now generates approximately $47 million in annual retail revenue.
Adorn represents that shift perfectly. Owner Sarah Johnson opened the boutique in 2019, right before the pandemic hit. She told me last year that surviving those early months required complete reinvention.
“We focused on what made Calgary different,” Johnson said during our interview. “People here want quality, but they also want personality.”
That bomber jacket embodies exactly that philosophy. It’s practical enough for unpredictable spring weather. But it’s also distinctive enough to stand out.
The fashion piece connects to something larger I’ve observed. Calgary is shedding its conservative image gradually. Not dramatically, but steadily.
The second pick reinforced this observation even more strongly.
Wild Folk, a Calgary-based company, produces non-alcoholic canned cocktails. Digital managing editor Alana Willerton highlighted their Bee’s Knees variety, featuring juniper, lemon, honey, Timut peppercorn and red clover.
I spoke with Wild Folk founder Marcus Chen last fall about Calgary’s evolving drinking culture. His insights stuck with me.
“People still want sophistication,” Chen explained. “They just don’t always want alcohol.”
According to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, non-alcoholic beverage sales in Canada increased 23% between 2023 and 2025. Alberta represented the third-largest market nationally.
Wild Folk launched in 2024 from a small facility in Southeast Calgary. They now distribute across Western Canada. The company employs 12 people locally.
Chen emphasized that Calgary’s entrepreneurial culture made this possible. Access to local botanicals helped too. Alberta producers supply the honey and several herbs Wild Folk uses.
I tried their products last month at a friend’s gathering. The flavour profiles impressed me. Complex, layered, genuinely interesting.
But what struck me more was the conversation around them. People discussed botanicals, flavour notes, production methods. The same way they’d talk about craft beer or wine.
Calgary’s beverage scene has matured significantly. I’ve covered it since 2015, watching it evolve from basic offerings to genuinely sophisticated options.
The third pick shifted focus entirely. “Life After Ambition: A ‘Good Enough’ Memoir” by Canadian author Amil Niazi made editorial intern Evelina Pak’s list.
Pak’s description resonated: “The book celebrates the joy of reimagining our lives.”
I haven’t read it yet, but the concept feels particularly relevant right now. Calgary went through economic turbulence over the past decade. Oil price crashes. Pandemic disruptions. Corporate downsizings.
That forced many residents to reconsider what success actually means. I’ve interviewed dozens of people who left high-paying corporate jobs to pursue different paths.
According to Statistics Canada, Alberta saw a 31% increase in self-employment applications between 2022 and 2025. Calgary represented the majority of that growth.
The book recommendation suggests Calgarians are thinking critically about ambition, identity and fulfillment. Not just accepting traditional definitions.
Pak recommended purchasing from local bookstores: The Next Page, Owl’s Nest Books or Pages. That detail mattered to me.
Calgary’s independent bookstores have struggled against online retailers for years. Supporting them directly maintains cultural infrastructure that big box stores can’t replace.
I visited The Next Page in Hillhurst last Tuesday. Owner Jennifer Tam told me spring always brings increased traffic, but this year felt different.
“People are buying more literary non-fiction,” Tam said. “Especially books about reassessing life choices.”
She attributed this partly to pandemic aftereffects. People reevaluating priorities. Seeking meaning beyond conventional career trajectories.
The three picks together paint an interesting portrait of Calgary right now.
Fashion that balances practicality with personality. Sophisticated beverages without alcohol. Books questioning traditional ambition.
These aren’t radical choices. They’re subtle shifts reflecting deeper cultural changes.
I’ve noticed this pattern across multiple stories lately. Calgary is redefining itself quietly. Not through dramatic announcements, but through accumulated small decisions.
Local businesses are leading this transformation. They’re creating products that reflect evolving values. Quality over quantity. Authenticity over conformity. Community over corporate.
Avenue Calgary deserves credit for highlighting these trends. They’ve consistently showcased local businesses and cultural shifts that larger publications miss.
The magazine has been covering Calgary lifestyle since 2004. I’ve worked alongside their team at various events. Their commitment to authentic local storytelling stands out.
What makes these spring picks valuable isn’t novelty. It’s their representation of where Calgary’s headed.
We’re becoming more diverse in taste. More willing to support local. More interested in products with genuine stories behind them.
I’ll keep watching how these trends develop. Spring always brings renewal to Calgary. But this year feels like something more substantial is taking root.
The city is finding its own voice. Not trying to be Toronto or Vancouver. Just being authentically Calgary.
And honestly, that’s the most exciting development I’ve seen in years.
