Over the past year and a half, a vibrant circular economy has formed in Vancouver, BC. There are now six regular meetup groups, from technical (Bitdevs), practical (Noderunners), to educational (BTCVAN), coffee and beers.

There are now over 80 places listed on BTCMap in the Fraser Valley, of which I'd say about 25 are the kind of places you could frequent everyday.

Five coffee shops, two breweries, three food trucks, two pubs, a sushi restaurant, a vietnamese noodle place, two kebap stands, a tattoo studio, a crepe stand, three convenience stores and even an El Salvadorian restaurant!

One important step we had to take to make this happen: Make some of the Bitcoin meetups Bitcoin-only. That means, you can only buy tickets and drinks with Bitcoin. No cash, no shitcoins, no card payments. If you don't have a wallet, there will be somebody to help you install one. If you don't have sats, you can typically buy them from somebody around you with cash or e-transfer.

We believe this approach can work anywhere, it just needs some community leaders to take the first step. And it can happen fast! Just 1.5 years ago, not a single place in Vancouver took sats.

(All zaps to this post go 100% to the Vancouver Bitdevs group to cover rental fees)