Buying a pub and restaurant in the midst of a pandemic might be considered a questionable business decision, but a partnership of 12 men has worked to breathe fresh life into the Scarlet Ibis Pub and Restaurant.
Not only was the business purchased at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, itB次元官网网址檚 also located in Holberg, B.C., with a population of just 35, and is considered Vancouver IslandB次元官网网址檚 most remote pub and restaurant.
B次元官网网址淭here was eight of us from Nanaimo on a motorbike ride up there. We were on our way to Cape Scott, off-road and stuff, and we just found it and we had no idea it was for sale,B次元官网网址� said Roy McNair, one of the new partners.
The idea to actually buy the business was given a bit more serious thought after the group came back to Nanaimo.
B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e sitting around having a drink B次元官网网址� guys that enjoy a cocktail here and there and have always probably wanted to own a bar because they donB次元官网网址檛 realize that a bar is actually work B次元官网网址� they sat around and said, B次元官网网址榃ouldnB次元官网网址檛 it be cool ifB次元官网网址次元官网网址� and that started the conversation,B次元官网网址� said Al Friesen, another partner. Friesen lives in Ontario and handles the marketing for the business.
They went back the following weekend to work out a deal with former owner Patricia Gwynne, whoB次元官网网址檇 operated the establishment for 40 years and was ready for a rest.
READ ALSO:
The Scarlet Ibis, named for a brilliantly coloured red bird that inhabits tropical South America and part of the Caribbean, opened in Holberg in 1973. ItB次元官网网址檚 located at the head of Holberg inlet, about 49 kilometres of gravel road from Port Hardy and about 35km from the northwest tip of the Island.
The partners and Gwynne agreed on a price and the ownership transfer happened in November 2020.
B次元官网网址淕od bless her. She kept this thing going for 40-some years and by herself after her husband passed, she kept it rocking,B次元官网网址� Friesen said. B次元官网网址淭he 12 of us, together, still find it a challenge to do all the things that need to be done, so how one person could do it? Not possible.B次元官网网址�
The place required some fixing up. The kitchen wiring and plumbing needed replacement or repair. The level of the parking lot was raised and boulders placed to shore up the property against winter storm erosion, a backup power generator was installed and small B次元官网网址渁dventure hutsB次元官网网址� and showers were built for hikers and other tourists looking to spend a night not in the wilderness. The business now has a website too.
B次元官网网址淥ur partners not only have to have some cash, but theyB次元官网网址檝e got to have a will to want to do something like this and they also have to have a skill set that enables us to accomplish all the things that need to be done,B次元官网网址� Friesen said. B次元官网网址淲e married ourselves to each other and all of us have a special skill set. ThereB次元官网网址檚 a guy whoB次元官网网址檚 a master electrician and a plumber who can do gas fittings and a guy who owns a woodlot, so he could provide a lot of the wood B次元官网网址� other guys knew how to run excavators.B次元官网网址�
Renovating the property was a huge investment in time, supplies and money, Friesen said, but the business enjoys regular patronage from loggers who work in the area and the adventure motorcyclists and hikers on pilgrimages to Cape Scott Provincial Park.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 kind of crazy. What would be the worst thing you could do during a worldwide pandemic? Buy a restaurant,B次元官网网址� Friesen said. B次元官网网址淓verybody else was suffering and having a tough time, but we saw the long-term value in getting this place back to what its old glory had been and, so, thatB次元官网网址檚 what weB次元官网网址檝e done.B次元官网网址�
Staffing can be an issue, but Friesen said the business has a full-time on-site manager and chef and the partners spend as much time as possible there, especially during the summer tourist season.
The Scarlet Ibis has a signature beer too. Red Bird Logger B次元官网网址� a name that reflects the regular clientele who work and live in the area B次元官网网址� is brewed at Longwood Brewery in Nanaimo and is only available at the Holberg pub.
A second Scarlet Ibis beer, North Coast Trail Ale, also brewed by Longwood Brewery, is sold at the brewery, various private liquor stores in Nanaimo and in private and government liquor stores elsewhere in the central and north Island. Twenty-five cents from the sale of every can of the beer is donated to maintaining the North Coast Trail.
READ ALSO:
photos@nanaimobulletin.com
Like us on and follow us on
