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, it香蕉视频直播檚 also located in Holberg, B.C., with a population of just 35, and is considered Vancouver Island香蕉视频直播檚 most remote pub and restaurant.
香蕉视频直播淭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,香蕉视频直播� 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.
香蕉视频直播淭hey香蕉视频直播檙e sitting around having a drink 香蕉视频直播� guys that enjoy a cocktail here and there and have always probably wanted to own a bar because they don香蕉视频直播檛 realize that a bar is actually work 香蕉视频直播� they sat around and said, 香蕉视频直播榃ouldn香蕉视频直播檛 it be cool if香蕉视频直播ο憬妒悠抵辈 and that started the conversation,香蕉视频直播� 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, who香蕉视频直播檇 operated the establishment for 40 years and was ready for a rest.
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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. It香蕉视频直播檚 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.
香蕉视频直播淕od bless her. She kept this thing going for 40-some years and by herself after her husband passed, she kept it rocking,香蕉视频直播� Friesen said. 香蕉视频直播淭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.香蕉视频直播�
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 香蕉视频直播渁dventure huts香蕉视频直播� 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.
香蕉视频直播淥ur partners not only have to have some cash, but they香蕉视频直播檝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,香蕉视频直播� Friesen said. 香蕉视频直播淲e married ourselves to each other and all of us have a special skill set. There香蕉视频直播檚 a guy who香蕉视频直播檚 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 香蕉视频直播� other guys knew how to run excavators.香蕉视频直播�
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.
香蕉视频直播淚t香蕉视频直播檚 kind of crazy. What would be the worst thing you could do during a worldwide pandemic? Buy a restaurant,香蕉视频直播� Friesen said. 香蕉视频直播淓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, that香蕉视频直播檚 what we香蕉视频直播檝e done.香蕉视频直播�
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 香蕉视频直播� a name that reflects the regular clientele who work and live in the area 香蕉视频直播� 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.
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