VANCOUVER -- After 24 years on a historic street in the Vancouver's oldest neighbourhood, it’s last call for the Irish Heather in Gastown.
The pub, renowned for it’s Irish charm and award-winning whiskey collection, is not closing for good – but when it re-opens, it won’t be on Carrall Street, where it first opened in 1997.
Owner Seán Heather says the pandemic punch to the bottom line has made rent in the neighbourhood too expensive.
"At the end of the day, what drives us is the fact that we want to survive,” said Heather. “You know, I've got five kids coming up. I've got to make sure there's something there for one of them, if one of them wants it."
The bar has been in its current location for about 12 years, and before that it was right across the street in the spot now occupied by L’Aboittoir.
Back then, whiskey lovers knew they could go through a door in the courtyard off of Blood Alley to access a separate room stocked with some of the finest single malts in the world.
"It was such a good place, especially the little whiskey room in the back. Amazing,” said customer Aaron Ottho.
Heather said the new location, which he is still keeping under wraps until the lease is formally signed, will cost about $10,000 less per month in rent.
While it’s hard to say goodbye to nearly a quarter-century of memories, he promises the next chapter will honour the Irish Heather’s long legacy.
"A lot of pieces that speak to the old Irish Heather, prior to this location, will be featured heavily in the new place to try and bring back a lot of the nostalgia and remind people of what we've done in 24 years, what we've achieved,” Heather said.
The final rounds at the existing location will be served April 4.
The location and date of the grand re-opening remain a mystery for now, with Heather only saying the new digs will be farther east and in a building from the 1920s.
