'There's a little nerd in everybody': Fans of Vancouver geek bar buy up memorabilia

Fans of Vancouver’s beloved geek bar Storm Crow Alehouse are buying up thousands of dollars worth of memorabilia that’s currently decorating the walls.

At the start of the month, the owners announced they would be closing the doors of the Broadway restaurant for good. The location first opened in 2016.

Another location on Commercial Drive, which opened almost 10 years ago, closed back in April 2020.

General manager Taylor MacNeil said the latest closure was a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic, staffing shortages, supply shortages and the road work on Broadway.

“The waves of the shutdown have really taken a toll on us,” she said. “(But) at the end of the day, the Broadway construction was the final nail for us.”

Since the announcement, thousands of dollars worth of memorabilia has gone up for auction online, at prices ranging from $50 all the way up to $25,000. Some items have already been purchased; others are yet to close.

“People have come here for so many years and fallen in love with the pieces, why not let them have a piece of it?” MacNeil said, adding some of the items were purchased, while others were made by the staff.

Among the most expensive pieces are replicas of Han Solo frozen in carbonite, the Rancor and the Millenium Falcon from Star Wars, and a Beholder from Dungeons and Dragons.

MacNeil said her favourite piece is the photograph of Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings, signed by Elijah Wood. The actor would visit the bar on nights when they were broadcasting Games of Thrones episodes.

“Elijah Wood used to sit here while he was doing (the Netflix series) Dirk Gently,” MacNeil said. “That’s the best piece, honestly.”

Shane Johnston and his son Addison from Chilliwack are among those who have bought pieces in the auction.

“We’ve been living in Vancouver for the last six months because my son has leukemia and he just went through a bone marrow transplant and that’s why we were down here all the time,” Shane Johnston told CTV News. “We decided to come back in one last time before it closed.”

Addison Johnston said he wanted to buy a short sword because he loves stories about King Arthur.

“It was one of the first things I saw that was on the auction (and) I honestly couldn’t believe it when I got the email that I won it,” Addison said, adding the restaurant was a place he liked coming during his treatment.

“It does definitely help me feel a bit more normal in this situation,” he said.

MacNeil said the bar wasn’t just for the self-described “nerds.”

“It’s about everybody, because there’s a little nerd in everybody,” she said. “You could come in here and feel safe, and it was just a little something for everyone.”