12 friends dreamed of owning a bar. So they bought one, in the middle of nowhere, on Vancouver Island | 24CA News

Tim Sangha and a few pals have been on a bike journey by means of northern Vancouver Island in July 2020 once they stumbled on a pub on a gravel highway within the distant hamlet of Holberg, about 540 kilometres northwest of Victoria.

It was Sunday and the place was closed, however the proprietor, Pat Gwynne, agreed to serve them beer and hen wings as they sat on the pub’s deck overlooking Holberg Inlet.

“About an hour into our [visit] there, she says: ‘You guys should buy this place,'” Sangha stated. “And we all looked at each other and said: ‘No, I don’t think so. Thanks, anyway.'”

But the expertise caught with Sangha and his pals — a lot in order that that they had a change of coronary heart.

By November that very same yr, the group grew to become proud homeowners of the Scarlet Ibis Pub.

Ten of the 12 co-owners are based mostly in Nanaimo, about 110 kilometres north of Victoria.

One is in Courtenay, about 220 kilometres north of the capital, and one other relies in western Ontario.

The group features a heavy responsibility mechanic, a heavy gear operator, a grasp electrician and a grasp carpenter.

So why did this disparate group need to purchase a pub in the course of nowhere? 

“Because we’re stupid,” joked Sangha.

“We all thought it would be a great idea to own a bar. I mean, every guy’s dream, at least in our circle of friends, is owning a bar,” he stated.

“We found 12 guys that all had the same dream — same dream, different skills.”

That array of expertise got here in helpful once they determined to renovate the pub, which had been in a state of disrepair. 

“It had been there for about 40-plus years and no real maintenance had been done to the place,” Sangha stated.

Co-owner Roy McNair, a retired business banker, says one of them is often at the pub round as soon as a month, to regulate the place and do what must be finished.

“Everybody every time they go up enjoys it,” he stated. “It’s beautiful country up there. Sometimes we have enough time to do a little hike.”

Supply chain challenges

Outside the Scarlet Ibis, an indication states it is essentially the most distant pub on Vancouver Island.

Sangha stated the Scarlet Ibis used to assert it was essentially the most distant pub within the province, however was notified of a pub on Haida Gwaii, about 1,200 kilometres northwest of Victoria, that was extra remoted. 

How precisely does he outline distant? 

“You have to really want to go there to get there,” he stated.

The Scarlet Ibis serves basic pub fare like burgers, pizzas and hen wings, and even has its personal craft beer.

Not surprisingly, provide chain administration could be a difficulty.

“That’s probably our biggest nemesis, getting products to the pub,” Sangha stated.

They work with a cross-docking facility in Port Hardy, about 50 kilometres east of Holberg, that delivers meals and alcohol to the pub alongside a gravel highway with no cellphone service. 

Staffing can also be a difficulty. Right now, they’ve one worker who cooks, serves and cleans. They’re trying to convey on somebody to assist out. 

Serving staff, travellers

The 2016 census had the inhabitants of the unincorporated group of Holberg at 35.

The clientele for the pub, which is open year-round, consists of staff from a Western Forest Products operation within the space, based on Sangha.

It additionally attracts travellers visiting close by Cape Scott Provincial Park, on the northwestern tip of the island. The homeowners have constructed journey huts close to the pub in an effort to attract in additional travellers with a love for the outside. 

“They’ve done the North Coast Trail system for three or four days,” Sangha stated.

“They’re just dying for a shower and some good food and and they come in and they’re just so appreciative of us being there. So that’s a great feeling.”