While nothing has been finalized, Doug Guerard of Guerard’s Fine Furniture, along with other shareholders, plan to give 218 Martin St. a new look in the coming months.
The address is currently The Mule Night Club, at least until Sept. 4 when it will be permanently closing its doors to make way for a new business venture.
“We have not completed the agreement yet, but our intent is to finalize everything in early September and proceed (in turning it into) a craft brewery,” said Guerard.
The announcement of The Mule closing, which was made Aug. 12 via a Facebook and Instagram post, stirred up large amounts of discussion on social media.
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“It got out into social media pretty quickly, and we’re certainly confirming now that it is the intent. But there really isn’t anything more we can say until we finalize the deal,” said Guerard.
Guerard added that a large part of the shareholders’ plans are to renovate the building to better suit a brewery environment.
“It’s a night club right now, so it’s dark and closed in, and we’ve got great plans to change all that,” said Guerard. “(The brewery) will include food services and a whole new look to the building.”
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Jennifer Vincent, economic development specialist with the City of Penticton, noted that the shift to wineries and breweries from clubs and bars is not surprising.
“If you were to look at the growth of the microbrew and the artisanal beverage industry just across North America in general, it’s been a growing trend for sometime,” said Vincent. “As social spaces, those microbreweries and distillery locations have created a whole culture and subculture of their own.”
Guerard and his fellow shareholders also recognize this and believe it is the right time to join in on the movement, especially in this area. He noted that this venture could potentially bring new tourists to Penticton.
“(Breweries) have been a game changer in the industry, you take a look throughout the Okanagan and there’s no limit to the number of wineries in the valley. So the more breweries the better is our opinion,” said Guerard. “It’s an exciting adventure we’re on, and it’s going to look terrific and be a real asset to the downtown core.”
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