It looks like Vancouver’s historic Cambie Bar won’t be closing down after all.
Management announced in June that the 120-year-old pub would be closing on Nov. 30, while property records indicated that the building had been sold in May for $15 million.
But in a media release Wednesday, management said the closure had been averted.
“The property that has housed The Cambie since 1897 was sold in May 2019 as part of a divorce proceeding, and it was announced in June 2019 that the owners had to make the very difficult decision to close the business along with it,” said the statement.
Since then, the company said there has been an outpouring of public support and that the Cambie Malones Group, which operates it, had managed to hammer out an agreement with the new property owners to “to continue operating at its current location for the foreseeable future.”
“We really didn’t think it would be possible to keep the business alive after the property was sold,” said Cambie Malones Group owner Sally Negus in a statement.
“We are so happy to announce that we did it! It was never my choice or wish to close The Cambie, so we did everything we could to keep it going.”
Known for its cheap pints and young, backpacker crowd, the Cambie and the attached hostel has served as a popular watering hole and rite of passage for generations of Vancouverites.
Back in 2001, the establishment earned the dubious honour of being ranked the #1 place to “get wasted on the cheap” by Vice Magazine.
Billed on its website as “Vancouver’s oldest bar,” the building at 300-320 Cambie Street was designed and built in 1899 by Vancouver architects Parr and Fee, according to the Vancouver Heritage Foundation.
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