On Thursday, The Billiard Club announced it would be permanently closing its doors.
A social media post read the popular Edmonton spot would “not be reopening post-COVID. Thank you for the memories from 27 great years on Whyte Ave!”
Hundreds of people commented on the post, sharing fond memories of the longtime Whyte Avenue staple.
In December 2015, Aaron Hoyland went on a first date with Eileen Petryshyn at The Billiard Club.
“It’s a wonderful memory. We met up, shot some pool, ordered what we thought was a small sampling of food and ended up being a mountain of deep-fried everything,” he laughed.
Hoyland shared his first kiss with Petryshyn that night.
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“I thought she seemed like someone special and it turns out she really was…she is now my fiance and we are getting married on Sunday.”
A couple of weeks ago, Hoyland and Petryshyn had checked in with The Billiard Club to see if it had reopened. The couple had hoped to get a few wedding photos inside.
“Then on Thursday we saw it was closed permanently. We had gone back a few times for anniversaries and celebrations. It’s hard for it not to feel a little bittersweet, especially because we are getting married so soon,” he said.
Hoyland said it’s tough to see beloved Edmonton spots disappear.
“Whyte Ave has always been an iconic area in Edmonton. Part of that is the familiarity,” Hoyland. “As we start to see what we once thought were permanent fixtures disappearing, you sort of realize they weren’t as permanent as you once thought they were.”
A sign posted on the door said the lease has ended after being in default since February 6, 2020.
Global News has attempted to reach out to the owners for more information and will update the story if we receive a response.