The Whalesbone takeover of the Elmdale Tavern in Hintonburg has received flak from people who fear that the popular live music venue will lose the shows and charm.
Joshua Bishop, owner of the Centretown-based Whalesbone Oyster House and new owner of the Elmdale, says he plans to maintain the Elmdale name and nature of the space, including live music. But he will be making a few changes and acknowledges there won’t be as many shows scheduled in the future.
“We want to maintain the Elmdale brand while expanding the offering to a full service with a kitchen,” Bishop says. “It will be the Elmdale Oyster House and Tavern.”
The Elmdale Tavern, first opened in 1934, is one of Ottawa’s few live-music venues. Located in the working-class neighbourhood of Hintonburg, the tavern has been home to a slew of characters and generations of people longing for live music and entertainment.
Bishop adds that he has been looking to acquire the Elmdale property for nearly a decade.
“I have been after the Elmdale since 2003,” he says. “I like the vibe of Hintonburg, I lived there from 2003 to 2005 and it’s changed a lot since then, but it’s still a great vibe.”
“We anticipate more patronage and feel that we will win over some of the niche crowd once they realize what we’re up to,” he says.
Response to the purchase has not been overly positive. Some Elmdale patrons feel that the takeover will completely change the tavern. They took to social media to voice their concerns about the ramifications this will have on the venue, including fears that it will be torn down to make room for a condominium.
Bishop’s partner, Peter McCallum acknowledges the backlash. In an interview with the Ottawa Citizen, McCallum said that they were taken aback by the hostile reaction.
“I was crossing the street, wearing a Whalesbone T-shirt,” McCallum said. “And some guy yells at me from his car, ‘Thanks for ruining Hintonburg!’ ”
Bishop, who aired his views recently in an Ottawa Citizen article and a CBC radio interview, says the reaction is a bit premature.
“People do not like change and will jump to create rumors and speculation at first opportunity,” Bishop says. “I think with the newspaper interview and the radio spot, it has calmed the masses.”
Jack Lawson, a regular at the Elmdale Tavern, feels that the backlash is warranted but that ultimately, it won’t do much.
“I think that people have a right to be angry, and have a right to criticize,” Lawson says. “At the end of the day though, the new owners are going to do what they want with the property. Concerns should be voiced, loudly, but we won’t know for sure how things are going to turn out until the deal is sealed.”
Like some Elmdale patrons, Lawson is worried about the change. He says that it will depend on how the new owners handle the transition.
“I’d heard rumours that they were going to turn the Elmdale into more of a sit-down restaurant with a musical element,” Lawson says. “If it goes in that direction, I feel like they’ll definitely lose patronage. If the new owners keep the look and feel of the place, then I think it’s way more likely that performers and patrons will keep coming back.”
However, some regulars at the tavern believe that this change will not be so bad. Mark Valcour, a regular freelance live show recorder at Elmdale, says the takeover will be a positive thing.
“The folks running the Whalesbone will probably draw more people because they’ll be more mainstream,” Valcour says. “Whereas the current owners of the Elmdale were more catering to the alternative side of the entertainment industry in Ottawa.”
Valcour adds that he will be affected by the change. With the proposed plans for fewer live shows at the Elmdale once the transition is complete, he says that he will definitely be at the tavern a lot less.
“To me, it’s going to mean I’m not going to be there as much as I used to be,” Valcour says. “I think that’s the end of its era as a tavern because the Whalesbone people are probably going to change the whole character of the place.”