9 guys, 1 bar: The Good Will bets big on Portage Avenue

If Anthony Kowalczyk is right, Winnipeg is about to get a venue like it's never seen before – a place to gently coax the mass exodus of young people to Toronto and Vancouver to stay in the city for its ground-breaking music scene.

Kowalczyk is one of nine owners of The Good Will Social Club, a brand new venue opening Friday at 625 Portage Ave.

“I think what we’re trying to do is push the scene to where it should be in Winnipeg,” said Kowalczyk. “I think everybody has toyed with moving around or moving to another city or a bigger city to find something that makes them completely comfortable [but] Winnipeg has everything to offer … and I think what we’re setting this place up … to really project that.”

But the address has been unlucky for other venue owners – frequently changing hands in the past few years.

The last venture to occupy the space, a coffee shop and venue called Pop Soda's, lasted less than a year.

It was sparsely attended, and in August 2012, a car through the front window delivered the death blow to the business.

But these guys are doing it a little bit differently — and hoping to turn around the string of bad luck for owners at the spot.

Mid-century modern with pizza and beer

“I don’t want to say we’re the pioneers of cool or anything. Winnipeg has a lot of great culture. I just feel that a lot of the time there’s some people who don’t want to stray away from what they know,” said Kowalczyk, adding that’s exactly what The Good Will is doing.

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The massive space has been cut in three, with a coffee and lounge area furnished with 1950s mid-century modern digs, a venue with a built-up stage (something Pop Soda’s lacked) across from a bar stacked only with craft beer, and finally, a second location for the beloved local pizza shop, Lil Pizza Heaven.

The aesthetic is mainly the brainchild of general manager and co-owner Abi Torquato, who has found and sold mid-century modern pieces for the last 13 years – and prepared java at Corydon Avenue’s Bar Italia.

“[We have] just pretty rare pieces of furniture that we’ve stuck in here that you never really see that are acclaimed pieces,” he said. “No one really is doing that here.”

The massive renos have turned the place into a sleek venue with local and not-so-local buzz bands booked from now to the New Year.

“This band Finn [will be] doing this album release [here] … which is an honour,” said co-owner and talent booker David Schellenberg, listing off dozens of local bands he’s already booked for the venue.

John K Samson, Greg Macpherson and The Strumbellas are also already booked.

Schellenberg is a long time talent booker, working for Lo Pub, The Park Theatre and Union Sound Hall before landing at The Good Will.

But being part-owner of a venue is new for him – and many of the nine owners.

“I’m excited and terrified all at the same time,” said Schellenberg. “It allows me to … deal with a lot more local and put up-and-coming artists on the stage for local audiences, which is really nice.”

2 DJs, one sound guy and a coffee connoisseur

The Good Will is the second venue in a matter of years to be run by a large collective of young men from diverse backgrounds.

Union Sound Hall opened its doors in the Exchange District last year as a result of the successful efforts of several local DJs.

The Good Will’s crop of owners have a slightly different set up, though.

Noel Bernier, the guy behind the hospitality group that owns Corrientes, Hermanos, Prairie 360 and a few others, is a majority partner.

So is Jack Moslehi, who owns Opera nightclub, and Donavan Robinson, who owns Lil Pizza Heaven.

The remaining six partners come from a wide range of backgrounds.

Torquato is a former barista at Bar I with 13 years of experience buying and selling mid-century furniture, two others are well-known DJs (including Tim Hoover, otherwise known as DJ Co-Op and part owner of Union Sound Hall), one is Cam Leoppky, arguably the city’s most well-known audio engineer, plus Schellenberg and Kowalczyk (the latter has a background in marketing.)

“It started as, ‘Get in here and just open it for as little money as possible,’” said Kowalczyk, who added that quickly changed.

Bernier approached Robinson to manage the place who approached Torquato for advice, and it snowballed.

“[David] asked me, did I ever think I would own a bar? I said no,” Kowalczyk said. “I just found there was a void in the city once Lo Pub closed. I wanted to create something where I would feel 100 per cent comfortable going to.”

What's playing?

The venue will be open seven days a week, with coffee and snacks during the day and live music Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

There will also be more relaxed programming during the week – including karaoke and a lounge singer night.

The owners are even collaborating with the Winnipeg Folk Festival for regular programming from the province’s biggest fest.

The venue will hold 200 people at capacity, similar to the Windsor Hotel's music venue.

By comparison, the nearby West End Cultural Centre holds around 380.

“No one is really stepping on each other’s toes, which is really nice. We all know each other and really respect each other, and we all just want to see the city grow with putting great bands on stages,” said Schellenberg.

There are also a few DJ dance parties are planned, courtesy of part-owners DJ Co-Op and DJ Hunnicutt.

“It won’t be your typical club DJ, it’ll definitely be taking it back to all vinyl,” said Kowalczyk.

For all of these plans to be realized, the group of nine will have to do something others couldn’t – create a lasting venue at 625 Portage Ave.

“It’s hard to say whether something will have a long run or not in this city because there’s so much turnover,” said Kowalczyk, “But I think with all the thought that has gone into this and the cast of characters who have built it to what it is, I think we’re looking at something that’s here to stay.”

The Good Will Social Club opens Friday with “Viet Cong from Calgary – a really really cool buzz band – with two bands, Pop Crimes and Not Animals opening,” said Schellenberg.

The event is free, and the guys hope you’ll stop by.