The Sun shall rise: Here's a sneak peek inside the new Prairie Sun Brewery on Broadway
Heather Williams said historic avenue was always the first choice for her business
Heather Williams always wanted to open her brewery in Saskatoon's Broadway neighbourhood. Now she's about to make good on her goal.
Williams, the co-owner of Prairie Sun Brewery, says her business' new home on the northwest corner of 11th Street E and Broadway Avenue is headed for a fall opening.
It's been six years since the brewery opened its original location in the city's northern industrial area — which was not her first choice.
"I always had my sights set on Broadway," Williams said Tuesday while giving an early tour of the new site.
"My favourite memories are here, especially Lydia's Pub. I remember thinking, 'That'd be the coolest spot to have a brewery.'"
Lydia's Pub came to occupy the century-old Farnam Block building that originally graced the corner of 11th and Broadway — until the whole site was torn down several years ago.
"That was a really historic corner on Broadway," said Peggy Sarjeant, the president of the Saskatoon Heritage Society. "We do appreciate the effort that's been done to incorporate the [new] building into the streetscape," she said of Prairie Sun Brewery's new home. "It's used some of the facade materials that are very common down Broadway."
Inside the new Prairie Sun, bricks retained from Lydia's will adorn a second-floor bar, while time-stamped timbers from the demolished Farnam Block building are already hanging above the future dining booth area on the ground-floor restaurant facing 11th Street.
It's not unlike the Hose and Hydrant Brew Pub just down 11th Street E, where building owner Ken Achs incorporated relics from Saskatoon's historic Capitol movie theatre.
"I personally had a chance to salvage a few buildings that I was keen on and I had the interest, the capital and the ability to make them cool restored buildings," Achs said.
Something old, something new
For Williams, working historic elements into the building was partly about gaining street cred.
"At first, yeah, I had so many fears of 'Is Broadway going to accept us?' Because we're going in the spot [where] it was torn down," said Williams.
"People needed to know that, OK, that's been done, [a] new person just has a lease here and they're going to do the best that they can to bring that community vibe. So that's all I can do. I'm going to do my best."
Besides a pet-friendly side room where customers can bring their cats and dogs while they enjoy a pint, the new Prairie Sun will also feature a small museum space devoted to local history.
"Everything from the agriculture of Saskatchewan to the development of Nutana and then how alcohol is associated with all of that," Williams said.
Right, the beer...
The new building is essentially the same size as the old Prairie Sun: about 8,500 square feet. But it's more smartly designed, Williams said, with more room for brewing equipment, which means the company can triple the amount of beer it produces annually.
The ground-floor tap room, with its view of Broadway pedestrians, will double its seating capacity and feature a 48-tap tower, even offering beers from other Saskatchewan brewers.
Williams and co-owner Cameron Ewen will more than double their staff to 45.
But the opening process hasn't been entirely smooth, Williams said. One supplier of about $300,000 worth of equipment went bankrupt last fall and left Williams in the lurch.
"If there was any time to pull out, that would have been the time that we could have been like, 'OK, we're not actually going to do this.' But we decided, no, we're gonna get another loan and take out more money.'"
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Prairie Sun Brewery planning move to Broadway's Farnham Block
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Farnam Block makes National Trust for Canada's heritage losses list
She'll soon find out if the gamble paid off; Williams said the brewery is planning to open on Oct. 5.
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