Entrepreneur bets Thunder Bay is ready for a bar that doesn't serve alcohol
Howl at the Moon Dry Saloon and Late Night Coffee Bar is anticipated to open March 31
Finding a sober hangout spot in Thunder Bay has its challenges.
The northwestern Ontario city has places like coffee shops and restaurants for people to go, but they're often closed by the evening, and that doesn't beat a space dedicated to people in recovery and those on their journey to recovery.
But Jody Loos is betting that enough people are looking for that kind of place, and is working to open the Howl and the Moon Dry Saloon and Lake Night Coffee Bar in the Port Arthur neighbourhood.
It will have all the fixings of a regular bar with dancing, music, a place for people to socialize and mingle – but no alcohol will be served at the establishment.
Loos worked in the bar and nightclub industry for over 25 years, and has worked at many bars across the city. Early on in his career he took part in a party lifestyle working in that setting. He's also known for a long time that he eventually wanted to open up his own bar.
But eventually, things started to change for him when he took on a full-time bartending job in the city's Victoriaville neighbourhood.
"I really started to see alcohol in a different light. And I started to see, like, I made friends down there. A lot of them have… I've lost a lot of friends down there to addictions," said Loos.
"No judgment because I love them so much, but losing people and seeing the effects of the alcohol on them have broken families, just broken relationships, people hurting and in so much pain. Like it's just… it's just hard."
Loos is making his bet on this business at a time when many Canadians are re-thinking their relationship to alcohol. Recently, the Canadian Centre for Substance Use and Addiction updated its report on safe drinking guidelines and says no amount of alcohol is safe and that consuming any more than two drinks a week is risky.
It's a drastic shift from previous guidance, which recommended no more than 15 drinks for men and 10 drinks for women per week to reduce long-term health risks.
Loos said during his time as a bartender, he eventually became sober and customers would find out and they would come to him during a low time in their life to talk to him because he would listen and he was trusted.
"We built that relationship and that friendship, and then I was able to do some harm reduction work from the trenches, you know, working in downtown Fort William. And when people would approach me, I was able to direct them to resources that they might not otherwise have access to," said Loos.
As time went on, Loos would notice a lot of people on the healing journey who would get sober and end up back in the bar and relapse. To him, one reason for this is because of a lack of safe sober spaces, so people would get bored and go back to the bar.
"So I started to think, 'I really need a place for people to go where they can enjoy the social aspects of a bar.' You know, like I said, the conversations, the mingling, the networking, singing, karaoke, everything fun that happens at a bar, but where there aren't drugs and alcohol," said Loos.
That's where Howl at the Moon Dry Saloon and Late Night Coffee Bar comes in. Loos says he had been looking for a location for a while and came close a couple of times but it didn't work out for whatever reason.
Loos says because they'll be selling pop and coffee, they needed a place where rent could still be paid and they could stay afloat. He was eventually led to a space on Cumberland St. S, in the heart of downtown Port Arthur, where he met his now landlord who helped him out.
"He was just all on board with this project. Immediately we clicked, instantly. He's giving me an unbelievable deal on rent. Like it's unreal…this is all just coming together," said Loos.
"It's just absolutely perfect. And the space itself, I mean it's so conducive to what I want to do. I couldn't ask for a better location."
Loos said now it's all coming together, and he's become relatively busy getting ready to prepare for the grand opening on March 31, doing some small renovations, cosmetic changes, and getting the licensing he needs to get it running.
He said the community support has been unreal, and that his inbox has been "flooded with people" offering to help him anyway they can and thanking him for bringing this venture to Thunder Bay.
"It's just incredible. I've cried a bunch of times already…I knew that Thunder Bay would be happy to see this. I didn't know Thunder Bay would be this happy to see this you know, that's just awesome," said Loos.
"I'm glad to have that support 100 per cent," he said. "I'm so glad to have it. Honestly, like, this is for people who need that healing. Like I'm just tired of losing friends. I'm tired of losing family members. I'm just over it."
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