Squamish’s population is young and growing, prompting businesses to step up and give residents more places to eat, drink and party.
This past year, a number of establishments have opened in town to fill a need to expand local nightlife. “Squamish is on the edge of a pretty significant boom. It’s turning into a city in its own right,” said David Branigan, manager of The Barred Owl, a new pub that is opening in Garibaldi Estates on Nov. 19.
“As people start to think of Squamish as the place where they want to go out to eat and drink and dance, they will require more options.”
In order to meet that need, The Barred Owl was created by Alladina Entertainment, the company behind several Vancouver-area pubs such as Gator’s Pub, The Balmoral, Hudson’s Landing and Crimson Cafe.
The idea was to create a public house for the community serving as a social hub, said Branigan, who has 28 years experience running bars and pubs in the Lower Mainland and Whistler such as The Waldorf, the Shark Club and the Longhorn.
“Public houses are meant to be people’s living rooms. They’re meant to be part of their lives and part of the community and that’s certainly what we’re going to strive to be,” he said.
The 125-seat pub will cater to the 25-to-40 crowd and emphasizes live music and big-screen sporting events.
To this end, the venue’s opening night on Nov. 19 will feature a band from the Lower Mainland called the Smokin’ Soul Experience, which has members who’ve rubbed shoulders with world-renowned musicians. The group jammed with Prince when he toured Vancouver and band leader Cameron Grant was part of several songwriting sessions with Guns ‘N Roses, Branigan said. There will also be a New Year’s Gala held in the Sea to Sky Ballroom.
Squamish has a younger crowd when compared with the provincial average. The population has a median age of about 37, while the rest of B.C. averages at about 42, according to the most recent census data available.
And the Barred Owl isn’t the only business capitalizing on opportunities to serve a younger population growing by leaps and bounds.
The Salted Vine Kitchen + Bar opened in downtown in September after business partners Jeff Park and Pat Allan decided to realize a long-time dream of opening up their own place in Squamish, where the pair live.
Now could be a good time to open because of changing demographics, said Allan, who previously worked with Park at the Araxi in Whistler.
A growing population gives businesses an opportunity to fill new needs, he said. “The dining choices in Squamish were somewhat limited,” said Allan. “There wasn’t this style of restaurant.”
The Salted Vine specializes in family-style Pacific Northwestern cuisine, which encompasses all the types of foods people eat along the northwest coast of the United States and Canada.
Ingredients are dictated by the changing seasons and Allan said the restaurant puts great effort into making sure the food is locally sourced.
He also said the changing face of the community is prompting him to eye other business ventures, though he remains tight-lipped on what they may be for now.
