The Halifax Bar Scene

[Takeo]

The cake fee at Henry House is ridiculous if you ask me. It's not the same as brining your own wine / beer or food. It's a friggin' birthday cake. Does Henry House have birthday cakes on the menu? How about large personalized birthday cakes? Do they have those on the menu? Is the policy worth ruining someone's birthday for? Is the policy worth pissing off and losing customers for? I personally know people who have been hit with this policy who have told me they will never return to HH.

[halifaxboyns]

Originally Posted by worldlyhaligonian

Argyle, Thursday nights, thats the best bar scene in Halifax. No skivs, hot girls, good atmosphere.

I grew up spending night after night at Reflections with my partner and our friends. Always a good time; still stay in touch with many of the staff.

[JustinMacD]

Originally Posted by halifaxboyns

I grew up spending night after night at Reflections with my partner and our friends. Always a good time; still stay in touch with many of the staff.

Reflections is a fun bar regardless of your orientation. It's a little expensive to get in though.

Good music.

[Jonovision]

Personally I think this is a bad move. I realize with the redevelopment of their current site they have to find something relatively quickly, but moving up to Gottingen would cause them to loose a lot of their current clientele. There has to be a better space that is still downtown for them.

Reflections Cabaret wants to move from Barrington to Gottingen
November 17, 2011 - 4:40am By CHRIS LAMBIE Business Editor

Opinions mixed on whether bar should be allowed to move into old Marquee Club

Wendy Friedman, shown in her downtown store in July, supports Reflections’ appli­cation for a cabaret on Gottingen Street. (ADRIEN VECZAN / Staff)
A downtown Halifax club’s plan to groove on up to Gottingen Street is receiving both praise and criticism.

Reflections Cabaret reached an agreement last month with property owner Victor Syperek to lease the top floor of the legendary live music venue at 2037 Gottingen St. that most recently operated as the Paragon Theatre but is probably best known as the site of the former Marquee Club.

The 10-year rental agreement is contingent on the provincial Utility and Review Board approving the transfer of Reflections’ operating licence from its current location on Sackville Street.

"My husband and I have lived on (nearby) Falkland Street for 14 years and have watched the neighbourhood develop and change," Wendy Friedman, who owns Biscuit General Store on Argyle Street, wrote in a letter to the provincial regulator supporting Reflections’ application for a cabaret licence at the new location on Gottingen.

The couple also own rental property on Falkland.

"We believe that businesses, such as Reflections, that create a vibrant and active neighbourhood will only serve to make this area more desirable," Friedman continued. "Their clientele is generally professional and law-abiding, and we have no concerns about their location down the street from our home."

Patrick Kelly wrote to the board opposing Reflections’ licence application.

"Reflections Cabaret moving to Gottingen Street should not be approved," Kelly wrote, "in appreciation of the strides made by the neighbouring areas to become a better part of Halifax. The area has grown in a positive direction as a largely residential neighbourhood with few arteries of access, and this would mean that an after-hours bar in the middle of it would only stunt or reverse this trend and reduce the quality of life for the many in the immediate vicinity of the address in question."

Traffic on Falkland would be disrupted regularly by the dance bar’s customers, as it was in the past, Kelly continued, "with some destructive patrons returning to their own, relatively more peaceful, neighbourhoods at the end of the night. There may be no official recognition of this reality in the official hearing documentation but it is a known reality and has a direct effect on those of us in near proximity.

"I’m as supportive as anyone of the need for vibrant nightlife in the city but this is the wrong licence in the wrong place."

Reflections owner Mike Schmid said last month that the larger space on Gottingen holds more potential for his business.

If the review board approves the licence transfer, Schmid indicated Reflections could be open in its new location before Christmas.

A public hearing on the matter is slated for Nov. 29 in the review board offices at 1601 Lower Water St.

( clambie@herald.ca)

[RyeJay]

Reflections would be harming its business to move itself out of the downtown. This establishment has known for more than half a decade that they would need to relocate. The fact they haven't done their homework to find a suitable relocation is absolutely pathetic.

A move to Gottingen means a move away from the other clubs downtown; therefore, Reflections will lose much of its non-gay business. The Marquee Club is the best option in this bad scenario, however.

I wonder if Gottingen, now with numerous gay bars on it, will develop into a sort of gay village within the city?

...is this secretly HRM's plan? A cheaper way to renovate Gottingen is just to import homosexuals; they'll be so offended they'll clean the spot up!

[halifaxboyns]

Originally Posted by RyeJay

Reflections would be harming its business to move itself out of the downtown. This establishment has known for more than half a decade that they would need to relocate. The fact they haven't done their homework to find a suitable relocation is absolutely pathetic.

A move to Gottingen means a move away from the other clubs downtown; therefore, Reflections will lose much of its non-gay business. The Marquee Club is the best option in this bad scenario, however.

I wonder if Gottingen, now with numerous gay bars on it, will develop into a sort of gay village within the city?

...is this secretly HRM's plan? A cheaper way to renovate Gottingen is just to import homosexuals; they'll be so offended they'll clean the spot up!

Well there will only be two gay bars on the street if Reflections moves; Menzbar is the only other one. That being said, there are a number of gay owned businesses and I remember reading a flyer that one of the businesses had calling the area the 'gay block' or something like that, so who knows.

Reflections staff knew for years this redevelopment was coming - that being said, they didn't think it would happen considering how other developments (twisted sisters) have moved through the system (approvals obtained, nothing happens), so they've played the ignorance card. I know several staff members and when the approval for the discovery centre was finalized without an appeal, I kept telling them you guys will be moving. They simply didn't believe me and didn't want to believe reality - now they've been caught off guard.

[joeyedm]

IMO being a gay man - reflections cannot close down soon enough. The place was a dive 10 years ago and its still a dive. Menz is no better.

[Jstaleness]

Maybe the new location (Marquee) might end up being a really good move? Just down the way on Brunswick St. the Citidel is hopefully getting a make-over. That will draw more folks to the area again. How late does the skating oval run? Go for a nice skate at night and then club after. Just throwing ideas out there. I don't even know what the current one looks like.

[haligonia]

I'm indifferent. I know many consider Reflections the best place to dance in the city, so many of its loyal customers will likely follow it to Gottingen. The Paragon (and the Marquee before it) seemed to draw good crowds, even for smaller events, so that might continue for Reflections.

[coolmillion]

The Company House is a lesbian bar on Gottingen (with lots of live music), so this will make three. I live on Bauer Street a couple of blocks away and received a nimby notice in the mail the other day. It invited objections to be sent to the URB. I support a cabaret license for this location. I think there are very few places downtown a late night bar can operate without bothering some neighbours on a handful of warm weekends a year. It's part of living in the city.

Whether or not the move will be good for business is another matter. If Reflections expands its reach a little to include more live music and different genres of dance music, it could do well. Sticking to top 40 and techno might be a bad move.

[someone123]

I see this as part of the natural evolution of a growing city. Most successful shopping areas don't have nightclubs in storefront locations because the rents are too high. After the development that spot will probably be relatively high-end retail. The nightclub is also somewhat incompatible with a residential tower.

The Discovery Centre is something else that doesn't quite fit the area, but moved in years ago because of the cheap space.

Obviously it's good for Gottingen to be getting the old tenants. I think it would add a lot to the city if Gottingen were sort of like Barrington from the 90s and Barrington were more of an upscale retail area.

[halifaxboyns]

Originally Posted by joeyedm

IMO being a gay man - reflections cannot close down soon enough. The place was a dive 10 years ago and its still a dive. Menz is no better.

I prefer menz to reflections anyday. God, I remember when it first opened...that makes me old in the gay world lol.

Despite the apartment tower, I dont' think having reflections go where they are proposing is a bad thing. If I look at Whyte Avenue or the Red Mile, there is a huge number of bars in those areas with high density either directly next door or a block or two in behind. I think part of living in an urban area is having these sorts of things next to each other. I lived in Plaza 1881 for a few years and got used to the loud people coming home from downtown - it's all part of living in these areas.

That being said, I'd like to see the block which houses Menz and Company house get redeveloped into a bit higher density (say in the 10 storey range). But if it doesn't, I wouldn't worry about it. Just interesting to see the changes happening in this area...just think 5 years ago there was hardly any interest. Now look at it...

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by halifaxboyns

I'd like to see the block which houses Menz and Company house get redeveloped into a bit higher density (say in the 10 storey range). But if it doesn't, I wouldn't worry about it. Just interesting to see the changes happening in this area...just think 5 years ago there was hardly any interest. Now look at it...

It used to be a total dump.

Now it's cleaned up, with lots of foot traffic.
I would like to see redevelopments as well; the area is certainly used enough for this.

The migration of Reflections may actually bring forth more encouragement for improvements to Gottingen. If nothing else, it will contribute to a growing gay village, or 'gay block' as it is referred to by some. This is actually exciting for Halifax, as it means the city is growing large enough to contain minorities, such as LGBT people, in large enough numbers to support this kind of cultural collective.

[coolmillion]

I learned that owner of the new restaurant on Gottingen (the off-shoot of Jane's) is applying for some kind of hybrid lounge/restaurant license. This will allow them to serve wine and beer without the purchase of food and stay open until midnight. There will be a large bar but the focus will still be on food. Apparently there are only a few blocks outside of downtown that have zoning that permits this kind of license - nowhere on Quinpool, for instance. Only a few other random locations (like Charlie's) that were grandfathered in since they've been around so long. There will be a public consultation and I expect the neighbourhood to be supportive. In contrast, the cafe proposed for the old laundry place on Agricola requires a development agreement because it doesn't fit the zoning. Asinine!

Across the street, Syperek is trying to renew the Marquee's license. Not a cabaret license like before, but a lounge/bar/live music license. I think that if this place were properly managed it could be really successful. They just need to get people in the door before midnight (and not rely on collective bodies for heat!).

[halifaxboyns]

Originally Posted by RyeJay

It used to be a total dump.

Now it's cleaned up, with lots of foot traffic.
I would like to see redevelopments as well; the area is certainly used enough for this.

The migration of Reflections may actually bring forth more encouragement for improvements to Gottingen. If nothing else, it will contribute to a growing gay village, or 'gay block' as it is referred to by some. This is actually exciting for Halifax, as it means the city is growing large enough to contain minorities, such as LGBT people, in large enough numbers to support this kind of cultural collective.

I used to laugh when I would say the pamphlet saying that Gottingen was a gay district...I always kept thinking more like a gay block or gay building (or two). But it does seem to be becoming more of a district...slowly. We will see as time passes. That's one of the things I really think Halifax lacks is some obvious ethnic enclaves like Greektown or China Town.

[halifaxboyns]

Freemasons’ Hall space to undergo major renovation

Halifax’s popular Reflections Cabaret is relocating to a space on the Salter Street side of the Freemasons’ Hall building.

Cabaret owner Mike Schmid said Thursday planning is well underway for a major overhaul of the space TAO The Adventure Outfitters formerly occupied. Schmid said it will be converted into a showcase city attraction that will add some neighbourhood vitality.

“This a fantastic old building that will be ideal for a club,” he said in an interview. “We’re going to add an upper-level mezzanine and take advantage of the 30-foot ceiling to add some dramatic nightclub lighting.

“The new space is a bit smaller than the current location, but we expect its capacity will be about the same following the renovations.”

The Reflections name will be attached to the new space, which will measure about 5,400 square feet, feature upper and main level bars, and capacity for about 312 people.

A lease agreement was finalized with the owner of the building this week, Schmid said. An application is soon expected to be filed with the province’s alcohol and gaming division for a required transfer of the liquor licence.

Schmid said he has ambitious plans for the new space and estimated the renovation costs will be in the range of $200,000.

“This is going to be the best nightclub in the city.”

Work at the new space will begin in a few weeks. Schmid said he is a bit reluctant to set an opening date for the new club until renovations get underway, but he wants to be open as soon as possible, perhaps sometime in May.


The existing Reflections on Sackville Street is scheduled to close in September to make way for a major redevelopment of the Discovery Centre property that fronts on Barrington Street.

The rest of the story is here.

[RyeJay]

Originally Posted by halifaxboyns

The existing Reflections on Sackville Street is scheduled to close in September to make way for a major redevelopment of the Discovery Centre property that fronts on Barrington Street.

I wish Reflections would close much sooner. Not because I hate the club (even though I've always known it to be really dirty inside, with horrible furniture), but because I want Barrington to gain another tower and for this portion of the skyline to fill in more.

Perhaps we'll get an updated rendering of this project as the fall draws closer?

[bluenoser]

According to their Facebook page, Pogue Fado is closing, citing 'the current business environment downtown.'

[halifaxboyns]

Originally Posted by RyeJay

I wish Reflections would close much sooner. Not because I hate the club (even though I've always known it to be really dirty inside, with horrible furniture), but because I want Barrington to gain another tower and for this portion of the skyline to fill in more.

Perhaps we'll get an updated rendering of this project as the fall draws closer?

I suspect because of lease obligations - they probably can't get them out any sooner.

[mcmcclassic]

Originally Posted by bluenoser

According to their Facebook page, Pogue Fado is closing, citing 'the current business environment downtown.'

I feel that their decision to close has nothing to do with the "downtown business environment" and more with their (lack of) ability to keep minors out.

As a Dal Commerce student, Thursday nights at the Pogue were huge and the place was always packed. Same goes for Friday and Saturday nights. Unless they simply just failed at running the bar, I can't see a lack of patrons being an issue.

With Pogue closing, Cheers/Dome will likely be the winner because of their Thursday student night (and $2.50 drinks!)