The Public House Wants To Be Saint John’s Hip ‘Community Hall’
SAINT JOHN– Two Saint John entrepreneurs want to turn the former Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club in uptown Saint John into a new venue for a variety of performances and events.
Jeff Scammell and Bryce Thibodeau are the owners of The Public House, located 32 Grannan Street. The new venue will host both public and private events, as well as live music and entertainment.
Thibodeau says the idea for the Public House came out of the desire to use the then-vacant Historica-owned property, which used to be a Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club, to its full potential.
“We didn’t really have an idea when we first started. We really just wanted to make sure the opportunity was taken,” says Thibodeau. “We knew [Historica CEO] Keith Brideau, so we needed to do something and so we got together.’
The Public House will be a venue that can be flexible in its offerings, whether it’s live music, comedy, or private events like wedding receptions and work Christmas parties.
“We want it to be a community space. We’re going to do a lot of fun stuff,” says Thibodeau. “We’re planning live bands and having comedians in here, but really having it be an adaptable space.”
Thirty-two Grannan Street holds 160 people seated and 240 standing. Scammel says Public House will be a great option for a variety of events and performances.
“We’re in the mid-level where you’re not taking up a convention centre, but you’re too big for most bars or restaurants to do a sell-out show,” he says.
“We’re trying to make it almost like a small town community hall,” adds Thibodeau. “That’s why we’ve branded it ‘The Public House.’ We’ve got some neat ideas to allow the community to integrate their ideas on what we should do and what we want the community to be involved in the planning.”
The Public House will have a soft opening this weekend. On Friday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. doors will be open for the public to check out the space and have a drink. It will also be open during the Moonlight Bazaar where there will be some live music and canned beer served. The Public House’s next scheduled event will be Alfie Zappacosta August 8.
The Public House’s neighbours include Rogue Coffee, Picaroons, Five & Dime and Port City Royal, all businesses that have opened over the last several years. Scammell and Thibodeau hope the Public House will add to that growth by providing another great venue events and music in uptown Saint John,
“Saint John is so underrated. It’s interesting how five years ago if you asked somebody from Saint John what uptown was about it would be drastically different than what it is now,” says Scammell. “I think Saint John is still in evolution so we want to make sure that this fits for what uptown is. This is going to evolve as Saint John evolves as well.”