Winnipeg's former Sherbrook Inn vendor and bar open again for business
The bar, now called Kyoto Kat Club, opened late January first to limited hours, 6 p.m to 10:30 p.m.
A well-known West Broadway hotel home to suites, a bar and a vendor, is undergoing numerous upgrades meant to "improve the neighbourhood."
But changes will be made slowly to the former Sherbrook Inn and with a finger to the pulse of what the community wants, says bar manager Dave McKeigan.
"You know, it's got a long history, that bar, and you know, we're going to be a bit different. So we want to sort of see what the people are looking for," McKeigan said.
The bar, vendor and suites have been closed since owner Neil Soorsma took possession of the building, at the corner of Sherbrook Street and Westminster Avenue, in mid-May of last year.
After months of renovations, the vendor and bar, now called the Kyoto Kat Club, opened to limited hours, 6 p.m. to around 10:30 p.m., with a skeleton staff in late January.
McKeigan says hours will increase around the middle of March when he starts to book events and bands for the establishment.
Safety concerns can be an issue for any downtown area business in the city, but McKeigan says the bar has installed cameras around the building and discontinued use of the bar's back door, where crowds would congregate in previous years.
"I've been here [in the neighbourhood] 40 years, so I've seen a lot. But, already by closing that back door entrance, that's an improvement because no one's coming in and out," McKeigan said.
"We don't want any problems … the whole city has a crime problem and they [the city] need to address it on a citywide level."
'A safe neighbourhood'
The neighbourhood is generally described as lower-income, with the median average individual income of residents below $29,000, according to 2021 Census data from the City of Winnipeg.
Bryn Herbert-Hosie, a resident of West-Broadway for around 27 years, says while there's a high number of unhoused people living in the neighbourhood, the area is typical for Winnipeg when it comes to crime.
"You hear the sirens, you hear the ambulance, the police, it's common. But crime-wise, that I know of, I haven't had an issue or heard anything," Herbert-Hosie said.
"Honestly, it's just the rowdy people that are leaving the vendor or the bar, going home, they're just a little loud but there is no issues … it's a really friendly area."
Co-founders and operators of Good Neighbour Brewing Co., a business across the street from Kyoto Kat Club, say they respond to the wide demographics in the community by training their staff with an inclusive approach to safety.
"You know, we have folks coming in asking for water. We give them water, we give them cups of coffee. We let them use our washrooms and our team is very proud of that, of that program and everyone is very safe," said co-owner Amber Sarraillon.
Saraillon and co-owner Morgan Wielgos have been operating their business since May 2023. Since that time, Morgan says they've only experienced one theft.
"One can of beer was taken from our shop and it was actually returned the next day. It was a person from the community who we know, who we've invited into our space before and the next day they actually brought it back," said Wielgos.
"So we're hoping that by connecting with these people and just taking a bit of a different approach, is something that maybe will help just the area in general."
As for Kyoto Kat Club, McKeigan says he wants the bar to be complimentary to Good Neighbour Brewing Co. and the other establishments in the neighbourhood.
"There's a nice bar across the street called the Good Neighbour, to maybe complementary to them on a music front. You've got the Handsome Daughter, complimentary to them. And then just with the area in general," said McGeigan.
"We're looking at it as a new venue opening up, just adding something new and improving the neighbourhood."
With files from Zubina Ahmed