New Brandon bar offers social connections, live music in alcohol-free environment

A new nightclub in southwestern Manitoba's biggest city is serving up drinks in support of sobriety.

Glen Kruck had dreamed of bringing a sober club to Brandon for years. His vision became a reality at the start of January with the launch of Club 1202, in the heart of the city's downtown at 1202 Rosser Ave.

"I thought, 'We have to do something to help people stay in recovery,'" said Kruck, the manager of special projects for the non-profit Brandon Community Health and Housing Association, which runs Club 1202.

The idea for the bar came from a longtime friend who experienced alcohol addiction, said Kruck. When his friend began his recovery, he would lament that he had nowhere to go for something as simple as shooting a game of pool, since that would involve going into a bar.

"That was the seed for me," Kruck said.

Club 1202 is Brandon's first sober bar — one that offers only non-alcoholic beverages, and which Kruck describes as "an opportunity for people to socialize in a dry environment." It's currently open Saturdays from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., with live music on offer each night.

Guests don't have to be alcohol-free to attend the club, which is open to all ages, but it's expected people will be sober when they visit.

A $5 cover charge includes one drink, and helps pay for staff to run the club. Games include table tennis, darts, chess, puzzles and cribbage, and the space also has a small gym.

Kruck says the new club fits in with the overall programming of the Community Health and Housing Association, which provides housing support for people experiencing homelessness and programs for people recovering from addiction. 

Club 1202 is in a previously unused space in the basement of an apartment building owned by the housing association. It was furnished using reusable supplies from the Building Re-Fit Store, another one of the association's enterprises.

Kruck said the hope is the club will be a healthy oasis for visitors, since people trying to stay sober are often inundated with media and messages encouraging drinking.

Settings like Club 1202 are important for people recovering from addiction, he said, but it's also a place "for the general public who just want to go somewhere and not drink, and enjoy good music and companionship."

'There's no pressure'

The club's sober bartender, Kurtis Lebleu-Jamieson, has been in recovery for 14 months.

For people in recovery, it can feel like there aren't many social activities available, since alcohol is a part of so many of those activities, Lebleu-Jamieson said. But an alcohol-free club can offers an alternative.

"It's a really good outlet to make new friends and just do something different" and have fun in a space "where you don't need to use [alcohol]," he said.

"There's no pressure.… You don't have to be worried that there's going to be temptations or anything like that. You can just actually come and have some fun."

When the Club 1202 space is full it has a great vibe, Lebleu-Jamieson said — different from anywhere else he's been.

He especially appreciates the live music, which is hard to find in Brandon beyond venues serving alcohol.

"If you're on the road to recovery ... it's just a lot better option than anything else that's available," he said.

"You might be reluctant to go out to a bar or you might not want to put yourself in those kinds of situations. But when you're coming here, it's going to be around like-minded people who all have common interests," he said.

"It's just easier to get to know people and not feel like you have to stay home."