NORTH DELTA — Marilyn Sanders was all smiles Monday (June 15) as she welcomed patrons to her renovated Sundowner Pub.
The day's "soft opening" followed six weeks of interior renovation work on the pub, which she purchased on May 1.
"I bought the building, the land, everything," Sanders said. "I'm all about the dirt," she added with a laugh.
Under ownership of the Podavin family, the pub closed at the end of March after 35 years in business at the corner of Scott Road and 64th Avenue.
Close to $150,000 was spent on renovations, Sanders said. Fresh paint, 20 TV screens, new bar stools, a granite bar countertop and a new kitchen were all added. The old pub's pool table is gone, as are the dart boards.
"I'm open to constructive feedback and suggestions about entertainment, the food, beverages, all of it," Sanders said.
She ran the Kennedy Pub in North Delta from 1996 to 2003 before turning her attention to the Jolly Coachman in Pitt Meadows for the next decade.
"I tried to retire (in 2013), but that didn't work," said Sanders, who lives in Coquitlam. "I love the business, I love the people."
Upstairs, above the pub, the renovated space includes business offices, a staff room for pub employees and around 4,000 square feet of unused space, which is for lease.
Also in North Delta, Allstars pub and the rooms of North Delta Inn were closed on Monday. The occupants of 27 rooms recently received their eviction notice and must vacate by June 15, after inspectors found the hotel not fit for occupancy.
Read Tom Zytaruk's report from June 11 here.
tom.zillich@thenownewspaper.com