Calgary's iconic Ranchman's sold to new ownership group
A Calgary landmark looks like it just got a new lease on life.
Ranchman's, the iconic Macleod Trail honky-tonk, has found a new group of owners, who are said to already have significant property holdings in Calgary.
The ownership group has asked to remain anonymous for now, but the next goal is to find a suitable tenant who is interested in rebooting the nightclub and returning Ranchman's to its former glory.
Ranchman's was shut down at the start of the pandemic and put up for lease, until it was seized by the bank, ending nearly 50 years as the city's go-to hotspot for rodeo riders and fans alike.
"It was a great fit for them, a great fit for us, and now the key is, we just have to find a tenant who wants to go back in and open it up," said realtor Rob Campbell of Remax Central, in an interview with CTV News.
Campbell conceded that carrying on the honky-tonk ways of Ranchman's will be up to whoever takes it over.
"It's a business deal," he said, "so if someone wants to come in and do something completely different, that's totally up to them.
"But when you look at the building having 47 years of history, I think you'd be crazy to try to do something different in it.
"We don't have a real country bar in town anymore," he said, continuing. "So it just makes perfect sense to try to utilize that history. It might need a little facelift inside, but if you can find a business model that pays homage to all that history, I think it gives you a big leg up when you reopen after the pandemic."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Calgary police shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers dealt with a distraught individual. The incident lasted almost 20 hours.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.