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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.