Just a short walk from Port Moody’s renowned Brewers Row, the city’s branch of the Royal Canadian Legion is trying to rebrand itself as more than just another beer hall.
It’s a formidable challenge, admits Wendy Swalwell, the chair of the property development committee for the branch. Especially as the facility was closed for four years until it celebrated the grand opening of its new club at 2529 Clarke Street on Saturday.
During that time, Port Moody’s craft beer scene exploded, some veterans died, others left the club. It’s a narrative that’s been repeated in communities across Canada, Swalwell said.
“As many Legions are having to close or reduce hours, we’re looking for a way to keep connected and viable in our community,” she said.
That’s meant looking beyond bingo nights and meat draws; not an easy task when the Legion’s traditional customer base of ageing veterans and law enforcement personnel doesn’t always embrace change, Swalwell said.
“We have to educate our members to push how we can be successful,” she said.
The transformation of Port Moody’s Legion started 16 years ago, Swalwell said. With its former branch hall well past its prime, executives began casting about for opportunities to secure a new facility and reinvigorate the branch’s place in the community.
In 2015, it struck a deal with TL Housing Solutions Ltd.., which would build a five-storey condo building with 84 residential units as well as a 1,300 sq. ft. space on the ground floor for a new Legion facility along with 14 retail units — five of which would be managed by the Legion to help pay its operating costs. That the developer was partnering with BC Housing and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation to provide a grant to qualified first-time homebuyers to be applied to their downpayment was the clincher, Swalwell said.
“For us, it was a creative solution,” she said of the affordable housing initiative. “It helped people in the community.”
Now that the residential units above are occupied, and the Legion is open for business again, Swalwell said the challenge is getting those residents to pop in there for a pint rather than traversing the nearby Moody Street overpass to Brewers Row.
“It’s tough to break the illusion of what a Legion is,” she said.
What it isn’t, Swalwell added, is the exclusive domain of veterans. Members no longer require a military affiliation and kids can accompany their parents before 8 p.m. You don’t even have to remove your hat anymore.
The changes may rankle some, Swalwell said, but there’s still enough of the old Legion vibe to become a unique draw itself.
“We want young people to come to be able to connect with the veterans we have left,” she said.
