It’s been a long and winding road for the Osborne Bay Pub’s co-owner, Patricia Berry.
Since coming on the scene in 2017 as a consultant for the Crofton business looking to help another struggling restaurant keep its doors open, a lot has changed for the little hotel.
Berry originally set foot in the establishment to do an evaluation on how to overhaul the business, and immediately fell in love with the beautiful wooden interior of the building and, of course, the stage.
‘This place was built for the love of music,” states Berry. “You could feel the history and energy that live performances had infused the place with.”
Knowing the potential for the place, she decided to devote the foreseeable future into making the newly-branded Osborne Bay Pub one of the hottest live music destinations on Vancouver Island.
“It absolutely was meant to be, as soon as I set my mind to the motto, ‘if you build it, they will come,’ it seemed that everyone I met was somehow connected by the love of music,” said Berry.
With acts like Valdy, Shari Ulrich, Barney Bentall, Daniel Wesley, Vince Vaccaro, Sara Smith, Russell Marsland, David Gogo, Alpha Yaya Diallo, Blue Moon Marquee and many local bands such as The Sutcliffes, Row of Crowz, Firebird, 5 Whiskeys Deep, Augie Dawg, and many amazing jazz musicians, Berry has tried to focus on ‘music for everyone,’ bringing the different genres for all to enjoy.
The transformation of the establishment itself from a sleepy little seaside pub into a warm, family-friendly busy destination every day of the week and an exciting, thriving nightlife scene on the weekends has been remarkable.
“I am overwhelmed with gratitude to get to do what I do,” Berry remarked. “A crucial aspect of live music is that it is raw and uncut. Most of what we are exposed to now is so processed and filtered, I feel that we have lost the importance of experiencing things in real time.
“When you take in a live show, you never know what is going to happen. It is exciting and engaging to see the musicians pouring their hearts out on stage. You get to share in this with them. It is a journey we all take together, stepping out exhilarated by the new experience that we just created.”
It has not been an easy journey, though. Saving a struggling restaurant is a difficult enough task, and just as it was enjoying its first moments of success, everything shifted with the difficulties everyone faced in 2020 with the pandemic. The entertainment and restaurant industries were devastated. Not one to run in the face of adversity, Berry keeps working hard to ensure all those years of tireless struggle don’t go to waste.
After a brief hiatus and a bit of a struggle to get things flowing again, Berry is excited to announce the old days are back.
”It has been tricky navigating the last few years, but with patience and endurance, we have survived and I am happy to say, the music is flourishing once again.”
March 2 marked the fifth sold-out show in a row, and the next show on March 16th is sold out as well. Starting in April, the pub will be hosting events every Saturday and every second Sunday, which she has already booked into next year.
Berry is looking into expanding to more nights of the week to accommodate the desire of so many to be experiencing these exciting nights.
“The response from the public and music industry is outstanding,” she noted. “Thousands of bands have applied to play. The venue itself is so wonderful – the stage, sound, dance floor, comfortable atmosphere, friendly staff, amazing food.”
Berry emphasizes she could not do any of this without the support of her amazing staff.
”I am so grateful every day for all their hard work,” she said. “They are truly amazing people.”
She also stresses the importance of supporting musicians and live music venues all over the world. Berry believes music is one of the most fundamentally important facets of humanity and the diminishing places to express this are very disconcerting. She hopes this shifts and younger generations get out more to support the last few places struggling to maintain live music before it is too late.
Berry lightly jokes about the same situation with restaurants.
”I have definitely bit off a lot to chew here. Restaurants are a difficult industry at the best of times, and this one is in a difficult location during a difficult time. We are so grateful for all the support of the locals and the whole Cowichan Valley. This little seaside destination is working very hard to provide quality food, service and entertainment. And we’ll keep at it.”