A well-known Saint John watering hole has served its last drink.
The Aquarius Tavern has been a landmark in the west end of the city for the past 40 years but this week it closed up shop.
“I think every person in the Saint John West frequented the AQ at least once in their lifetime,” says barber shop owner Blaine Harris. “It was a great spot. They were community-minded, they were community-focused and I’m very sad to see it gone.”
In the early 1990s, the Aquarius Tavern – or AQ, as it was better known – was a popular spot among young people.
“They had student night there, the students would come across town from the university, so it was a big attraction back in those days,” says Coun. Bill Farren.
“It was a nice modern tavern and it was well attended and well received.”
The closing of the Aquarius Tavern may come as a surprise to some, but for others, they say it is simply a sign of the times.
Jeff Walker works with the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association. He says those in the business have a lot to face when it comes to keeping afloat.
“The wages for minimum wage, the prices of alcohol, for the licence, getting the people to work in the back house and front of the house, employment overall,” he says are all issues faced by those in the industry.
About ten people are out of work and those on the west side say it is a piece of history gone.
“We’ve definitely lost a piece of the heart of the west side,” says Harris.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Ashley Dunbar
