Doc Willoughby is on Bernard Avenue in Kelowna.
Photo credit: PRESENT / Doc Willoughby’s
March 17, 2021 – 2:51 p.m.
The popular Kelowna Pub Doc Willoughby’s will keep a piece of its history after it is sold to new owners.
Doc Willoughby owner Dave Willoughby announced today, March 17th, the sale of the bar to Kyle and Carolyn Nixon, who own Skinny Dukes Glorious Emporium and BNA Brewing Brewing Co. & Eatery.
“It is time for new eyes and new energy to enter the company to take it to the next level, and the Nixon family values the legacy and the familial aspect of the company alike,” said Willoughby.
His decision to sell was not influenced by the pandemic as he owns the building and gets by with wage subsidies offered by the federal government. He has owned the downtown Bernard Avenue bar since 1999.
Long a staple of Kelowna’s nightlife, the pub takes the name of Willoughby’s grandfather, Dr. Charles James McNeil Willoughby who, according to the Canadian, served in the Royal Medical Corp. Letters and Pictures project during World War I while studying at the Royal Medical Corp.
After World War I, he returned to Canada, where he practiced medicine in Kamloops and was one of the few doctors in town during that time. He also served as the Conservative MP for Kamloops Cariboo Riding for one term in the 1960s. He died in 1995.
“I just wouldn’t let anyone use that name. This is testament to my confidence in their ability to advance that reputation with respect and dignity, ”said Willoughby. “You think of someone with their legacy and their legacy, and I think they’d love to see their story continue, and I’m proud of that too. The whole pub pays homage to their legacy.”
The Nixon possessions begin May 1st.
News from © iNFOnews, 2021
