Riverside village races to keep marina and pub in local hands

The summer crowds may still be months away, but Justin Beattie is already busy cutting, stitching and tooling hides into durable, hand-crafted leather goods.

The owner of Gagetown Knife & Leather, Beattie uses the off-season to prepare for the busy summer period.

As the melting snow swells the St. John River, the local marina welcomes the seasonal surge of visitors eager to put boats in the water or just stroll the quaint waterfront.  

That’s why a year ago, Beattie opened his store on Front Street next to the popular Old Boot Pub, and backing onto the marina that draws in boaters from May through late fall.  

The foot traffic, Beattie said, was “certainly a huge factor in my decision to open up here.”

Now the future is suddenly uncertain for Beattie and other small businesses in the riverside village.

The owner of the pub, marina and adjacent apartments has been trying to sell the lot, unsuccessfully, and for the first time in its 20-year history, the pub didn’t open last summer. 

“I fielded the questions from people all summer long coming up here looking for the Old Boot Pub to be open, wondering what happened,” Beattie said. 

Anxious to avoid a repeat of last summer's disappointment, business owners, local residents and boaters from across southern New Brunswick are now working together to raise money in the form of debentures.

Their hope is to start a co-operative to purchase the property and keep the community assets in local hands. 

Over the past few months, contributions have been pouring in, ranging from $1,000 to $25,000. The goal is to hit a $1 million target by the end of January. That would enable the group to purchase the property and make some needed upgrades.

Nancy MacQuade Webb, the owner of the pub and marina, would like to see that venture succeed, but said she can’t put all her eggs in one basket either. 

After trying to sell the property for a few years, mostly through word of mouth, she plans to hand it over to a broker in Vancouver next month, with connections around the world.

Whatever the outcome, MacQuade Webb, who wants to retire, said she hopes the new owner understands the  importance of the marina and pub, and the domino effect they have on the downtown.