After more than 34 years in business, Gabby’s Country Cabaret has succumbed to the mounting financial pressures of the coronavirus pandemic.
Late Tuesday night, owner Steve Gallagher took to social media to announce the permanent closure of the bar and live entertainment venue in its current location, 20297 Fraser Hwy.
“We didn’t want to go out this way – that’s for sure,” Gallagher told the Langley Advance Times.
“It wasn’t an abrupt decision… I just didn’t see it working, he explained. “We had a chance to get out and we had to take it. We had to stop the bleeding at some point in time. I think we’re one of many that are going to follow after us. I don’t see how people can keep paying the bills without any money coming in.”
Gallagher did confirm the building was sold to a developer last year, but that didn’t weigh into the decision to close.
“The building had been sold prior but we had an agreement,” he said. “We could have been there for the next two to three years… they were extending the lease there were no issues with that.”
Given the pandemic’s indefinite hold on the the bar and live music industry, the owner said it didn’t seem possible for the business to reopen “under anything close to normal conditions.”
“We were one of – if not the longest – running nightclubs in B.C., so this decision is heartbreaking,” said Gallagher who has served as the owner for 20 years.
Gallagher along with his general manager met with their staff Tuesday night before the announcement was made public.
“My general manager and myself have been discussing this for the last two weeks – what direction are we going here,” he said.
The closure impacts about 28 staff members, many who relied on their job at the business to pay their mortgage, Gallagher said.
“We have been so fortunate to be at our current location on Fraser Highway in Langley for the last 34 years, making memories with all of you: our customers, who made Gabby’s what it is and gave it the life that it had,” he went on to say.
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“Many relationships began because of Gabby’s. People fell in love, met their new best friend, ran into old friends, partied with their parents, heard their favourite song for the first time, made plans for the future…
A place that didn’t take itself too seriously, but had all the character that comes with so many years of history.”
Gallagher hopes in the possibility for the Cabaret to settle in new digs, elsewhere.
“We would love to move it… at this point in time, with the uncertainty of where we’re going to be even in six months time with this (COVID-19), how can we plan anything, how can we invest into moving it,” he pondered.
But with the reaction the longtime local establishment has gained Gallagher believes there is an appetite for live music.
“There were people who camped out on the stairs last night – went down and had a drink on the stairs last night,” Gallagher shared. “People miss this place. The feedback is just amazing.”
According to its website, Gabby’s has won BC Country Music Association’s Country Club of the Year award twelve times in the past seventeen years.
Musicians including Dallas Smith, Chad Brownlee, Washboard Union, and Aaron Pritchett have all graced its stage.
“We hope that wherever we end up in the future, and we do hold out hope for a new future, that you will follow us,” he said.
