Renovated and expanded Bagtown set to reopen on May 6
Renovations have taken a little longer than originally predicted, but Sackville’s Bagtown Brewery has announced it will reopen on May 6 in an expanded space at its Main Street location.
CHMA stopped by Bagtown to hear the news from owner Anthony Maddelena:
Maddelena is calling May 6 a ‘soft’ reopening, as the full concept of the new space won’t be in place. A mystery partner is in line to take over the kitchen and start offering food, but Maddelena is holding out on details except to say, “burgers and tacos” might be on offer.
For the soft reopening, Maddelena says he will have “a good handful of Bagtown beers back on tap,” along with some guest taps. Bagtown’s ‘To Go’ fridge will also be stocked with Bagtown products and “lots of new things from around the province.”
It will take some time to get fully stocked on beers as Maddelena turns his attention from construction and renovations back to brewing in May. He says there will be some new drinks rolling out, including beers, ciders, and some new non-alcoholic beverages.
The Bagtown patio should be upacked and ready for seating on May 6, says Maddelena. “Will they have a nice crisp, fresh coat of paint on them yet? Probably not,” he laughs. “That’ll be maybe a week or two later.”… Continue
‘He’s definitely going to be missed’: Nauman Farooqi leaves Mt A for presidency of St Thomas
The architect of student entrepreneurship in Sackville is leaving town.
Dr. Nauman Farooqi, Mount Allison’s Dean of Business and Social Sciences has been offered the position of president and vice-chancellor at St Thomas University in Fredericton, a job he will start on July 1 this year.
Farooqi has helped quite a few student businesses get started in Sackville through a class he has been teaching since 2002 called Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation.
One of the better known successes to graduate from that class is Bagtown Brewing, run by Mount Allison grad Anthony Maddalena. “I guess the entrepreneurship class is the sole reason why Bagtown exists,” says Maddalena. “If it wasn’t for that class, you know, I had no plans to start a brewery at all.”
Students pitch different ideas at the outset of the class, and then select one to work on. Maddalena says because he had been experimenting with brewing, and had a brother in the business in Halifax, it seemed like a venture that could work.
Maddelena recalls that Farooqi’s class was different right off the start, with a retreat for class members at Centennial Park in Moncton. He says that first experience set the tone for Farooqi’s class, which was very hands on.
When Bagtown was launching in 2016, Farooqi told CBC that he and the entrepreneurship students didn’t have classes, but rather meetings where the students run a company, and Farooqi provides advice.… Continue
“Now the fun work can begin”: Sackville BIA chair puts out call for his replacement
With two years under his belt as chair of the downtown Sackville Business Improvement Association (BIA), Anthony Maddalena is planning to step down next month, and the organization in on the hunt for a new chair.
The BIA held their annual general meeting Wednesday night at town hall, and re-elected the current slate of directors, including, Maddelena, Wendy Epworth, Judith Cane, Andrew Black, and Chris Harborne. New nominee, Greg Soper was also elected.
Maddalena says that in addition to his impending resignation, treasurer Judith Cane is also planning to step down once a replacement can be found. He says that over the past two years, the board was focussed on revitalizing and organizing the institution which had grown inactive.
CHMA spoke with Maddelena shortly after the meeting Wednesday night.
“Basically, over the last year, we’ve completed all of the work that we felt we needed to complete before we were ready to rehire for that position,” says Maddalena. “We’re at a stage now where we’re looking for new board members, because a few of us are stepping down…and then also looking to hire someone to be basically a new manager for the Sackville BIA.”
Maddalena says the details of the position, last held by Gwen Zwicker who stepped down in May 2021, are to be determined, but the goal is to have a job description developed in the next month.
The BIA is funded by a tax levy on downtown commercial properties which yields an annual budget of about $20,000.… Continue
Tantramar Report Year in Review: Sackville business
On this episode of the Tantramar Report Year In Review, we talk with Anthony Maddalena and Judith Cane of the Mainstreet Redevelopment, the Sackville Business Improvement Area association. Anthony and Judith recap some of the new entries and losses in the Sackville business scene, and we talk the impacts of COVID, and plans for the BIA heading into 2022. (This interview was recorded in mid-December, 2021.)… Continue