‘This is the end’: Liquidating Mel’s Tea Room a ‘gut-wrenching’ process
Mel’s Tea Room is facing permanent closure.
“We’re in the process of removing our belongings and the assets of Mel’s,” says co-owner Dave Epworth. “We could not sell the business as it was, which is totally understandable given the times. We’re going to liquidate what we can and try and keep our heads above water somewhat, on the personal side of things.”
Mel’s has been closed since February, when a leaky roof led to a ceiling collapse in the kitchen. Dave and his partner Wendy Epworth purchased the iconic Sackville diner in 2018, and had plans to work up to buying the building from then-owner Ken Mikalauskas. But the couple were unable to get financing on short notice this summer when Mikalauskas decided to sell the building instead of fixing the leaking roof.
In August, new owners John Ernst and Tyler Gay took over, and gave the Epworths two months to either re-open or sell the business. That time expired on September 30, and now the couple has until October 11 to recover what they can from building.
Click below to listen to the full interview with Dave and Wendy Epworth, conducted at Mel’s on October 4, 2022.
‘It wasn’t for lack of caring’
“It’s devastating,” says Wendy Epworth, “not only to our family, but I know to the entire town.”
“We’re sorry.… Continue
First ever Sackville Busker Festival kicks off Thursday for an event-filled weekend
It’s an action-packed weekend coming up in Sackville.
The Live Bait New Works Festival launched Wednesday and runs until August 15, with plays, readings, a book launch, and a concert in collaboration with the newly revived Tantramar Blues Society. The Tantramar Heritage Trust and the Town of Sackville have put together a roster of activities to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the arrival of Yorkshire Settlers in the region, promising to “explore the impacts, both good and bad” of the settlement. And to top it all off, there will be extra activity downtown as the first Sackville Busker Festival takes over Bridge Street between Main and Lorne, with performances starting Thursday evening and happening throughout the weekend.
Wendy Epworth is owner of Mel’s Tea Room and vice president of the downtown Sackville Business Improvement Area (BIA), which is spearheading the festival with some help from ACOA’s Rediscover Main Streets initiative. CHMA sat down with Epworth on Wednesday to hear more about the Buskers Festival and how it came to be.
Epworth says when word of funding for new events and festivals to help re-animate downtowns came down the line, she thought immediately of the Halifax International Buskers Festival. “It’s a great, longstanding festival, and I’ve enjoyed it,” says Epworth. So she reached out to see if something of a smaller scale could work in Sackville. “They sent me information about what a little festival would look like here,” says Epworth, and she put together a proposal for ACOA in the spring.… Continue