The floors are a lot shinier, the bathroom is bigger, and there’s now room for a longstanding dream of co-owner Dave Epworth: live music.
Epworth didn’t make a big announcement when Mel’s Tearoom re-opened for dine in service last week. Instead, he was hoping that a slow return of customers would allow his new staff time to acclimatize to serving in the newly-renovated landmark Sackville diner.
Hear Epworth talking about the renovations and his plans on Tantramar Report:
Over the course of the pandemic, Dave and his partner Wendy Epworth took the opportunity to do some renovations at Mel’s. But in an iconic diner with a 75+ year history at its current location, change can be hard. Mel’s stalwarts will be glad to know that the changes don’t appear dramatic.
Epworth says the real test was when previous owner Roger Goodwin came into the newly renovated space.
“He sat in here, and with a puzzled look on his face, and he couldn’t figure out what was different,” says Epworth. “And he was here every day for 40 years. So to me, that’s a bit of a testament that what we did was was okay. And people are going to accept it.”
The Epworths refinished the diner’s black and white tile floors, restored the natural wood trim on the booths, and replaced the tiny bathrooms with a new, larger restroom. They also relocated one booth to make way for a server station, and removed the left hand side counters to make way for movable tables and chairs. There’s also a cozy fireplace surrounded by couches.
The idea is to make use of the new more flexible space to host live music events. The first such event is on August 8, a songwriter’s circle featuring Kenny James, Alex Madsen and Jason Haywood. It’s a pay-what-you-can event with tickets available through Festival by the Marsh.
“We’re pretty excited to do that,” says Epworth, a musician himself. He notes that Sackville lost a great local music venue in Thunder and Lightning last year, and before that, George’s Roadhouse. “So we’re hoping to at least take up part of the torch, as far as venues go,” he says.
“We’re pretty excited and hopeful that people are going to be into it and hopefully embrace Mel’s as a music venue going forward,” says Epworth. The restaurant is also open to hosting private events like parties or weddings, says Epworth.
The Epworths certainly seem to be opening a new chapter in the history of Mel’s, while keeping the feel and look of the original. Although people tend to resist change, says Epworth, it is necessary. “You make the changes that you need to, to remain competitive and to do your business,” he says, while also leaving something for “people to reminisce about when they come in.”
“Mel’s got a lot of people through university,” says Epworth. “And they come back in here and everything still feels the same.”
