The Whistle Stop Neighbourhood Pub and the adjacent liquor store aren鈥檛 going anywhere.

Owner Barry Van Dusen had entered into a process to sell the pub and liquor store this fall, but the deal did not go through 鈥� and will not be going through any time soon.

鈥淭here is no deal anywhere,鈥� said Van Dusen. 鈥淭he Whistle Stop Pub is not being sold, and the Whistle Stop liquor store is not moving anywhere.鈥�

Van Dusen had been approached and asked if the pub and liquor store were for sale. He hadn鈥檛 planned to sell, but the price was right, and they negotiated a deal.

Partway through the process, the potential buyers decided to back out, but another company came on board and wanted the same deal, explained Van Dusen.

A few weeks ago, they told Van Dusen that although they knew he wanted to sell the pub and liquor store as a package, they didn鈥檛 want the pub, and they asked if he would sell only the liquor store, he explained.

Van Dusen said he wouldn鈥檛, and he walked away from the deal.

鈥淔eedback from a lot of the customers was they did not like the idea of the store moving to the mall,鈥� said Van Dusen. 鈥淚 had many, many customers express to me the convenience of our location, how easy it is to get in the store.

鈥淭hey liked the location, and a lot of customers expressed concern that a lot of these developers just want to come in and tear down the pub. I always assured them the pub would stay, and there would always be a Whistle Stop Pub, but now we can assure them that for the next number of years, the Whistle Stop Pub and liquor store will be here on this spot.鈥�

This September, Driftwood Mall owners Bentall LP applied to amend the zoning at the Driftwood Mall to allow a private liquor store on the mall property.

Since 2002, the provincial government has had a moratorium on processing new applications for private liquor stores, so Bentall intended to buy the Whistle Stop Beer and Wine Store and move it into the mall. The pub would continue to operate, and associated off-sales would continue.

Council gave third reading to the zoning amendment bylaws, but the bylaws were not adopted.

While Van Dusen says he would have been happy to walk away with the money that was offered, he is now happy to know in which direction his world is going and to be able to make plans for himself and his business.

He is also happy to put to rest rumours about his business that were concerning many customers.

鈥淏ecause nobody in the media came and talked to me about the sale, there were a lot of rumours swirling around the Valley that were inaccurate and created a lot of anxiety for our regulars,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all settled now, and the feedback I鈥檓 getting from customers is they鈥檙e very happy with the outcome as it is.鈥�

writer@comoxvalleyrecord.com