A former Edmonton nightspot has reopened under the union label.

The popular southside location, at one point home to Goose Loonies and later on the Thunderdome, has been resurrected as the Union Hall.

The facility is now up and running, having embarked on a $1.2-million investment to renovate the 14,000-sq.-ft. space.

Gateway Entertainment, already established in south Edmonton with three other entertainment concepts – two branches of Hudsons Canadian Tap House, the high-tech Standard Dance Club and the college-oriented Armoury Dance Lounge – quickly snapped up the legendary hotspot when it came on the market in late April.

Photos courtesy of Chris Kourouniotis, Wolski Design Group Ltd.
The Union Hall is a long-time nightclub spot in Edmonton with a new theme appealing to a broad mix of customers.

“It’s a known nightclub destination, a nightclub landmark,” said Mike Yasinski, president of Gateway Entertainment.

“We wanted the spot to ourselves. We said we’d like to be in business there – we’d be content to have the success of Goose Loonies or the Thunderdome concept. All those years, thousands of Edmontonians have frequented that destination. They know that spot as a nightclub spot.”

But while Yasinski said that was the No. 1 reason for opening a new operation at 6240 99 St., it was not the only one.

“From a real-estate perspective, this is more of a defensive move. It enabled us to keep any competitor out of the current space the Union Hall is in. Somebody would have taken that space and could have potentially hurt our other businesses in that area,” said Yasinski, whose operations are based in a 25-block southside quadrant that stretches to include Whyte Avenue.

“My philosophy is that I’d rather compete with myself than another competitor,” said Yasinski.

The Union Hall’s interior is designed to resemble a roadhouse, blending country with a bit of rock.

“At least that way I can control my own destiny.”

However, even though Yasinski used to frequent Goose Loonies back in its heyday in the 1980s when the disco-era club was on most peoples’ radar screens, owning a nightclub wasn’t even on his drawing board at that time.

Today, after a 90-day process of gutting the building entirely on the inside and implementing the Union theme, Yasinski is proud of his latest addition and the design work put into play by the Wolski Design Group Ltd.

“The design is loosely based on a roadhouse,” said Chris Kourouniotis, an associate with Wolski who specializes in the hospitality sector. “What we mean by roadhouse is country and a bit of rock, balancing the feel between the two.”

To obtain that feel, the interior features a mixture of brick, concrete, corrugated metal and rough-sawn spruce. “It’s very warm and a good union of finishes – so that everyone will find the space attractive,” said Kourouniotis.

Spread over two floors, the Union Hall greets patrons with a two-storey rotunda entrance and slate floors. Meanwhile, a huge mural of late country legend Johnny Cash watches over the 400-sq.-ft. entrance, which opens onto approximately 8,000 sq. ft. on the main floor. The dance floor, which occupies about 40 per cent of the main floor with its own stage and disc jockey booth, takes centre spot.

The floor is flanked by The Highway and Back Alley bars, each themed along their respective namesakes to create a roadhouse feel. The Highway bar itself is 20 feet long, which Kourouniotis describes as an average size for an Edmonton bar. Its Back Alley counterpart, however, is 72 feet long.

Meanwhile, a VIP area in the back corner consists of its own beer tub – a quick-service mini bar geared to serve bottled alcohol such as beer or coolers – as well as booth seating.

Upstairs, with about 6,000 sq. ft. of space accessible from two strategically placed stairways, comfort levels are raised as a more lounge-like atmosphere kicks in.

Patrons can look down on the dance floor below or choose the western portion’s VIP/billiard area and a 40- person Cadillac booth, named as such because of its size. The area is serviced by the AC/DC bar, a corner bar about 26 feet in length.

The eastern part of the second level includes the 43-foot Shop bar, which is designed on a balcony-like platform overlooking the dance floor. Geared to parties or activities for 40 to 50 people, this is designated as a VIP area, though it will be open to the public when special events aren’t booked into the space.

The upstairs finishes off with a VIP balcony, an area that hangs right over the dance floor. Holding about eight to 10 people, it’s similar in concept to the special-event boxes found in NHL arenas.

The VIP sections are reserved during certain hours for people who phone ahead to book space, a move Kourouniotis said is highly appreciated in the nightclub business. However, Union Hall celebrates all people who want to go out and have a good time, said Yasinski.

“It’s a bar that plays a real mixture of music in a warm environment with no pretensions,” he said, noting that you’re just as likely to find an 18-year-old there as you are to see someone who is 45, or a doctor chatting with a mechanic.

Early reaction to Union Hall is positive, said Yasinski, where the only union dues are the $5 cover charge. But pulling out a newly issued Union Hall union card gets a member and a guest in free of charge for one year. The $49 card also entitles the member to monthly newsletters, special Union Card parties once to twice a year and perhaps, most importantly, not having to wait in line to get in.

“The format is there is no format,” said Yasinski. “It’s about the songs you know, with the friends you’ll get to know.”

Or as the promotional material puts it: “We’re not raising the bar, we’re lowering the stools. Because the only labels here are on the bottles.”

(Laura Severs can be reached at laura@businessedge.ca)