A 150-year-old building on Pilley’s Island is getting a rebirth as an inn and brewery.
The Bumblebee Bight Inn & Brewery Co. is the province’s latest entry into the craft brewery catalogue and has taken up shop in an old store in the community.
The building has lived a couple of different lives in its century and a half in the area, having been a mercantile store, a general store and apartments before taking on its latest incarnation.
The idea to open a brewery in Pilley’s Island started three years ago for the Deno and Natalie Colbourne, after spending the last 15 summers at their cabin in the area.
On those summer trips home — Deno is originally from Springdale and grew up in Robert’s Arm — they would often see the building that would become the inn and wonder why it had been vacant for so long.
“It had been sitting there for the last 15 summers and every time I drove by, I thought ‘what a beautiful building’,” said Natalie.
Preserving history
While the building has been renovated to give it a bit of a modern feel, there are still historical aspects that remain.
An old door, a safe, pharmaceutical cabinets, post office box and candy machines are all being used in the inn and brewery.
The effort to restore an historic building in Pilley’s Island is appreciated by the town’s heritage society.
“To see them put time and money and effort into putting the building back and trying to keep as much of the history in the building as they could was really good,” said Ben Callahan, a member of the Pilley’s Island Heritage Society.
The Colbournes are trying to add something unique to the Green Bay South area. There will be five deluxe rooms, a restaurant and a taproom with a selection of six locally produced beers.
The restaurant will serve two purposes.
During the day, it will have the feel of a neighbourhood coffee shop. Customers who visit during lunch will be greeted with a serve-yourself coffee station and sandwich area.
In the evenings, the space will flip to a pub-style menu with food tailored to fit with the beers the brewery will be serving.
Pushing through a pandemic
This year hasn’t been easy for any businesses looking to get itself off the ground and the Bumblebee Bight Inn & Brewery is no different.
The original plan was to have its grand opening earlier this summer in time for the tourist season.
Instead, the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays in equipment deliveries, pushing them behind by three months.
Now, instead of looking at the end of their first season, the business is still in the midst of a soft opening. Its restaurant is open, and they hope to open the taphouse and brewery by the middle of September.
The rooms are scheduled to be available later in the fall.
If there is a silver lining to being delayed by the pandemic, it could be that the wait gives the Colbournes the opportunity to look at other parts of the brewery business.
Namely, they were able to get into canning their product and ensuring it gets into the hands of people in other areas of the province when its ready to go.
“We hit a brick wall,” Natalie said of the pandemic struggles. “It gave us the opportunity to make some adjustments architecturally.”
There is belief in the area that the new inn and brewery could be just the tip of things when it comes to showcasing Green Bay South.
The Colbournes love the region and want to see the area get the same love as the northern part of Green Bay.
When things get up and running, they have some big plans to enhance their customer’s experience while also showing off the place they call home.
There are plans for a beer boat tour that would shuttle customers to different parts of the bay that inspired their different products. Customers will get to sample the beers from the spot they’re named for.
Breweries in this province attract people and the hope is Bumblebee Bight will play a heavy role in getting people into the region.
People are excited about that possibility.
“The area is set to explode,” said Natalie. “It is about putting Green Bay South on the map.”
Nicholas Mercer is a local journalism initiative reporter covering central Newfoundland for SaltWire Network.
