If you’ve been to the Economy Shoe Shop recently you may have wondered where the rest of it is.
The iconic downtown Halifax bar has shut down its entire back section and owner Victor Syperek said more changes are coming.
“We hate to see it go, but I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t have to,” he said.
The Shoe Shop has been leasing the back area from developer Louis Reznick, who owns the old Sam the Record Man building on Barrington Street. Sypreak said Reznick was keeping the back portion of the bar on a month-to-month lease since the spring.
As the weather grew cooler the back area became too cold for customers. Syperek said he didn’t want to spend money on a heating system if their lease could be pulled at any month, so after October, he will not be paying for the space any longer.
“He (Reznick) has some vague plan to totally renovate Barrington Street,” Syperek said. “I have no idea what his plan is. Ask him.”
Reznick couldn’t be reached for comment by late yesterday.
The popular downtown bar is losing capacity for about 60 people plus two party rooms for private functions. But upcoming renovations to the bathrooms should open up the main area.
“By redoing the bathrooms we can open up quite a bit of space and we’re going to gain about 40 seats back,” Syperek said.
