A “lifelong dream” was realized at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 28 as Kevin and Jackie Seward, Brent Johnson and Jennifer Mummery purchased the Marysville Pub from previous owner Hung Khuu.
“My wife and I have been wanting to buy this bar for 18 years and then the current owner wanted to move on so we had the opportunity to buy it from him, so that happened at 2:30 yesterday afternoon officially,” explained Seward. He and his wife Jackie have been in Marysville since 2005.
“A lifelong dream,” added Johnson, who was born and raised here.
Also joining the team as a managing partner and owner, is Jennifer Mummery. She’s the current manager of the Marysville Pub and has been in the job for the past decade, but her first job there was as a dishwasher when she was 14 years old. Now she is one of the pub’s owners.
“I still have visions of mountains of dishes piled up,” she said with a laugh. “I’m kind of old school when it comes to professionalism and just service, service service.”
“Every time she ever served us when we were here as patrons, we thought ‘man Jen is awesome,’” explained Seward.
Locals and regulars of the MVP, as it’s sometimes known, certainly know they can always expect great service, great food and great times.
None of that will change, say the new owners.
“The more things change the more they stay the same, but look for some improvements,” Johnson said.
They plan to try for their grand opening in three months, they just need to decide if they will do it before or after Marysville Daze.
No structural changes are planned and the pub will remain open until the grand reopening, though Seward said they may close early for an evening in three months to give the interior a fresh coat of paint.
One of the things set to change is the pub’s schedule, as the new owners plan to extend its hours of operation.
Another exciting development is their plan to reopen the beer and wine store attached to the pub, ideally by the beginning of April.
Seward said they are submitting the new floor plan to the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCBR) inspector. This will also serve as a take-out food pickup location, however if you like to have a beer and wait for your to-go order, you’re still welcome to do that too.
With the extended hours and the reopening of the beer and wine store, this will mean the new owners will be looking to hire some new staff, to join the existing team of employees.
Live music, meat draws, jam nights and the occasional DJ show will all still be on the pub’s calendar going forward, but Seward said they will also be putting a big focus on sports.
Major events like Super Bowls, Grey Cups, Stanley Cups and playoffs will always be shown, and if you want them to ever change a TV to your particular sport of choice, just ask.
The first dollar ever spent at Marysville Pub still hangs framed on the wall behind the bar, next to the Hawkins Cheezies — a King George dollar from 1940, a nod to just how far back the bar’s history goes.
“It’s been here a long time and we want to keep it going for a long time,” Jackie said.
“We’re just super excited, because we’re locals and we bought this pub to continue to grow,” added Kevin.
Kevin first moved to Marysville from Calgary in 2005, with his wife moving here in 2007.
They first met when Jackie was working in the film industry. Kevin was working as Ski School director at Fortress Mountain. He fell in love with Kimberley and the surrounding area when he came to ski here over 30 years ago.
He had a place in Marysville and when they first came here together, the Marysville Pub was the first place they went to together.
“When I came here the first time I fell in love with Kimberley,” Jackie said. “We married in 2007 and have enjoyed living here and raising our 2 kids in the community.”
Kevin’s spent most of his professional live in Kimberley as a finance manager and also owns another business, and said that he loves his town, neighbours and the community and he sees this as an opportunity to give back to the community he loves.
Johnson’s background is in the automotive industry. In 1953 his grandfather opened up a British American service station in Marysville. He is the third generation in his family to continue working in his family dealerships in Marysville, Golden, and Kelowna before moving back home to pursue new opportunities.
paul.rodgers@kimberleybulletin
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter