The owner of the building that houses Barrymore’s, the legendary Ottawa nightclub, has opened a cannabis shop on the ground floor of the Bank Street property.
Olympia Cannabis Barrymore’s is the 11th location in the Olympia chain of cannabis stores operated by Louis Antonakas, whose family has owned the building at 323 Bank St. since the 1970s.
The ground floor was renovated to accommodate the new shop, Antonakas said, adding that the former theatre upstairs remains available to “any responsible operator who appreciates live music and understands the business.”
Barrymore’s closed its doors to the public when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020.
But the Bank Street landmark has a long history as the most storied nightlife destination in the nation’s capital. Built in 1914 as the Imperial Theatre, its interior adorned with gilt trim, it was designed to shine during the glory days of the silent-film era.
Over the years, the club served as a strip joint and a disco, but when a team of rock ‘n’ roll-savvy owners came on the scene in the late 1970s, they saw the potential for live music. There was a big stage and room for at least 500 patrons in a multi-level space that allowed everyone a great view.
Many bands of international renown played at the grand old club during this early period, from blues and R and B legends like B.B. King, James Brown and Tina Turner, to hot “new” acts of the ’80s such as U2, Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Pogues and REM.
In the 1990s and 2000s, the raft of memorable shows at Barrymore’s included Radiohead, Toots and the Maytals, Lucinda Williams and many more.
However, as audience tastes changed and fire and safety regulations tightened, decreasing the number of people allowed, it became a challenge to present live music in a limited-capacity club with multiple staircases. Pre-COVID, the club featured more DJs and retro-dance nights than live-music shows.
Antonakos has never been involved in the music end of the business. A former mayor of Carleton Place, he opened his first recreational cannabis store in his hometown in 2021, and went on to establish nine more retail locations in small towns across Eastern Ontario, from Marmora to Chesterville.
The new downtown Ottawa store is situated on a once-vibrant stretch of Bank Street that was all but gutted by the pandemic lockdowns, and is still marked by empty storefronts and an increase in vagrancy.
Antonakos said he has projects in mind that will “contribute to the revitalization of Bank Street and the businesses operating in the area.”
And he reiterated the availability of the upper level for music promoters.
“Barrymore’s is untouched, unchanged and I’m looking forward to meeting anyone who might be interested in occupying the premises and bringing live music to Ottawa,” he said. “That’s always been our goal.”
ground floor was renovated to accommodate the new shop, Antonakas said, adding that the former theatre upstairs remains available to “any responsible operator who appreciates live music and understands the business.”
