Spur property sold to developer

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The Silver Spur, a favourite bar of many local residents and students, closed as of May 4. The property has been sold to developer and current owner of the neighbouring Waterloo Stage Theatre, Jeff Zavitz.

The Spur celebrated its thirteenth anniversary on the weekend prior to its closure. Offering karaoke, food and patio seating facing King Street, the business had been very successful.

In buying the Spur, Zavitz hoped that the previous owner, Tom Ferguson, would maintain the establishment for a few more years.

โ€œWhen we originally bought it, I thought that the owner of the Spur would keep renting it back for a while. It was only to the very end of our negotiation that he decided to close,โ€ explained Zavitz.

Future projects for the establishment are still undefined.

โ€œHonestly at this point we havenโ€™t even started planning,โ€ said Zavitz. โ€œAny redevelopment will be a couple of years before it happens.โ€

The current building is in need of some renovations which, depending on new projects, could become quite extensive.

โ€œWeโ€™re certainly open to someone coming in with a proposal that requires major changes,โ€ said Zavitz in addressing the possibility of new tenants.

To date, Zavitz has only spoken with interested parties in an informal setting and has yet to receive any offers.

Since the Spur closed, surrounding businesses vary in their expression of any changes in the volume of business theyโ€™ve received.

Both the Fox and Fiddle and Failte have reported no change in the number of customers coming in.

โ€œBusiness as usual,โ€ said April Bezpaly, a server at Failte.

On the other hand, Shannon Slusei, a server at Ethelโ€™s, noted that there has been an increase in customers in the week following the Spurโ€™s closure. Slusei commented that the new crowd has been primarily interested in their patio.

With the majority of students having left Waterloo for the summer, their impact on business for Uptown bars wonโ€™t be noticed until the fall.

โ€œWait until September rolls around,โ€ said Bob Leis, manager of the Fox and Fiddle.

Zavitz is still exploring the many possibilities in the long-term plan for the Spur and the Waterloo Stage Theatre.

โ€œIt could be multiple buildings, it could be one building, it could be expanding the theatre; anything is on the table at this point.โ€


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