A lot of Penticton businesses were beaten down this summer when the BC government issued a wildfire-induced travel ban in mid-August, just days before a rockslide slammed onto Hwy 97 just north of Summerland.
One of those businesses was The Dream Café. The smallish, much-loved live music venue on Front Street that's been run by a local co-operative since the middle of last decade was hit immediately with a backlash of canceled appearances. It was then forced to refund $40,000 in ticket revenue.
The resulting cash crunch was brutal. So ownership opted for the auction route. They'd gather a bunch of cool stuff and run an online auction through October, then cap it off with a live auction event at the Café on Nov. 4.
Turns out the plan was pretty good. The goal was $20,000. The online auction raised $18,000 and the live event, with Penticton Art Gallery curator and Café board member Paul Crawford serving as auctioneer, pulled in $12,000.
That's 30 grand, enough to ensure The Dream Café continues making dreams for the foreseeable future.
"It's overwhelming to see the community come together again for our venue," said GM Kevin Rose, who watched Saturday's proceedings unfurl in person. "It's Penticton's music room, and people have always reached out to help when things needed to be done.
"And monetarily, it's huge for us. We were in a really tight spot, but now we have some breathing room. And we have our grant season coming up in January. So this tides us over."
Rose calls the venue a "unicorn," and the sentiment is understandable. The Dream Café brings in quality artists from across the province and the country and sometimes beyond even those borders to a room that seats just over 100 people, and doesn’t charge crazy dollars to attend.
"The talent that comes through here is insane," said Rose. "It doesn’t make any sense that we're able to do this, but we do. And the artists feel the same way. They ask us how this place is even happening."
It also stages events that'll never make bucks but are beneficial to the community. Like film screenings and kids' music camps and Pride Month kickoffs.
"In my first year," said Rose, who's been with the Café since 2021, "we made a profit of $400. So that means we were able to pay everybody, but that’s it. This is not a business for anyone worried about finances.
"The past owners, Pierre and Debra, it was purely a passion project for them. They had to remortgage their house multiple times. And when the community came together and started this co-op, a huge amount of money went to them as appreciation for what they'd done and to help them pay off their debts."
The Café wasn't full Saturday night, but those who were there had no problem reaching onto their pockets. And that's after they'd already bucked up to the tune of $75 each just to walk in the door.
On stage, auctioneer Crawford, capably assisted by wife and fellow board member Julie Fowler, commanded the room. The crowd ate up every quip.
Out in the crowd, people like Diane Bresser-Brown and good buddy Wilma Gibson were having a hoot.
"We're supporting The Dream Café," said Bresser-Brown. "It's been here forever and I'd hate to see it gone. And if we can all pull together, we can keep it going. That's so important."
Gibson concurred.
"We've been here and had dinner and entertainment and enjoyed ourselves and danced and just had a wonderful evening so many times," she said.
"It's a small setting and you get to see the artists and they talk to you and tell you what’s going on in their lives. It's just so enjoyable."
Bresser-Brown equated it to "old-fashioned supper clubs."
"You can come in here have something to eat and listen to music and dance. Doesn’t matter if you don’t know how to dance, you can do it right beside your table."
Afterward, Rose told PentictonNow the Dream Café auction might become an annual event.
"I think we're going to plan to do it every year," he said. "The next one we'll have more time to put it together. We'll have a lot more bells and whistles."
For more info on The Dream Café, head here.
