The Davie Village lost another gay club this week as Pulse rebranded itself for the second time since its owners took over the old Fresgo Inn space in 2006.
Pulse’s latest incarnation, now called the Junction Public House, will no longer cater specifically to the gay community, says new co-owner Steve Jennings.
“We’re not going after just one clientele,” he says. “We’re going to be going after the people who live around here: straight, gay, white, black. It’s going to be for everybody.”
Jennings says the move to rebrand and broaden the pub’s clientele stems from the current economic climate. “It just wasn’t working before. There was very little support from the community so we had to broaden it. It was just a business decision that had to be done to survive.
“I’ve never run a gay nightclub in the village before but talking to all the managers and owners from around here, business seems to be down,” he notes. “It was a tough time for Pulse Nightclub to come on board during the economic crunch, for sure.”
Jennings is enthusiastic about the Junction Public House’s new “pub-slash-club” style. “No one’s really offering what we’re offering,” he says. “You come in here on a Friday after work you might be catching a hockey game, get some chicken wings or a burger, and then you can stay late. At 11 pm a DJ will come on and you can do some dancing. Really it’s kind of all here.”
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