LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - Sitting at one of the round tables in their establishment the owners of the Ice Breaker Lounge admit they never thought they would own a bar.

"Owning a bar wasn't exactly in our lifetime goals. It just happened by default," said Wendy Groat.

Wendy, from left and Kirby Groat along with Brian Jaffray are co-owners of the Ice Breaker Lounge in Fort Simpson. Terry Jaffray, not pictured, is also a co-owner of the establishment. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

Wendy and Kirby Groat along with Brian and Terry Jaffray are the co-owners of the Ice Breaker Lounge in Fort Simpson. While being a bartender wasn't on their agenda offering high end accommodations in the village is.

The Groats opened Deh Cho Suites in 2005. In 2007 they began looking at expanding their bed and breakfast. Due to difficulties in obtaining permits to build on the lot beside their current business, the couple looked at other locations.

They found the best available commercial lot but, "unfortunately it had a bar on it," said Kirby.

The Groats recruited their close friends the Jaffrays for what came next. In May, after almost a year of work that included meetings, business plans and financing, the partners took possession of the building that houses the Sub Arctic Kitchen and what was then the Sub Arctic Lounge. The lot came paired with another property across the main street that currently has an empty trailer on it.

The end goal is to build a facility, with approximately 20 rooms, that will offer high end accommodations, said Wendy. The partners are looking at a two year time frame in which to build The Polar Ice Inn on the empty space on one of the two lots.

Better commercial accommodations are something that Fort Simpson needs, said Brian. Although the options have expanded, the village still has the stigma of having a shortage of rooms.

Brian, who has never been involved in the private sector, said he was interested when Kirby approached him with the business idea. This is something that will improve the community and increase its capacity, said Brian.

The project has been both a learning experience and an interesting challenge, he said.

For now the partners are focusing on the building they do own. The Sub Arctic Lounge underwent extensive renovations before opening its doors as the Ice Breaker Lounge on May 7, coincidentally the ice broke on the Mackenzie River at the village on the same day.

All that's left of the original lounge is the mirrors on the walls, some exposed beams, the band nook and the pool table. Gone is the black and dark red colour scheme and the western facade.

The goal was to have something clean and modern, said Brian.

After six weeks of day and night renovations by local labourers and contractors, the lounge has ginger root coloured walls with purple and gold accents. The flooring and the bar are also new. The lounge sports four flat screen televisions, a video projector and wireless Internet.

The bar looks very different than what people had grown accustomed to, but most of the responses have been very positive, said Wendy.

The lounge hosts a jam night every Wednesday that is gaining in popularity.

"There's more and more people coming all the time," said Brian.

There's also a country and western night on Saturdays. In the winter the options might be expanded to include karaoke and Rock Band competitions, Brian said.