Twist, but no Shout just yet
Yellowknife's newest club is on its way in new year
Jessica Davey-Quantick
Northern News Services
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Yellowknife won't get to shout until the new year, according to one of Twist & Shout's owners, Jason Perrino.
He and his business partner Colin Snow are in the process of expanding their current restaurant, Twist, into Twist & Shout. With the new branding, Twist will remain a restaurant in its current space with Shout expanding downstairs, in the form of a nightclub.
Perrino says Shout should be ready to open its doors in January.
"Ever since we took over in January 2015 we've been working on it and working on it and working on it," said Perrino. "People keep asking me when is Shout opening, it's kind of like, 'It's coming!'"
He said it would have been nice to open the dance venue with a New Year's Eve bash.
"It didn't happen last year, and it didn't happen this year, so maybe it'll happen next year," he said.
"It'll be a dance bar, it'll be like what we did at After 8, so it'll be our entertainment venue."
Snow said the duo have hired not one - but four - DJs to take care of entertainment in the new space.
"When it comes to us hiring talent, we give creative licence," he said. "If we could do it ourselves, we would do it ourselves, but if we hire people who have the skills we kind of let them spread their wings and fly," he said.
The space will include a bar, dance floor, and two levels of raised seating.
Perrino said the club will host theme nights as well as their regular Yuk Yuks comedy nights and other special events.
Twist is also set to get a facelift.
And with a nod to Northern winters and the need for snowpants, Shout will feature an indoor line-up and a coat check, which Snow said could be used as a fundraiser for local charities.
The space is still under construction, but the construction should be finished by the end of December. Once the construction is finished, Perrino and Snow will need to have a fire marshal do an inspection and then apply for a liquor licence.
One hiccup that could delay the business is mandatory paid leave, called Donny Days, for government workers that starts Dec. 22 and runs through next week.
"I think the physical space will be ready when the government's on vacation," explained Perrino.
"So it's sort of like the irony is my personal tax dollars fund the fact that the government can stop operating, which then screws up my business plan, and my business. I'm not allowed to get anything licensed until the space is actually done. So it's like chicken and egg."
Perrino said they could technically open the space without a liquor licence, but it's not something they'd consider.
"I think if you're going to open up a dance club where people want to come and dance and drink you have to have the DJ and the alcohol all at the same time, and not just say you've got to go upstairs to have a drink," he said.
Perrino and Snow hope the new venue will draw people downtown.
