Update on Jan. 18:
Cork and Craft announced on its social media channels on Jan. 18, 2024, that it has been sold.
The post says Saturday, Jan. 20, will be the current owners' last day.
"New owners will announce their plans on the reopening date in early February. Thank you, and we truly appreciate all the love and support over the past 4 years! Cami & Glen," reads the Instagram post from the owners.
*****Original story from Jul 8, 2023 below***************
Although Cork and Craft Taphouse was recently put up for sale, the decision to sell wasn’t easy.
With her other canning business, Yes We Can-Can, blossoming down the Sea to Sky Highway in North Vancouver, owner Cami Tedder said the decision for her and her husband, Glen Suberlak, to sell the taphouse mainly was about balance as she and her family recently moved to that area.
“We’re trying to find the balance between business and lifestyle,” she said. “Having the two businesses is just really tough for balancing our home life and with our two children.”
“It's time to let somebody else take the reins and then create what they want to create,” she continued.
Nestled next to the Sea to Sky Hotel and RideHub, Cork and Craft is currently being listed for $849,000, and the listing website says it’s about 3,300 square feet in size with space for 127 people on the inside and 29 on the patio.
Interested buyers are getting the remaining seven years on the lease, said Tedder.
“There's so much potential with what can be done here,” she said, pointing out its proximity to travellers on Highway 99. “Look at what you can capitalize just from that traffic alone.”
Tedder reflected on one of the major challenges as they were opening: the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We opened in August of 2020, so right in the pandemic,” she recalled.
One of the difficulties that came along with that timeline was they didn’t qualify for government grants since they didn’t have previous information to show how well the business was operating.
“That was a very challenging time for us,” she said.
Nonetheless, Tedder is proud of what they accomplished.
“I don't think a lot of people can say, ‘I opened a restaurant in the middle of a pandemic, and we survived’.”
And she says she’s also “extremely proud” of the “incredible” staff she’s gotten to work with through the years.
While a final goodbye is down the road, ultimately, she feels ready for it.
“I am sad, but I'm also I'm excited because I have not had much of a life for the last little while,” she said with a laugh.
Still, thinking back on the restaurant and Squamish, in general, has her feeling thankful.
“Glen and I both are so grateful for the locals that supported us during a really difficult time,” she said. “For me, if there's anything I can take away from that it's the people of this town, and how I will miss them dearly.”
