For the uninitiated, close your eyes and picture your favourite childhood basement. Was it dimly lit? Where was the dart board? Was the pool table pristine or showing the signs of age? What colour was the beaten-down couch that took the poundings of frustration and jubilation accompanying a Canucks season? Can you smell the beer? Does just thinking about it make you smile?
A step into the Anza Club on Ontario invokes all the homespun charm of that trip back in time.
It's not for everyone the first time I sat on a chair in the Anza Club I walked away with duct-tape souvenirs on my jeans but it truly is for everyone.
Split into two levels, the layout is ... unconventional. Groups part company along gender lines and transition via the bathrooms to take the stairs from one level to the next.
But once you get used to the lay of the land, you'll notice a downstairs members lounge à la the description above offering big-screen sports, one of the city's longest running open mic nights, and bar service with your name on it. A stretch of the legs leads to the upstairs stage and dance floor hosting a hearty stew of cultural significance LGBT events, reggae nights, society meetings, theatre productions and film clubs. In fact, it was the Cold Reading Series upstairs that first had me in the doors.
That said, some of the character was rubbing off to the point where a facelift was in order, and the upper level of the Anza has been closed for five weeks of intensive renos courtesy (in part) of a $120,000 Cultural Infrastructure Grant from the city. The club financed the remainder of the work, almost twice that amount again.
The beer taps now run, resurfaced floors and walls gleam under brand new lighting but it's still the same old Anza.
Started as an expat Australian and New Zealand Association in 1935, the building was purchased by the group in 1963 and left virtually untouched after that. What used to be a church is now home to a close-knit family that regularly opens its doors to the public. Tellingly, those who know it well still refer to it as church.
The Anza is officially taking off the bandages in a big reveal Thursday, Mar. 22 with open mic regulars East Van Yacht Club, Alex Maher, Tonye Aganaba, David Morin, Dan Ross, Jess Vaira and more gracing the stage, topped off by door prizes and "Anza cheap" beer.
New members are always welcome and entry is free for those who take the $10 membership plunge; $7 at the door for non-members, $5 for current members. The Anza is located at 3 West 8th Ave. Show starts at 7:30 pm.
