George the Barber survived 594 months in his one and only location, but getting through the last six to make it an even 50 years will be a challenge. He is being evicted from the only home his business has ever known.
George Blanis has been doing shaves and haircuts in the little shop behind the front desk of the Simon Fraser Inn/Days Inn since August of 1964 when he moved to Prince George from his native Greece. For 15 years, his father worked alongside him.
"He was 80 years old when he retired and I wanted to at least match his years," said Blanis, 77.
"I have a contract that keeps me in place until June. But they're kicking me out now, I have to be gone by April 1, and I'm going to fight it."
His isn't the only business being pushed out. For example, Ladles Soup and Sandwich shop is listed for sale for $39,000 on Kijiji, sandwiched between ads for a used cash register and a wood splitter machine. The Ladles ad states they have a reputable business but no location. Calls to the Ladles management were not returned by deadline.
An ownership transaction is being blamed for the evictions. Current ownership company Nishin Kanko of Japan is in the process of selling the building and parking lot to an undisclosed local ownership group, and the working plan is to convert it to a Holiday Inn Express.
The new principal owner, should the deal be finalized as expected, told The Citizen under condition of anonymity (pending closure of the deals) that the terms of their contract stipulated that Nishin Kanko properly accommodate the subcontracts within the building.
"It is unfortunate, but it is between him [George the Barber] and the current owner. Our agreement is that come April 1, the building and lands are free and clear," said the new stakeholder.
Another possible eviction is the Canada Winter Games athletes. In 2010, organizers worked out a deal with downtown hotels to create an athletes village based on a bunkbed model done by other cities at previous editions of the Games. Seven downtown hotels - Ramada, Travelodge, Goldcap, Coast Inn, Best Western, Connaught Inn and the Days Inn - were apparently agreeable to this purpose. The Games would pay them each a bulk rate for the conversion and full use of their facilities during the two-week event. About 1,800 athletes would be housed in this way.
"We have seen no such formal documents. As far as we know, there was no signed agreement," said the stakeholder, but he didn't freeze the conversation out.
"We would like to be involved in the Canada Winter Games, it is a great event for Prince George. We are not looking for an agreement outside the norm, and we want a discussion with [Games organizers] to set the stage for all that."
He said the new facility would be a $12 million investment, including the purchase and renovation, making for one of the best appointed hotel facilities in the city.
"It is a complement to what is already happening with the hotels and hospitality development in that downtown area," he said.
"We are not having big meeting spaces, no ballroom, no restaurants. We aren't competing directly with those kinds of hotels all around there. This will bring new guests into the downtown."
There will be an expansion of rooms there, from 74 to 97 and to make room for that, the current cafe, pub, conference spaces and barber shop must go.
Blanis remembers the day he first moved in. His first two haircuts were Cliff Haste and Orv Claffey, both of whom he still sees in the chair. He lists as regular customers the Martin family, the Lloyd family, the Moffat family, Bob Harkins, and many other mainstay names of the young city.
Celebrities also came his way. Hockey superstars Guy Lafleur, Rocket Richard, Tony Esposito, Frank Mahovlich and others have been in to shake his hand. He has given a trim to Member of Parliament Frank Oberle, MLA Ray Williston, premier Bill Bennett, even former Prime Minister Joe Clark.
But his favourite customer encompasses all things sacred to Blanis. Turner Stevenson was a polite little boy who used to brighten his day when he climbed up into the chair for a haircut. That little boy went on to not only play in the NHL, but pull on Blanis's beloved Montreal Canadiens jersey and also win the Stanley Cup. Personalized photos and one of Stevenson's game sticks are now being boxed up for a move into uncertainty.
Blanis said it would cost at least $20,000 to set up shop somewhere else, and even if there were spaces available - he has not found a suitable alternative - it would be difficult at his age to re-establish a presence elsewhere. It takes a lot of haircuts to cover such a move.
He has customers from all over the Central Interior that will arrive at the Days Inn for a haircut when they come back to Prince George only to find the place closed and under renovation.
"Part of my disappointment is not telling them personally," he said.
"I don't get to make my decisions, they [the hotel owners] are trying to do that for me, but I'm not going to just let them do it to me. As far as I'm concerned, that's not the way you do business. I have an agreement, we both signed it."
"I don't know what the current owners arranged," said the new stakeholder, who said he was disappointed that some people were not able to embrace the transaction. The overall benefits to downtown will be exciting, he added.
"We don't consider this part of downtown revitalization. We take a more focused viewpoint," he said.
"We consider our project a continuation of a growing culture of commercial and hospitality development already well underway. I think if you look at the new Delta Hotel being built, the renovations done by the Coast Inn and the Ramada, the Keg, the new BCGEU building, the Wood Innovation and Design Centre, our project, it's pretty easy to see the evidence of that. And I would love to go further. Can you imagine the arts centre we all want being built on our parking lot, right in the middle of all that cultural infrastructure that already exists like the art gallery and the Civic Centre all together? That's what I would love to see. I want the focus of the hotel and hospitality industry to be on the downtown, not out on the highway."
It may not be happening on a highway, but Blanis still feels like he's been told to hit the road.
