An iconic Red Deer bar and live music venue that has permanently closed its doors hosted a garage sale to sell off its remaining items.
The Velvet Olive announced in March that the building owners will be bringing a new tenant into the space currently occupied by the bar. The Velvet Olive has been a staple in downtown Red Deer for musicians and visual artists since 2005.
"This a place has always been a community hub for artists and people who appreciate live music," owner Kyle Key said.
"Usually when a venue closes, it's usually an abrupt thing. We got 90 days notice, so we were able to announce it and everyone got a proper goodbye."
Twenty-six people performed at the Velvet Olive's final open mic night. That's more than double the usual number of people who perform at the venue's open mic nights.
"Typically people will play three songs, but we cut it down to two so we could get more people up. Some people were giving away their second song to others who didn't get the opportunity to play. It was really cool to witness how that community cares and supports each other," said Key.
The final night featured a sold-out show with The Secret Beach, Kacy Lee Anderson and Shaela Miller.
"It was a nice warm closure to the venue," he said.
Recently, the business launched an online auction to sell off items at the bar. Items that weren't sold through that auction were put up for sale during a garage sale at the Velvet Olive on Saturday, May 17. Some people were lined up outside of the business even before the garage sale had begun at 11 a.m.
"The closure came as a bit of a shock, so we didn't have a lot of time to prepare. We're having this garage sale today with the remaining stuff that we have," said Key, who took over the Velvet Olive six years ago.
"Over six years you accumulate a lot of stuff. ... We've got a lot of kitchen equipment, glassware, bar items, light fixtures, furniture and that sort of thing."
It's unclear at this time if there will be more Velvet Olive garage sales before the end of the month, but Key said that is a possibility. Anything that doesn't get purchased will likely be donated to a charity, he added.
Key said he hopes people go out and support live music.
