In yet another sign that a Barrington Street renaissance is in the works, brother and sister team Heather and Christian Rankin will soon open the Obladee Wine Bar at the former Frozen Ocean locale, 1598 Barrington Street. “It was really important to keep it small and neighbourly,” says Heather Rankin during a break from the noisy renovation work. “We looked at a lot of places, but I knew we had it when we saw this.”
Indeed, the Neptune Theatre around the corner will sure to be a draw as theatre-goers stop by before and after shows, but Rankin anticipates a broader clientele. “It’s not a date place, and not a special occasion place. You don’t have to dress up to come here. I see a mixing of secretaries and students, people getting off work, a casual meet-up place.”
A web designer who has worked in New York and London, Rankin moved back to Halifax specifically to open Obladee. While renovations proceed, she’s taking sommelier classes, adding to her already extensive knowledge of wine. But Obladee won’t be an off-putting place for aficionados only, she assures.
“There are lots of wine bars in town, but wine by the glass is not really available in Halifax,” she explains. “We want to provide a good selection, at good value.” That means wine in the $7 to $12 per glass range, in a comfortable setting with cheeses and local breads for pairings.
This article appears in Aug 5-11, 2010.
Barrington renaissance? You been there lately? It is such a depressing street, full of failed storefronts, boarded-up windows and empty shops. After 6PM the only people there are derelicts and panhandlers. Even Tim’s had to leave, and that’s pretty bad. It is testament to HRMs mishandling of their development priorities and the Heritage Trust’s success in obstructing every new development for the downtown. As for this place, I wish them luck. Their next-door neighbors will be the kids from the Khyber who will probably drive away many potential customers. But maybe it will give the wine snobs a place to go and keep them out of the fun bars.
Gooood luck Heather!
Looking forward to visiting when you open 🙂
I can’t wait for this place to open – Congratulations Heather!
Can’t wait to hang out there with the other #halifaxchicks!! Congrats on the new business, so excited for you!!
Hey, Bo Gus, you did not happen to notice what took Timmy’s place, did you? Shows how disconnected from reality you are. The next door neighbour is Venus Envy. Other neighbours include Neptune Theatre, Durty Nelly’s, and, of course the place right across the street where Tim Horton’s used to be. Plus, being one block down from Argyle, I can see many people trying to avoid that mess and seek out a quiet place to have a drink and actually talk.
There is a renaissance happening down there. Let’s hope the Sam the Record Man building project gets going soon enough to solidify it.
Excellent – can’t wait to become a regular Heather 🙂
Fantastic! This is just the kind of unique place we need downtown. Not that a 50th Irish pub opening would be all that bad, but people are looking for something a bit more sophisticated without being pretentious… unless you insist patrons wear top hats. I would find that slightly pretentious.
Good for you guys, Heather! Looking forward to doping by.
Having a more extensive wine by the glass menu option will be appreciated by those who enjoy tasting new wines. Good wines and a cool, relaxed vibe works for me. I look forward to dropping in regularly. Good luck Heather and Christian!
Fantastic! This is just the kind of unique place we need downtown. Not that a 50th Irish pub opening would be all that bad, but people are looking for something a bit more sophisticated without being pretentious… unless you insist patrons wear top hats. I would find that slightly pretentious.
Good for you guys, Heather! Looking forward to doping by.
Obladee la daa yaaa! Can’t wait.
Very exciting! All the best with your new venture. We look forward to stopping in when we’re in Halifax once Obladee is open.
Is Obladee hiring? How can I get in touch?
When and where will you start hiring, when is the opening date
@Bo Gus — what’s a “fun bar” to you? I’m guessing The Dome…perhaps you’d be more comfortbale in Lower Sackville?
I was there last Saturday night with a group of seven. The first two to arrive had to wait 20 minutes before being asked if they would like anything. Had they not been waiting for the rest of our party they would have left. After we all had arrived, the service went from bad to worse. No welcome, no smile, no eyecontact, no “what can I get you”, NO SERVICE whatsoever. We felt like we were a burden to our server; who we later discovered was one of the owners.
Sadly, I will not be back.
I have been there for the past few nights… great service, and great knowledge… tried some new brilliant wine and will be there lots. So nice to have something different downtown then a pub like everything else.