Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Walking down Ellice Avenue, many of those living or working in the West End are family with the little orange building at 588 Ellice, right next to the West End Cultural Centre. On the side of the building reads, “King Cob Market Plus” with a list of groceries for sale. 
Over the past couple of months, passers-by may have noticed the building has changed. While still maintaining the same signage on the side of the building, the front has a new name: King Cob Market Pub.
King Cob opened their doors on Friday, Sept. 13th and has been quickly welcomed by the community. 
“We’re getting lots of locals,” Owner Darryl Friesen says. “We’re finding lots of people living in the area needing and wanting some place to go.”
A welcoming atmosphere is instantly felt as patrons walk through the doors, with friendly bar staff, warm lighting and benches running across most of the interior.
Friesen has done everything he can to make sure that as much of the pub as possible reflects the neighbourhood with local beers, artwork and music.
The pub serves up simple snacks, including kaiser buns and beans and rice with arepa – using a recipe Friesen’s friend from Guatemala taught to him.
“It’s the idea of an actual neighbourhood pub, where you need to share,” Friesen says. “So the tagline I use for the bar is your local arts and crafts beer pub.”
Friesen says the building goes back to at least the 1890s, previously having been everything from a rooming house to a pizza place, jeweler, bookstore, and grocer.
Since purchasing the building in 2018, Friesen worked countless evenings and weekends to get the place up and running. These renovations included knocking down the wall that separated the store front and attached dwelling.
With these renovations, Friesen has done what he can to maintain much of the character of the building, reusing wood from the ceiling to make the bartop.
The pub acts as a love letter to the neighbourhood and Friesen’s history within it. The sign outfront says “Est. 1966” in reference to the year his parents met on Furby and Ellice. Additionally, the ceilings are covered with quilt style wallpaper as an homage to his mother’s love of quilting.
Friesen’s goal with King Cob is to have it be a “bone fide neighbourhood pub.” As locals sit at the bar top, many of which Friesen knows the names and stories of, it seems as if King Cob is shaping up to his vision.