Reborn from Fire: Art Restoration for the North Country Club
Just three days after completing the build on local musician Elliot C. Way’s concert bar, The North Country Club, tragedy struck. What was meant to be a joyful launch, a celebration of sound, art, and community, quickly turned into a heartbreaking nightmare.
Less than a month ago, Elliot opened the doors to his lifelong dream, a hidden gem beneath the old Dayton Boots on Hastings Street. Renovating the space in three quick weeks, with the help of friends and a lot of elbow grease, the basement space was reborn as a world-class honky tonk and listening room. From April 17–20, the venue was alive with music, laughter, and community spirit, quickly becoming a home for artists and fans alike.
But in the early hours of a Wednesday morning, a devastating fire—caused by arson—engulfed the building. Vancouver’s heroic fire department responded with full force working tirelessly to salvage what they could of the buildings, pumping 5,000 gallons a minute over a period of six hours. The venue, being in the basement, was under six feet of water. Equipment was destroyed, and many of Elliot’s original, irreplaceable artworks were nearly lost to water and smoke damage.
In the aftermath, Elliot reached out to us at Petley Jones Gallery to help restore some of his damaged concert posters — deeply personal extensions of his music and artistic vision. We understood what they meant to him. After a careful restoration process, we were able to salvage and preserve these meaningful pieces.
“Words cannot express the gratitude I have to have been able to rescue, salvage and restore some of my original, priceless, sentimental pieces of art that were damaged and nearly destroyed by water and smoke from the fire,” Elliot told us.
We are honoured to help Elliot preserve a piece of his musical journey.
Despite early fears of condemnation, there’s now hope the building can be restored. The community rallied fast—raising over $34,000 through Elliot’s GoFundMe campaign. Now, on Saturday, May 31 at the Vogue Theatre, more than 15 artists will come together in a powerful night of music and solidarity to support the future of The North Country Club and celebrate the spirit that built it.
As a musician and discerning collector of rare guitars for over 50 years, Mr. Matt Petley-Jones was eager to assist in recovering such impressive music paraphernalia and to support the local live-music scene.
Let’s come together and keep the spirit of The North Country Club alive. We hope you’ll join us at the benefit concert.
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