‘We’ve had a good run, man’: Saskatoon’s Capitol Music Club for sale, owner says venue not closing

The Dead South perform at the Capitol in this undated photo. (Courtesy: Mitch Lupichuk)

If you’ve ever dreamed of owning a bustling music venue, now is your chance.

Capitol Music Club, one of the city’s only mid-sized venues located in the heart of downtown Saskatoon, is up for sale as a turnkey business. You can take over the business, and its lease, for just over half a million dollars.

Owner Mitch Lupichuk says business is good, but after 13 years he’s ready to slow down and wants to see someone with fresh ideas and energy take the reins.

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“I started the bar when I was 29 years old. I’m 42 now. I’ve been there 13 years. I just got married, [and] I’ve got another business up and running,” Lupichuk told CTV News.

“We’re not closing, we’re not changing anything. We’re trying to improve the business all the time,” he said.

Lupichuk, who initially started the Capitol with a group of partners that included former Sheepdog Leot Hanson, before later buying them out, says he’s stepped back from the day-to-day operations in recent years.

He has a business partner actively managing the business who wants to stay, and is excited at the possibilities new ownership could bring.

“You know, everything’s good. The business is good, and we hope that people continue to support it, and keep our staff working, keep the music going, and keep the tickets selling, because nothing’s changing. [But] there’s always room to make it better.”

With a capacity of nearly 300, or 130 seated, Lupichuk says the Capitol has proven a good fit for breakout artists on the rise, touring comedians or major Canadian acts who want to pack the house for a more intimate performance, including a notable 2022 surprise “barn burner” performance by Toronto’s the Arkells.

Just last week the bar hosted a two-night showcase from Alberta’s master of chicken-pickin’ cowboy country, Corb Lund.

“We’ve had a good run, man. We’ve had a lot of amazing shows,” said Lupichuk.

The club has also found a steady market as a wedding venue — and if you have a future wedding already booked at the Capitol, Lupichuk wants you to know that won’t change.

“Anybody who’s got a wedding booked, or a band that’s booked a year from now, those agreements are going to be protected and taken care of the way they’re supposed to be.”

The Capitol: A piece of Saskatoon history

The bar borrows its name from another historic downtown landmark – Saskatoon’s former Capitol Theatre, an old-school atmospheric theatre that was styled like a Spanish courtyard. It opened in 1929 before being demolished in 1979.

Some pieces of the theatre were saved from the wrecking ball, including the metal “Capitol” sign that now adorns the stage of the venue.

“We approached the Heritage Society,” said Lupichuk, on how they acquired it.

He says they only ended up with a portion of the sign, which was part of a larger piece.

“We were supposed to get the whole sign, so there’s another section of it that’s still just sitting dying in the city yards,” he added.

“We were just like, ‘okay, we’ll take what we can get.’”

They dreamed of restoring it, but the metal had deteriorated significantly after being stored improperly for decades. The piece still belongs to the Heritage Society, with the Cap essentially acting as its custodian.

“We’ve taken really good care of it, and we hope that it’ll stay there forever,” he said.

“There are pieces of that Capitol Theater everywhere.”

“If you go to Hose and Hydrant (now called 3 Hall Public House,) that huge chandelier in there, that’s from Capital Theater, and it’s, like, beautiful.”

The Capitol Music Club also owes a nod to Lydia’s Pub, a hulking, three-floor dingey bar that was a beloved clubhouse for musicians and poets on Broadway Avenue.

After that bar closed, and the historic Farnam Block building was demolished, a lot of the furniture, pews and bric-a-brac went to the Capitol.

For years the Cap carried the torch for Lydia’s popular Tuesday night open mic, where scores of great local bands played their first sets.

Who knows what future bands could be forged on that stage? Lupichuk is excited to find out.

“We got a good spot there. It’s been fun.”