A new country-themed bar called The Barn is set to open in the Guildford building previously occupied by The Taphouse.

Following renovations and rebranding, a "soft opening" is planned this week, according to Owen Coomer, a year on the job as Chief Operating Officer of The Taphouse Modern Taverns.

"We're creating a new brand," Coomer said Wednesday (Jan. 8). "We only have one shot at this, and I want it to feel really exciting and special for people when they come in. I'm getting a lot of positive feedback and so far, people are really itching for this."

The Surrey site is where The Mirage dance club opened in 1997, at 15330 102A Ave. By 2014, the two-level building was renovated and reincarnated as The Taphouse.

A year ago, Coomer and Wayne Ferguson formed a new ownership group of the 500-seat Taphouse Guildford, granted  on land where Surrey city council approved a 22-storey tower development in the fall of 2023.

In September, The Taphouse returned to , but that experiment lasted only a couple of months due to smallish crowds and higher entertainment costs.

Then on Dec. 31, hours before a New Year's Eve party at the bar, owners announced the closure of The Taphouse on Facebook and .

"We want to thank you all for the amazing memories we've made together at Taphouse Guildford," read the announcement. "We can't wait to welcome you into this new space. Get ready for something completely unique and exciting, a fresh concept that's going to blow you away.… We can't wait to build a brand-new family at this incredible new space."

Coomer said it's been a tough year for The Taphouse, triggering plans for a rebrand. 

"We ended up losing money last year, and we were down $930,000 in revenue, you know, compared to the year before," Coomer told the Now-Leader. "It's not all our fault here, you know. Like, the hospitality industry is really, really struggling. There's so few places that are either breaking even or doing, you know, 10 per cent profit. In Canada that's why we're seeing the most restaurant closures we've ever seen. People aren't spending as much money, they don't have as much money to begin with, everything costs just that much more, you know, to purchase, and then you have to try to fend off against all your competitors, stuff like that."

With just a year left on the lease of the space in Guildford, Coomer says now is the time for a country bar there, with few other such options locally.

"We are renovating — not a full reno, because we only have it until the end of the year, but when you go in there, it'll feel like a different place," he said. "I'm hoping to be the premier country bar, somewhere between Gabby's, Roosters and Boone County. We're a big enough venue, and I'm hoping that by the end of the year, maybe the landlords aren't ready to construct (the tower) yet and we stay here, a lease extension and keep it going. But ultimately the goal is that we create a brand that we can move somewhere else.… But at some point this place will go, it'll be torn down, and we know Guildford will change."

As for entertainment at The Barn, Coomer said exact plans are still being finalized. 

"This coming Saturday, for instance, I've got a country duo that's gonna be there, and the plan is that we most likely are gonna be doing a band or a duo on the Saturdays, and then have a DJ on Fridays, line dancing and a DJ," Coomer said.

Surrey-based  is the real estate development and management company that wants to build a 22-storey mixed-use highrise on the site with 296 housing units and groundfloor commercial space.