The team behind The Birdhouse is preparing to open Pony Room, a new restaurant, cocktail bar, and event space at 555 Gore Avenue.

Led by partners Paige Frewer, Ryn Broz, Shanique Kelly, and Maureen Orman, Pony Room has taken over the former Emerald space (later Addah Himalayan) but while Birdhouse built its reputation on large-scale events, dance parties, and community programming, Pony Room is designed around a different kind of night out.

Co-owner Ryn Broz explains: “We want to be able to go out, sit with friends in a comfy booth, have a drink, watch a show, and not have it be a club. Pony Room feels like an evolution of what we’ve all been working in: queer events and hospitality; with this project we’re making it more intimate.”

THE VIBE

A single purple door on Gore Street opens into a whole lot more than the street view lets on. Up the staircase and onto the second floor, the space reveals itself as a 150-seat venue spread across a series of rooms: a Lounge, a Dining/Show Room with a stage, and a private back room called The Closet, which comes equipped with a smaller stage of its own.

The layout is clever. Together, the three spaces allow Pony Room to shift registers depending on the night: a DJ set in one room, a drag show or comedy night in another, a quieter evening built around food and conversation somewhere else entirely.

As I arrive to take a look around, a small army of painters, builders, and friends are midway through another long day of work. The pressure is definitely on, but the room is coming together quickly. Finishing a queer-led hospitality project during Pride Month may not have been the original plan, but watching the crew come together to support each other to pull it all off – the timing feels even more fitting.

The team describes the design direction as “1980s cocktail lounge meets 1930s cabaret dressing room.” In practice, that translates to curved booths lined with soft pink velour-style backrests, anchored by a high-gloss bubblegum-pink tiled base that runs the length of the main room. The seating sits beneath a wall of glass block windows that filter daylight into a gentle glow, which contrasts against the darker walls and ceiling.

Overhead, crystal chandeliers hang in remarkable abundance. Many were sourced through Facebook Marketplace, thrift stores, and countless hours of scavenging. There are so many, in fact, that the team could probably open an unofficial chandelier museum during off-hours. And honestly, I’m into it. As you sit back with a refreshing Jungle Bird served in peacock-shaped glassware, it’s hard not to find yourself admiring the surprisingly wide range of chandelier interpretations suspended above your head.

But the chandeliers are just the opening act. Lower your gaze, and the room keeps going. This is a space that has clearly been designed by a team who believe that if one delightful thing is good, seventeen will be better, and then applied that logic to every surface.

There are disco balls (obviously). Pink pony sconces are integrated into the bar. A kitsch painting of a winged horse is tucked into a corner. A plant, a tiny retro TV set and a rotary phone sit on a side table beside a hanging fireplace. And then, ta-da: shots arrive in glass cowboy boot shot glasses on a horseshoe serving tray. Knick-knacks, details, colours, finishes: everywhere you turn, there is evidence that someone chose joy over minimalism.

In fact, the room feels guided by an unofficial motto the team jokingly repeats to one another:

“Before you leave the house, put on one more thing.”

The result is a space that feels part cocktail lounge, part cabaret, part neighbourhood living room, and wholly committed to pleasure over polish. There is glamour here, but it comes with a wink. Theatrical enough to suggest someone in the room probably owns a feather boa, grounded enough that you never feel like you wandered into a costume party. Unless they are having a costume party (which I fully expect they will). On my site tour last week, there was also a lot of laughing happening, which I think is an encouraging sign this close to opening.

Ask the team what they’re most proud of and the answer isn’t a particular finish or fixture. It’s the spaces themselves: the main stage, where much of the venue’s programming will unfold, and The Closet, a tucked-away back room that feels like discovering a secret after-party hidden inside the building.

FOOD & DRINK

Pony Room will also offer food. Chef Konrad Noga was on site during my visit, cooking for the team, which meant I got to taste a few things still in development: tamarind chicken wings, mini bao, that sort of territory. Comfort food with a bit of personality. The kind of menu designed to sustain you through an evening of watching a performance while sitting at a table full of friends.

The cocktail program, developed with help from Vancouver cocktail legend Tadia Rosen and overseen by lead bartender Haley Gawthrop, follows the same line of thought: mostly Classics, with a playful twist that keeps things from feeling predictable. Together, the food and drinks feel like an extension of the space itself: fun, and completely unpretentious. Which, you may not be surprised to learn, is exactly the point.

“We’re coming from a drag background,”  Co-owner Ryn Broz points out. “So we want to blend upscale with something more fun and cheeky. We want it to feel playful and accessible while still having high-quality food, drinks, and entertainment.”

CONTEXT

For all its chandeliers, cabaret influences, and playful excess, Pony Room is also rooted in something more practical: permanence. Until now, the team has built their community in warehouses, borrowed spaces and venues destined for redevelopment. This project represents a different kind of commitment. The lease includes a five-year term, a five-year renewal option, and notably, no demolition clause.

“We’ve lived with a lot of uncertainty over the years,” says Co-owner Paige Frewer. “Even when you find a space that works for events, there’s always the possibility that the building gets sold and/or redeveloped. Birdhouse gave us the opportunity to build an incredible community and prove that people were looking for these kinds of spaces. But a warehouse is a very specific kind of venue. We’ve always wanted to create something more intimate. Pony Room is our chance to put down roots, invest in the community that’s grown around us, and build something that can be here for the long haul.”

Those roots are being planted in a neighbourhood that already means a great deal to the team. Shanique Kelly, who grew up in East Vancouver, describes Chinatown as a place filled with personal memories, favourite businesses, and a sense of connection that made the former Emerald space feel immediately right for Pony Room.

That sense of connection runs throughout the project. Pony Room doesn’t feel like a business looking for customers. It feels like a group of people who have gathered a strong community around them and are now building a home base for it.

If the laughing I heard on my site visit is any indication, they’re off to a very good start. After a few soft-opening events scheduled for June 26 and 27, a grand opening is planned for the first week of July. To begin, the venue will operate 5 p.m. to midnight, with plans to extend those hours once its updated liquor licence is approved. Check out the pictures below and follow along here for updates.

OPENING CREDITS

Paige Frewer / Co-founder & Director
Ryn Broz / Co-founder & Curator
Shanique Kelly / Managing Partner
Maureen Orman / Finance Director
Konrad Noga / Head Chef
Frank Torng / General Manager
Hayley Gawthrop / Bar Lead
Tadia Rosen / Cocktail Program Consultant
Alexandra Hulley / Operations Consultant
Tam Fuller / Lead Contractor