EDMONTON, AB – The Edmonton Journal and Global Edmonton are reporting that a sudden and unexpected rent increase set to go into effect next month is forcing Amber’s Brewing to look for a new home.
According to the reports, Amber’s has been in its current location since 2007, using the 1000 square feet that it was renting, plus an additional 1000 square feet that landlord Kenneth Lee offered at no additional cost due to it being unrented. With the expiry of the five year lease, Lee now wants to triple the rent being paid for the space, something that the brewery cannot afford.
Amber’s owner Jim Gibbon tells the Journal that he doesn’t blame Lee for wanting to maximize his returns in Edmonton’s booming lease market, but he hopes to find a new location soon for what he describes to Global as a “panic move we have to make”.
[Photo from Global Edmonton website]