The history of dates back to a time when smoking was allowed in B.C. bars but opening on Sunday was prohibited.

Plenty has changed there over the past 42 years, but not everything.

鈥淲e consider this the longest continuously family-owned pub in 性视界传媒,鈥� said Jeff Tennant, who owns the business with brother Mike and sister Sharlene.

Their father Len Tennant and mother Nora opened the pub in 1981 with partners who were bought out a couple of years after Vancouver鈥檚 Expo 86 fair, the arrival of which led to a relaxation of B.C. liquor laws.

Len, who worked as a planner in Vancouver, and Nora, who looked after the books, continued to run the pub until 2000, when the reigns were passed to sons Jeff and Mike, who now run the pub and adjacent liquor store, respectively.

鈥淢y dad liked this area for the pub,鈥� Jeff recalled. 鈥淚t was just a good location near Green Timbers Forest, with Fraser Highway eventually developing, there was no school nearby or any competitors that were within the allowable distance at the time in 1981 鈥� different rules, right? Nowaways you can put a liquor store across the street from a liquor store, it doesn鈥檛 matter anymore. Things have changed.鈥�

Gift Shop playing Tragically Hip tunes at Green Timbers Pub on a recent Saturday night.
For the Tennant family, it's been a long time running the pub in .
(See what I did there?)

My "性视界传媒 Now & Then" story:

鈥� Tom Zillich (@TomZillich)

Today, the Tennant brothers have now operated the pub/store business longer than their parents did, with Sharlene more of a silent partner.

It was a pub only for the first five years, and then the liquor store opened in 1986.

Other pubs have since come and gone and changed ownership, but Green Timbers is still there on 148 Street, south of Fraser Highway.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a fun, wild ride, and there鈥檚 been many, many changes,鈥� Tennant recalled. 鈥淟ike, this wall is where the pub was built originally, only up to here, and then we expanded a little section here, a little section there, several renovations over the years. The 鈥�80s were different when pubs were closed Sundays, and then Expo 86 came around and allowed you to be open on Sundays. You weren鈥檛 even allowed to open on days where they were having elections 鈥� they shut the pubs down so people would vote, otherwise they鈥檇 be in the pub, right?鈥�

Smoking was allowed in the pub, and then it wasn鈥檛.

鈥淭hen we went through the HST, that was always fun,鈥� Tennant added. 鈥淲e had the smoking rooms. There鈥檚 just a lot of peaks and valleys, what is allowed in these businesses, and not, over the years. But we鈥檝e managed to survive, which has been good.鈥�

On a Saturday night in February, Tennant鈥檚 birthday was celebrated there with live music by Gift Shop, a Tragically Hip tribute band.

The pub鈥檚 stage is dual purpose in an area where tables and chairs are, typically.

鈥淭hat used to be an elevated area, and we had the log cabin actually built and constructed into that section. We still refer to that section today as the cabin.鈥�

Wait, a cabin?

Yeah, an actual cabin.

鈥淪taff who are new here wonder about this cabin we talk about, because none of the wood is left anymore,鈥� Tennant explained. 鈥淢y dad was looking to find some old relics for the pub walls, to give it real farming feel in here. They went around to a number of the farms in the area asking if anyone had old wagon wheels, an old sickle or hoe that could put up on the walls, farming equipment. So one old guy says, 鈥榊ou can go to my cabin out the back there and you can have everything. Take the whole bloody cabin if you want.鈥� So that鈥檚 what they did, took the whole thing.鈥�

The partners disassembled the old cabin and rebuilt it in the pub.

鈥淚t had a window cut into it and there was a fireplace in there, an actual cabin. I could probably find photos of it somewhere.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 really comical is that it wasn鈥檛 removed until the very end of smoking in bars,鈥� Tennant added. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a wood cabin with wooden walls everywhere, wooden planks, shingles, everyone smoked in it, and it wasn鈥檛 until the smoking ban was in full effect that a fire inspector came through and said it was a fire hazard and that we needed to take down 60 per cent of the wood. So that鈥檚 when we decided to take it down and get rid of the whole wood look. It was a lot darker back then, a lot fewer windows. The blinds were always drawn. That was the old look of a pub. We decided to open it up with a bunch of windows and make it brighter in here.鈥�

Len Tennant had always wanted to make his pub feel like a tavern in the States, with pull-tabs. By 2000, he began pulling out of the business, but stayed involved as his sons learned the business.

鈥淗e started to enjoy his retirement,鈥� Jeff recalled. 鈥淗e developed cancer in 2010 or 2011. By around 2018, cancer took over and he passed away in June of 2018. He managed to make it to 70 years old. We enjoyed his 70th birthday together as a family and did a final Christmas together and an Easter, and then he passed on.

鈥淢y mother is still around and still lives in the same house,鈥� he added. 鈥淪he鈥檚 the gel that keeps the family together, always organizing dinners and get-togethers and stuff and the very active grandmother. My brother is the final 性视界传媒 resident of the family, and everyone else lives in Langley now. Back then our family home was at 128th and 92nd in 性视界传媒, in the Cedar Hills area. My parents were there until around 2010, close to 30 years.鈥�

With SkyTrain coming to Fraser Highway, the pub and surrounding area might look a lot different in a decade. What will and won鈥檛 be redeveloped remains uncertain.

鈥淭he plans are for high-density,鈥� Tennant noted, 鈥渟o they鈥檙e looking for highrises here and we happen to have the only commercial unit that鈥檚 in the area. Our door gets knocked on quite often by people who want to work with us or purchase us. But I鈥檝e said, 鈥業鈥檒l let you know in about five years. I鈥檓 still happy doing what I鈥檓 doing.鈥� I don鈥檛 really have any desire to leave 鈥� although I hear people tell me all the time that we鈥檝e sold. I鈥檓 like, 鈥極h, yeah, what did we get?鈥欌��

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鈥� ALSO READ: 10 billion trees planted in B.C. since reforestation work began 94 years ago in Green Timbers.