New urban winery in Penticton taking shape

PENTICTON – Construction off an urban winery in Penticton is so far, on time.

Time Winery co-owner Harry McWatters says renovations to the old Penmar movie building in Penticton are proceeding “at a nice pace.”

“The weather is getting better, we’re getting ready to put a new front on the building, and we are hoping to be there by late spring,” McWatters says.

An occupancy and liquor permit still need to be procured, but McWatters said the winery has its manufacturing permit.

Renovations included the removal of the former theatre’s lobby and ticket area, something McWatters says was unfortunate but necessary.

“As much as we tried to keep it intact, the layout just created too many problems for us. We needed more space to accommodate the new kitchen and bring everything up to code, and the building needed seismic upgrades, as well as two staircases to the second floor mezzanine,” he says. It was going to cost more money and result in less useable space to maintain the existing layout.

Three of the theatre rooms will be used for production, and one will remain for other uses, including showing films.

“Expect to see some pretty radical changes in the next little while,” he says.

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