A plan to turn the old CN Train station in downtown Kamloops into a new craft distillery has been derailed by COVID-19.

“The fit was perfect and we had a great plan – even the vendor who sold the building thought so – but it was just simply that nobody would come forward and invest in the hospitality sector in the height of COVID,” John Hromyk, the President of Iron Horse Venture, told NL News.

While it meant Hromyk and his group could not close on a deal to buy the iconic Kamloops building, he says they haven’t given up on plans for the Iron Horse Distillery just yet.

“As we know Kamloops has some of the best water in North America so we want to be able to develop products that will reflect the vibe of the town and get our products on the shelves across Canada and internationally,” Hromyk added.

“Restaurants were deprived of any kind of investment but now that everything is coming back, there are new sources of capital being made available to us for our plans.”

Hromyk is also excited for the owners of the Twisted Steak steakhouse who are moving from Rogers Way in Aberdeen into the old train station building this September.

“That location that the steakhouse is going into, I congratulate them because it is just one of the hidden gems of Kamloops,” Hromyk said. “We think the boys are going to do a great job down there. We’d like to be a part of their [venture] and we’ll engage with them where we can.”

“Having someone else doing the restaurant business would probably be a better fit as we’re not restaurateurs, we’re distillers.”

Built in 1926-27, the train station building was designated as a heritage railway station in 1992. It was owned by Kelowna-based Culos Group, though it had been for sale ever since The Keg closed down in 2016.

Hromyk says he’s got his eye on a couple of other properties in Kamloops – including a pair right next to the old train station building – noting there should be some kind of an announcement about what the plans are for the Iron Horse Distillery in the next month or two.