31°56′59″S 115°51′37″E / 31.9498°S 115.8602°E / -31.9498; 115.8602

PICA Bar
PICA
Entry of Pica Bar from Cultural Centre walkway
Address51 James St, Northbridge
Perth
Australia
TypeBar, music venue
Website
http://www.picabar.com.au/

Picabar is a bar and music venue located in Northbridge, Western Australia, within the Perth Cultural Centre.[1]

It is situated adjacent to the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (PICA) for which the bar is named.[2]

Description

The bar features an outdoor courtyard with access from the Cultural Centre, near the steps and plaza,[2][3] as well as outdoor tables along the edge of the cultural centre.[4]

As of November 2018, it employs 15 staff.[2]

It operates within the old Perth Boys School building,[2] part of the Perth Central School complex in the early 1900s.[5][6]

History and operations

Picabar is the family business of brothers Brian and Conor Buckley, and Brian's wife Melissa Bowen. It opened in 2012 in a space that was unused and had been boarded up for 12 years.[4][7] The bar owners subleased the space from PICA with a six-month lease, and an option for a longer, ten-year term subject to PICA's lease from the state government being renewed.

PICA's lease was not renewed, and both PICA and Picabar then ended up operating on month-to-month leases.[4] Picabar's owners later stated that they were given assurances there would eventually be a long-term arrangement,[2][7][8] a claim denied by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries' director general Duncan Ord.[9]

Lease renewal dispute

In October 2018, ownership of the precinct was transferred from the government to the Perth Theatre Trust (PTT),[10] which terminated PICA's lease,[9] and hence Picabar's sub-lease, with three weeks notice.[10][9] PICA was to be given a new sublease from the PTT, excluding the bar area, which was to be opened up to an expression of interest process.[9] By early November, the government gave Picabar a temporary reprieve until March 2019,[2] and Culture and Arts minister David Templeman intervened to ensure Picabar's owners would be given the first preference in negotiations.[10]

Public outrage led to a campaign to retain Picabar, culminating in a "Save Picabar" petition on Change.org that attracted 11,000 signatures,[11] including direct competitors and other members of the state's hospitality industry.[12] On 15 October 2019, a new five-year lease was signed,[13] with an option for an extension.[14] The lease requires renovations to be undertaken, with allowance for additional alfresco space.[10] The incident, and the "people power" that saved Picabar, received national media coverage.[15]

The venue was substantially renovated in 2020.[1]

Reception

The bar features prominently in Perth youth culture as a hangout and social fixture. It has a particular association with hipster culture, being described by The West Australian as 'somewhere between a dive bar and a hipster hangout'.[16] The bar is a regular topic of local internet culture, with the Instagram meme page 'meet_me_at_pica' regularly posting memes about the venue and associated youth culture.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 Prestipino, David (17 September 2020). "Revealing revamp: Shades of old greet lighter, larger Picabar". WAtoday. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Parker, Gareth (5 November 2018). "A business paying the price of success". PerthNow. Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  3. ↑ Matheson, Elise (2001). "Picabar has been saved at last". Scoop. Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Buckley, Brian; Bowen, Melissa (29 October 2018). "Successful Perth small business under threat" (Interview). Interviewed by Parker, Gareth. Perth, Western Australia: 6PR. Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020. Additional pages archived on 20 January 2020: Audio recording, Page 2.
  5. ↑ Heritage Council of Western Australia (24 March 2000). "Register of Heritage Places - Assessment Documentation: PICA & Arts House" (PDF). Government of Western Australia. p. 3. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  6. ↑ Heritage Council of Western Australia. "PICA & Arts House". inHerit. Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 24 January 2020. Other name(s): ... Perth Boys School
  7. 1 2 "Northbridge small bar faces closure in lease wrangle". The West Australian. 29 October 2018. Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  8. ↑ Buckley, Brian (1 November 2018). "Pica Bar Under Threat" (Interview). Interviewed by Wheeldon, Chris. RTRFM. Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020. Additional pages archived on 20 January 2020: Audio recording.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Warriner, Jessica (29 October 2018). "Northbridge's Picabar facing closure after State Government lease battle". Guardian Express. Community News Group. Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Jordan, Murray (15 October 2019). "Picabar signs five-year lease". Business News. Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  11. ↑ "PICA BAR #savedpicabar". X-Press Magazine. 14 October 2019. Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  12. ↑ Prestipino, David (14 October 2019). "People power saves Northbridge favourite Picabar as new lease signed". WAtoday. Archived from the original on 14 October 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  13. ↑ Prestipino, David (15 October 2019). "Picabar shouts patrons after Perth Cultural Centre lease secured". WAtoday. Archived from the original on 15 October 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  14. ↑ Delalande, Joanna (15 October 2019). "New lease for popular Picabar a win for people power". The West Australian. Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  15. ↑ Prestipino, David (14 October 2019). "People power saves Northbridge favourite Picabar as new lease signed". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 20 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  16. ↑ "Forget 'Dullsville': WA's top bars, pubs and breweries". The West Australian. 1 July 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  17. ↑ "pica posting (@meet_me_at_pica) • Instagram photos and videos". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 11 June 2023.

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