Last call for now at Whispers, a beloved Ottawa pub of many first meets

The owner of a pub in Ottawa's Westboro area, adorned with decades worth of knickknacks and memories, is saying goodbye to the beloved Ottawa hotspot this weekend.

"If you ever watched the show Cheers, it's exactly like Cheers. We have stragglers that come in every day, it's just like the TV show," said owner Paul Williams.

"Everybody comes in, everybody knows everybody. There's been a lot of memories here."

Williams, who calls himself "the Ted Danson of Whispers" (referencing the actor who played owner and head bartender Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom in the 1980s), is preparing to close up the 41-year-old pub he's fostered since 2016.

On Saturday, Williams and residents will say their final farewell to Whispers Pub & Eatery on Richmond Road after a developer purchased the pub and surrounding buildings to build a condominium.

Williams says the beloved hotspot will come back under a new owner on the main floor — once the condo is built — and in the meantime all of the trinkets will remain with the developer.

"It's like a museum. There's so many old items here from hockey helmets to football helmets ... it just goes on and on."

His favourite item is the bell at the end of the bar. It's not often someone rings that bell, but he got to hear the chimes this week as patrons filed in to have one last pint.

"If you ring it, you have to buy a round for everyone at the bar," he said.

Bittersweet beginnings

Williams calls his intertwining fate with Whispers "bittersweet."

That relationship began after he spent 26 years running the New Edinburgh Pub in Vanier — now a Royal Oak Pub location.

The lease was up and the rent was going up significantly.

"So we had to leave after 26 years with basically nothing," Williams recalled.

His best friend owned Whispers Pub at the time and happened to be looking to pass it on — so the rest was history.

A safe haven to where many a romance began

The first night Williams and his wife Tracy took over and worked the bar on April 15, 2016, a couple married before their eyes.

They quickly learned it was a place where many met their significant others for the first time, and even got engaged and hitched there.

"It's heartwarming," he said. "There's some good stories."

Ottawa resident Teresa Dubé became one of those stories. She first set foot in Whispers about 16 years ago when her date asked if she wanted to check out his "favourite little pub just down the street."

"We have been together ever since," Dubé shared with CBC Ottawa in an email. "From that day on, Whispers became our favourite go-to. We got to know the staff and we became friends with many of them."

Dubé says she and her partner became good friends with the owners, especially during the pandemic, where Whispers became the Friday night date spot. During lockdowns, they opted for takeout.

The shop closing for now "will leave a big hole in our hearts," she said.

"The place and the staff have become a part of our world. We are going to miss Whispers dearly."

Lauren Wells-McGregor, who used to live next to the pub, remembers when her apartment was out of power for days due to a tornado in 2018.

"The pub was open and we were so thankful," Wells-McGregor wrote to CBC. "We went in to get a few hot meals and some cold beers. Whispers is such a cherished staple in Westboro and will truly be missed!"

Williams says he'll miss his customers and staff dearly, too.

He loves that the pub has become a second home and a safe haven for many, and will hold on to those memories as he begins his next stage in life — hopefully with more sleep and time with his grandchildren.

"I'm very tired. It's been a long haul, and sad. It's pretty emotional saying goodbye to everybody," he said.