A sad day for Storyeum may prove a boon to bargain hunters

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A sad day for Storyeum may prove a boon to bargain hunters


VANCOUVER -- It was a $22-million dream that was supposed to merge British Columbia's history with Vancouver's cultural pulse. Instead, Storyeum went belly up last fall, and tomorrow an auctioneer's gavel will put the last nail in the coffin of the failed tourist attraction.

Although the final chapter in the Gastown museum's short-lived history might pain entrepreneurs and history buffs alike, it might prove a boon to bargain hunters, as everything inside the building will be up for grabs.

Opened in 2004, Storyeum was a 65-minute experience that merged going to a museum with a theatrical performance. Visitors started in a 200-person elevator that took them down to the main museum while they watched a light show. The tour then proceeded through seven other sets that depicted scenes from the province's history using actors and musicians.

Yesterday, Robert Kavanagh, one of the auctioneers who will conduct tomorrow's sale, walked through the echoing underground rooms of the 105,000-square-foot city-owned property, pointing out the items that will be on the block. He stopped at Lot 974 - a full-sized, working replica of a steam engine, complete with tracks and a coal cart.

"Who knows how much a steam engine could go for these days," Mr. Kavanagh said.

"I'd say somewhere between $1,000 and $10,000, but if $500 is the highest bid, it goes for $500."

None of the 983 items up for auction has a minimum bid, meaning a full-size model of B.C.'s coastal rain forest could theoretically sell for a dollar.

Successful bidders must pay a 15-per-cent buyer's premium and are responsible for the removal of their purchases. Mr. Kavanagh said he thinks that might drive down the prices of some of the larger items, such as the steam train or buildings and their contents from the replica of Barkerville, B.C., circa 1862.

Mr. Kavanagh said he expects the auction, which starts at 11 a.m. tomorrow, will attract about 100 people, likely from the educational and arts communities looking for set pieces and costumes.

One person who will not attend is Storyeum's creator, Danny Guillaume.

"It'd be an emotional attachment, and I don't really need to be attached to something that doesn't exist. Whenever I walk by it or see it, it's tough," Mr. Guillaume said in an interview yesterday, although he added that he would like his computer back, as well as some photos in the museum that were of sentimental value.

"Every piece of it was a lot of work. It was a labour of love for sure and it was tough to give up, but such is life."

Mr. Kavanagh said he thinks the auction could raise around $100,000, although it is difficult to predict, given the unusual nature of the items and the lack of a minimum bid. All of the money will go to the City of Vancouver, which was owed more than $5-million in unpaid debt and loans when Storyeum went bankrupt.

Mr. Guillaume said he thinks the venture failed for financial reasons, not because the idea was faulty.

"We did put almost 600,000 people through there, and that's not huge, but it was the reaction was getting better and better. It just takes time in the tourism industry to build up the credibility," he said. Admission for a family of four was $89.95 - a price printed on a board at the front that will also be for sale.

The city has not announced plans for the building at 142 Water St., although proposals were being solicited last month. Andrew Wilhelm-Boyles, the executive director of Vancouver's Alliance for Art and Culture, said he recently toured the facility with several other members of Vancouver's arts community.

"What we know is that the artists feel there is a lack of usable spaces in the city, particularly small- and medium-size ones," he said, adding he had not heard any concrete plans for the site.

One of the concepts being kicked around, he said, was an "arts experience centre" for local groups to rehearse plays that the public could also walk through.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servl...Story/National