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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, O ct ob er 10 ,2 01 9 | 6 519-746-7900 www.kwhonda.com 465 CONESTOGO RD., WAT. Family Owned & Operatedy Owned & Opera Save Now SNOWBLOWERS FROM $799 HS720C • MSRP $949 • PLUS FREIGHT & P.D.I. SAVE $150 SAVE $200 HS720CHSS928ACT Actual model may differ. S plus freight & tax plus freight & tax Kypp Saunders still wants to keep Kitchener's best kept secret a secret, but he wants people to know about it, too. It makes for an interest- ing marketing dilemma when your business model is based on mystique, but by word of mouth and through today's social me- dia channels, The Sugar Run, a modern-day speak- easy that opened in Au- gust, is slowly becoming a more common spot in the downtown. Still, Saunders isn't speaking easy himself. "We're going to keep it going with not exposing the location - I think that's part of the fun, people try- ing to find us and the pass- word," he said. The new joint is located in the basement of a build- ing along the Queen Street South corridor in the downtown and was in- spired by speakeasies Saunders visited in New York, fused with his busi- ness partner Justin Vail's love of rum. "I thought it was such a cool concept and I wanted to do something unique for Kitchener because there's nothing like this here," he said. The dimly lit under- ground venue takes you back to the prohibition era, with rugged appeal created by exposed piping, old-style seating and floor- ing, glass lamps, a long bar and mirrors, though it was somewhat challenging to build something new out of an empty basement and make it look old at the same time, Saunders said. "It was really just con- crete - so literally every- thing from the paint to the wallpaper to the flooring, kitchen and bathrooms were done by us." Much of the decor, in- cluding vinyl records, an old projector and view- finder, came from vintage stores, as well as family and friends. The venue also has a tropical feel, which Saun- ders explained is in keep- ing with the rum theme. "Original speakeasys were mostly stocked with SUGAR RUN SPEAKEASY UP LATE-NIGHT IN DOWNTOWN BILL JACKSON bjackson@kitchenerpost.ca BUSINESS Kypp Saunders mixes a cocktail at The Sugar Run, a new speakeasy that's looking keep the mystique and underground allure of the Prohibition era alive. Bill Jackson/Torstar See GO, page 7