Mary Scobie at the opening of her art show on Friday which runs until May 2nd (click to enlarge)

Artist Mary Scobie says she has fond memories of Mel’s Tea Room because she grew up in Sackville.

“I remember going in there as a teenager and buying magazines,” she said during the opening of her art show at Fog Forest Gallery on Friday.

“When I was at Mt. A., I’d go to Mel’s to have a milkshake or food or visit with friends,” she added.

“So, yeah, I just have such fond memories of Mel’s. It’s one of the reasons I really wanted to do this show.”

Scobie graduated from the music program at Mt. A. in 1984, then studied at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design before working as a designer and illustrator for music and arts organizations in Victoria, B.C.

She says she took many photos of Mel’s and other heritage buildings in Sackville during visits to her parents.

“So, I had a lot to choose from and I just picked the different angles that appealed to me,” she adds.

She also worked from old black and white photos that are part of the collection in the Mount Allison University archives.

Most of the 18 oil paintings in her show are of Mel’s although there are also depictions of other gathering places such as Cranewood on Main and Blooms on York Street.

Scobie says she was surprised to learn that 14 of the 18 paintings in her show had already sold.

“Oh yes, it was a lovely surprise,” she says. “Mel’s is a unique place, you know.”

Mary is the daughter of Charles Scobie, a retired Mt. A. professor and longtime heritage conservation advocate who chaired the now-defunct Sackville Heritage Board from 2005 to 2012. He is also the author of four books on local history including People of the Tantramar with layout and design by Mary Scobie.

Sackville repealed its heritage bylaw in 2018 and dissolved its heritage board so, when John Ernst and Tyler Gay bought Mel’s in 2022 for $250,000, they were free to alter the building in any way they liked without having to apply for a permit.

Historic Mel’s

Photo: Tantramar Heritage Trust

Mel’s Tea Room originally opened in Sackville in 1919. Owner Melbourne Goodwin moved it to 17 Bridge Street in 1945 where he installed distinctive green neon signs, 21 sets of Maritime-made booths with comfortable seats and a long soda fountain with 12 stools.

Over more than seven decades, Mel’s served as a diner, coffee shop, magazine stand, bus depot, convenience store and gathering place for students, townsfolk and tourists.

It’s now home to Oh Chicken! a Korean fried chicken restaurant operated by Paul Sungchul An, owner of Song’s Chopsticks across the street.

No mention of heritage in new strategic plan

Longtime heritage advocate Meredith Fisher was helping to serve refreshments during Friday’s art show which runs until May 2nd.

“It makes me happy, but it also makes me sad,” she said as she looked around a room filled with people admiring Scobie’s paintings.

“This is a lovely statement of what our town has been in the past and what it is very close to losing in its future,” Fisher added.

“We don’t have heritage preservation, no protection at all and haven’t since 2018 and there doesn’t seem to be anything in the strategic plan for 2025 and on into the future. Not one word about heritage. Not one word about history.”

Fisher was referring to the draft, three-year strategic plan that Tantramar council will be asked to adopt at its next regular meeting on Tuesday.

She noted that she had organized a presentation to council in September on behalf of about 35-people asking for council to make heritage preservation a priority in its new strategic plan and that during public consultations many citizens called on the town to place heritage at the top of its list.

“So there it is, gone, erased, out of sight, out of mind, I guess. We need to get some heritage protection for sure, or else we’re going to look like Dieppe. I’m sorry to say that. But I think it’s very true.

“We’re already well on our way to looking like Dieppe.”

Meredith Fisher at Mary Scobie’s art show