Marcia Bergen knows a thing or two about the potential of houses so when she stepped inside of 5 East Gate, she had the overwhelming feeling that this could very well be her next endeavour.
The veteran realtor and her partner, Vahid Zolali, began reimagining the 6,500-square-foot property, which has had a number of different incarnations since it was built in 1906, including a nursing home, a place for sick children from out of town to rest in between treatments and a bed and breakfast.
The possibilities with the upgrading of the latter excited them because they wanted to overhaul the property and provide the kind of amenities you couldn’t find anywhere else in Winnipeg.
“Standing in the foyer, I had this overwhelming feeling, ‘I have to do this! We’re the people who need to restore this house!” This is my dream, my ideal retirement job is to run a bed and breakfast,” Bergen says. “I love canning and cooking. I make my own sauces. When our guests are here, I can’t get enough of cooking for them.”
The property is licensed for 10 occupants and guests can choose from one two-bedroom suite or three one-bedroom suites ranging in size from 220 square feet to 480 square feet. Each one has a cozy feel from the cushions on the beds to the towels on the racks to the art on the walls.
Bergen and Zolali are the furthest thing from absentee landlords. They’ve moved into a suite themselves and Bergen has relocated her real estate office from Kenaston Boulevard to a home office in the library on the main floor.
The renovations started immediately upon their possession, in late November 2023, and by the time they’re done in a couple of years, they project they will have spent $1 million in upgrades. The highlights include the hardwood floors throughout the house, a whisky lounge, a library, as well as a spa in the basement featuring two massage rooms and a small gym for guest use only.
The blueprints for outside include a barrel sauna, two hot tubs, a plunge pool and a fire pit. There is also an 1,100-square-foot covered deck in the backyard. There is a games lounge on the second floor, where you can play a variety of board games, darts, karaoke and watch the local sports heroes on a big-screen TV.
“This house has such good bones,” Bergen says. “We’re putting in oak and similar materials to the original to honour the architecture and era of the house.”
During the week, guests enjoy a continental breakfast featuring pastries, fruit, yogurt, boiled eggs, cereal, juice and specialty coffees, such as lattes and cappuccinos.
Bergen and Zolali have also been known to put nighttime snacks in the rooms of guests who have particularly busy schedules.
But No. 5 East isn’t just attracting visitors to Winnipeg, Bergen says a growing number of Winnipeggers are booking rooms for staycations, family reunions and other events.
She also accepts reservations from businesses wanting to host board meetings.
“I have caterers who can provide food for a lunch board meeting and a chef who can come in during the afternoon to cook meals for family gatherings,” she says.
Guests can book a room via booking.com or airbnb.ca and they can check out the property at no5east.com. Bergen is pleased to announce that the summer is already more than one-third booked.
“There’s nothing like it in Winnipeg. We’re very centrally located and we’re so close to downtown.”
Bergen loves the area, particularly now that the nearby Sherbrooke Hotel and its beverage room have closed. “That’s very good for the neighbourhood and the clients that we attract are good for the neighbourhood, too,” she says.
Bergen doesn’t take offering referrals lightly so if a guest asks about a local restaurant, she can recommend with confidence because not only does she know the eatery, she has sampled the specialties of the house.
“We try the restaurants in the neighbourhood so we can refer our guests,” she says.
No. 5 East
5 East Gate
Winnipeg
no5east.com
