He’s a born and bred Doonhamer who knows the Dumfries and Galloway hospitality scene inside out. Karen Peattie catches up with Brian Armstrong, the owner of Chancers nightclub and President of the Dumfries Licensed Trade Association
Superstar DJ Calvin Harris may be Dumfries’ most famous son but nightclub owner and publican Brian Armstrong is pretty well known locally too having owned pubs in the town since he was 24.
Now owner of the popular Chancers nightclub – from which Harris was famously refused entry back in 2001 for wearing the “wrong shoes” – Armstrong has his finger firmly on the pulse of the Dumfries and Galloway hospitality scene.
“Dumfries is a great town with a lively hospitality scene but we have our issues like operators in other parts of the country,” he points out. “There’s change everywhere and sometimes that a good thing although some changes, like the reduction in the drink-driving limit, can have a pretty huge impact on your business.”
Armstrong’s passion for the licensed, however, has never abated – even when he took over 10 years out to go to university and “try a few different things” before returning to Dumfries where he acquired Chancers in 2014. “I’m no longer the youngster starting out in the trade and I actually think being out of the business for few years was a good thing for me,” he comments.
“I think it helped me form different views on life because when I first started out I had a different attitude – now I’m more measured when I make decisions and feel better placed to weigh up the pros and cons of a situation.
“When I started out I was running two pubs by the age of just 24 so I’d say I’ve got a lot of experience
During his hiatus Armstrong studied for his degree in sport and pursued his passion for endurance running, even completing the legendary Marathon des Sables – the Saraha Marathon – which sees participates run around 150 miles in just six days in temperatures reaching 50 degrees centigrade. The streets of Dumfries must have seemed a million miles away.
Now back in his hometown this particular Doonhamer has his feet firmly on the ground and is doing his bit to keep Dumfries on the map despite the perception that it’s miles away from everywhere. “It’s good to go off and do other things in other places but it’s also good to come home,” says Armstrong.
“I’m married with a young family now so I want the town – and the wider Dumfries and Galloway area – to be successful and a great place to live. Yes, we’re perhaps a little bit off the beaten track but hardly at the end of the world.”
Another superstar DJ, Dutchman Martin Garrix, clearly agrees – he dropped into Chancers a couple of years ago and was photographed dancing to his own music. The club, one of two in the town and the only one open seven nights, has a loyal following and reputation for its great music and atmosphere.
“We run a tight shop,” Armstrong points out. “I’ve always been of the view – at all the premises I’ve run – that you need to treat it as somewhere you’d be comfortable in yourself, somewhere you’d want to go.
“I want staff and customers to be happy and feel safe, both in the club and out on the street, so we put a lot of effort into that side of things – it’s a well-run business and that message gets out to the customers.”
One key observation by Armstrong is the cultural shift in drinking habits in recent years. “People are going out later now because they’re drinking at home first then coming to the club,” he says. “If you do food you can really help diversify your business and attract more business but it’s not so easy when you’re a nightclub.
“You definitely need a good understanding of the late-night economy and realise that the dynamics with a nightclub are very different. You need to forge a good relationship with the local police, taxi firms, your neighbours and so on – it’s not always easy.
“All the same, I reckon it comes in cycles. This area is very agricultural and hit badly by the foot and mouth disease outbreak in the early 2000s – that hit Dumfries and Galloway more than the recession and obviously just now there are concerns about the implications of Brexit. It’s quite worrying for the trade.”
Another area of concern for Armstrong and many of his colleagues in the industry is overprovision. In 2013, Dumfries and Galloway’s four licensing boards agreed to a string of recommendations to curb overprovision of alcohol outlets in the area in an attempt to ensure that future licence applications would have to justify any increase in capacity.
“It’s all of these issues and challenges that I believe make membership of the SLTA vital,” says Armstrong. “Whatever you do in life it’s easy to get stuck in your own little bubble and not look at the wider picture – in Dumfries and Galloway we have one of the strongest licensed trade associations in Scotland and my only regret is that I didn’t get involved sooner.”