The Guilty Martini is housed in a very nondescript brick building in the heart of Old Strathcona—a trendy area in Edmonton. Built at the turn of the century, the building used to be a carriage house at one time. It was originally owned by W.J. Scott and Sons, and horse-drawn carriages were constructed in the main floor of the building while the family lived upstairs. In the 1950s, it was an apartment building, and at the turn of the 21st century, the building has gone through many businesses, each with rumors of ghostly activity. Alberta The main culprit of the ghostly activity is a specter called “Dapper Dan.” It isn’t known who this person was in life, but what is known is that he is mischievous and does not enjoy the “nightclub scene” with the loud music and drinking. A lot of activity happens when the staff is first setting up for the nightclub’s customers. Staff have reported that their shoulders have been touched and hair pulled. Ashtrays have been pushed off edges of tables, and liquor bottles and glasses rearrange themselves and clank together. Lights go on and off with no one touching the switch, and there are inexplicable extreme drops in temperature. In the upstairs lounge area, staff have seen a distinct outline of a person behind a curtain when no one was there, and black shadows going across the wall. One woman saw a shadowy image shaped like a big man in a lumber jacket come toward her. Two men were having a conversation when a black wraith-like shadow passed between, startling them both. What has unnerved many have been the sounds of a person going up and down the stairs and walking around the upstairs floor when no one was found to be up there. One waitress saw a man’s arm come through the cigarette machine and reach out to grab her! A club manager had thought she was alone after hours in the bathroom, when suddenly the stall door slammed shut on her. There is a staircase starting from the west end of the upstairs lounge that goes to the rooftop. Reports of “unsettling feelings” and dark shadows have come from the stairwell. On one investigation, we took a picture in the stairwell, and a huge, cloudy vortex was caught on camera, floating horizontally across the stairs. Audio recordings were taken in the upstairs lounge as well as the stairwell to the roof, and on it are several short growls as well as one distinct animal roar in reply to, “Can you give me a sign that you exist in this building?” When asked, “Is it possible to see you at all?” the response was a very clear man’s voice responding, “Yes.” On a good night, you just might be able to catch “Dapper Dan” leaning over the balcony, scowling at the nightclub patrons.

—Rona Anderson Paranormal Investigator/Psychic, Paranormal Explorers

THE GUILTY MARTINI 10338-81 AVENUE EDMONTON, ALBERTA T6E 1X2 TEL: 1 (780) 433-7183
Taken from the: Encyclopedia of Haunted Places -Ghostly Locales from around the World – Compiled & Edited by Jeff Belanger – Copyright 2005 by Jeff Belanger