Guilt & Company

The "Listening Room" Concept

Located in the basement of the historic Dunn Block (est. 1899) in Gastown, Guilt & Company opened in April 2010 and operates as a "modern-day speakeasy," co-founded by Sonia Bozzi. It runs as a dedicated listening room built around live performance, focusing on Soul, R&B, and Jazz traditions. The Dunn Block above it was designed by N.S. Hoffar for Thomas Dunn, a member of Vancouver's first City Council, and served first as a hardware and ship-chandlery warehouse and later as offices of the Union Steamship Company.

Two Shows Nightly

The venue hosts over 700 shows annually. It operates seven nights a week with a distinct "Early Show" and "Late Show" format, putting live music on the bill 365 days a year.

Narrative Mixology

The food and drink list is built with the same care as the lineup. The cocktail menu features "narrative mixology," where drinks are named after songs (e.g., "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down") and paired with shareables like local cheese boards.

Artist Support

The venue explicitly states that admission proceeds "usually just benefit the band," a policy that puts paying musicians first in a city often criticized for exploiting talent.

Heritage Designation

The Dunn Block received City of Vancouver heritage designation under the Vancouver Charter on January 14, 2003, and was added to the Canadian Register of Historic Places on March 7, 2005. A four-storey addition to its east, designed by the firm Parr and Fee, followed in 1907 and 1908.