Famed for its cozy, community-oriented atmosphere, Patti A. Martin serves as the sole proprietor of the Rolla Pub in a small, historic farming community in the Peace River district of northeastern British Columbia, Canada. It was first founded around 1912 as a way stop and steamer landing on the Peace River. Farms were established, as the prairie was open, and the soil was rich. A successful oil well was also drilled in 1922, establishing petroleum as an industry in the area. The late arrival of the Edmonton, Dunvegan and British Columbia Railway to the Peace District in 1930 hindered development. The town itself is roughly 20 kilometers north of Dawson Creek.
The pub resides in a 90-year-old building and serves all types of beer and alcohol. Ms. Martin’s family has owned and operated the Rolla Pub for 48 years, and she became a partner and has worked there since 1985. Through this experience, she found that regional Canadian histories are not as celebrated as they could be, and thus has bought antiques and borrowed local photos to create a space that reflects these cultures. Comprised of local art, fossils, antiques, memorabilia and history books, the pub provides a warm and friendly environment. In this post, Ms. Martin is responsible for cleaning the pub, handling all the finances, banking and ordering, and marketing via social media. She understands people and their needs, and attributes her success to all the generations of people from all over the world who have come to her pub. In the coming years, she would like to restore the building, since it is a century old.
Prior to the start of her professional career, Ms. Martin graduated from South Peace Secondary School, now Dawson Creek Secondary School, and pursued a formal education at Northern Lights College in Dawson Creek, BC, Canada. Additionally, she took a course titled “Serving It Right,” among others, and studied British Columbian government. In recognition of her accomplishments, the Rolla Pub was awarded second place by the 100th Anniversary of Architecture in Northern British Columbia, and was named the Best Pub Outside of Vancouver by BC Magazine in 2016. Today, Ms. Martin continues to love having interesting conversations and hosting many musical acts in her pub.
Ms. Martin’s mentor is her mother, Audrey Truitt, who loved people and was open-minded. Her mother also started working at age 17 at Safeway, and was born during the Great Depression. In general, her family grounds her and encourages her to be herself. The advice that Ms. Martin can give to others aspiring to work in her profession is that unless you are passionate about what you are doing, don’t do it because that passion will carry you no matter what’s happening. She would like to leave a legacy as someone who believed that you can create a magical and wonderful life no matter where you are; it is up to the individual.
