Finding David Duprey in Mount Pleasant isn’t too difficult if you know where to look.
The longtime entrepreneur could be talking with regulars at Uncle Abe’s. Maybe he’s helping out at the Narrow or putting up a sign outside Slim’s BBQ Joint, applying for a change in how late the restaurant can stay open. And, of course, there’s a chance he’s at one of the many stalled real estate development sites that he leases out to artists, like Main Street’s City Centre.
Duprey, who grew up in Kitsilano in the ’70s and ’80s, runs all of those businesses under the Narrow Group umbrella with the energy and enthusiasm—and, it must be said, angst—of a much younger man.
If you’ve had any run-ins with Duprey or read about the man, you likely know how the old-school entrepreneur operates. Few people live “Don’t ask for permission, beg for forgiveness” like the guy who got caught running the Rickshaw Theatre for two and a half years without a liquor licence.