After just weeks on the market, He’s Not Here, Chapel Hill’s iconic beer garden, could soon have new ownership.
David Kitzmiller, the bar’s owner, came out of retirement in Nova Scotia more than a year ago to revamp the struggling bar’s image — but once sales improved, he decided to place the local staple on the market to return home to his wife.
Kitzmiller contracted Neal DePersia’s firm, National Restaurant Properties, to list and market He’s Not.
Though he could not disclose names, DePersia said Kitzmiller is expected to accept a bid from a UNC alum who played football at the University during the 1980s and his long-time friend.
He said both men have established careers in other businesses.
Though the second business partner did not attend UNC, Fleming Fuller, the bar’s manager, said the man’s wife did. Fuller said he believes the couple actually met at He’s Not.
DePersia said though an initial early-January ad for He’s Not was only up on Craigslist for 36 hours, news of the sale leaked to Twitter and Facebook. He said news of the sale went viral, and many He’s Not fans looked into purchasing the bar.
“I would conservatively say between 200 and 250 people,” DePersia said.
DePersia later placed a BizQuest.com ad, which does not list the bar by name but says that the “Chapel Hill beer garden” is on sale for a $165,000 asking price. The ad also lists the bar’s gross revenues as $400,000.
DePersia said the potential owners do not plan to change He’s Not, which is known for it’s dive bar atmosphere and its Blue Cup.