The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Friday, March 29, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

Help us keep going. Donate Today.
The Daily Tar Heel

He's Not Here hopes to transition ownership by Feb. 1

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.

He said that when the bar’s ownership changes — the target day for transfer is Feb. 1 — customers won’t be able to tell.

“They don’t want to miss a day of business,” DePersia said. He said that though the partners will make some small improvements, they will implement those gradually after the transition.

Fuller said the minor changes the pair has planned will only improve the He’s Not Here experience.

“I’m incredibly enthusiastic about what’s being discussed,” he said.

Aimee Woods, a UNC senior said she goes to He’s Not Here with her friends nearly every Sunday for karaoke and for its laid-back, popular appeal.

Woods said she would like to see new owners make some small improvements to the bar.

“Just aesthetically, I think that they could do a lot,” Woods said.

She also said that owners could better utilize the lower level of the bar, because the top level has low ceilings and little room.
But she said she hopes that new owners retain the business’ charm.

“The Blue Cup is a trademark of Chapel Hill,” she said. “It has that recognition.”

And Ajsela Pestalic, another senior who also goes to the bar on Sunday evenings, said though the facility could use renovations — especially to its bathrooms — the bar is an institution.

“It’s just such an integral part of Chapel Hill,” she said.

And DePersia said his firm has never seen such an outpouring of offers for a property.

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.

“After literally several hundred inquiries from many alumi and interested parties we received multiple offers of which one lucky group received the positive response from owner Dave Kitzmiller late last week,” DePersia said in an email.

But he said that the property cannot change hands until all inspections are completed, a process he said is underway.

In the meantime, Fuller said the staff has yet to officially meet the new owners or learn their names.

“Formal introductions have not been made, and full information has not been given to staff.”

Contact the City Editor at city@dailytarheel.com.

Special Print Edition
The Daily Tar Heel's Collaborative Mental Health Edition