University students can still expect Sunday night karaoke and quarter cent beers on Tuesdays at He’s Not Here Bar despite an upcoming change in ownership.
He’s Not Owner David Kitzmiller came out of retirement last year to run the Chapel Hill-based bar after it recorded a 15 percent drop in sales for three consecutive years, bar manager Fleming Fuller said. Under Kitzmiller—a 76-year-old native of Nova Scotia—the bar has continued to be a favorite for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke students alike and is boasting profits once again.
Kitzmiller put the bar on the market earlier last month and was immediately greeted with more than 250 offers.
After originally listed on bizquest.com and craigslist.com as an anonymous bar for sale price at about $165,000, Kitzmiller asked Neal DePersia, Raleigh broker of National Restaurant Properties to take over the selling of the business. Noting that it typically takes eight months to sell a business, DePersia said he was overwhelmed by the community response to buy He’s Not and the desire by potential owners to maintain the bar’s current image, culture and traditions.
“Bartenders are not known for keeping secrets,” DePersia said. “Word got out, and it pretty much went viral…. Everyone was interested in buying and interested in not seeing anything change.”
Kitzmiller declined to comment until the sale—expected to go forward Wednesday—is final.
DePersia said that they are currently in the final stages of negotiation to sell the bar to a former UNC-Chapel Hill football player and a male alumnus of Elon University. Although names of the future owners could not be disclosed at this time, DePersia added that Elon graduate holds a special place in his heart for the bar because it is where he met his wife.
When selecting the new owners out of the initially expansive applicant pool, Kitzmiller emphasized the importance of finding owners who would keep the essence of the popular late night beer garden intact, DePersia said. The potential owners are looking forward to the prospect of keeping the bar relatively the same as it is currently.
“The new owners are like kids at Christmas time,” DePersia said. “They are just so excited.”
Students at UNC-Chapel Hill similarly hope that despite new ownership, He’s Not will maintain the qualities that make it a unique spot, said UNC-Chapel Hill senior Andrew Sugrue.
“He’s Not is a Chapel Hill tradition—it’s a place where people our parents’ age went the same way we do,” Sugrue said. “Karaoke is definitely the thing to do on Sundays. It acts as the meeting ground between Duke athletes and UNC [Chapel Hill] undergraduates.”
Even with its location in Chapel Hill, Duke students frequently make the 25 minute trip down Tobacco Road to partake in the bar’s unique atmosphere.
“He’s Not is an escape from the places we go everyday. It’s an opportunity to meet different people, such as UNC [Chapel Hill] students,” sophomore Lewis McLeod said. “It’s great to relieve the pressure of Duke academics by singing your heart away at karaoke.”
Fuller, who will continue to work as manager at He’s Not alongside the new owners, said he feels very strongly that the new owners will maintain the current atmosphere of the bar. Rather than change the bar’s image, Fuller is confident they will simply improve it.
“[He’s Not Here] is casual, and it’s for everybody,” Fuller said. “You can spill your beer, and it doesn’t matter. It represents a home atmosphere, and it has charm beyond belief.... More than anything, we looked for someone who will respect that—respect the image of the bar.”
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