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Bear Brew Pub owner Matt Haskell said Tuesday that he is again in the process of selling at least part of his business.
Last month, Haskell planned to sell the first floor of the Bear Brew Restaurant and Pub to Tom Hashey of Orono. The transaction fell through after the buyer’s financier backed out at the last minute, according to Haskell, who would not comment on the details of the new sale.
Hashey planned to buy the first-floor restaurant portion of the Bear Brew, while Haskell would keep the second and third floors, renovating them into a new business, Latitude 44. The deal was being financed by Orono dentist John Tozer, who disappeared on closing day, Haskell said.
“Apparently Dr. Tozer, at that point, had decided he didn’t even want to look at a business plan, and the deal was off the table,” Haskell said. “Needless to say this whole thing is a mess. It’s ridiculous.”
“Unfortunately for Tom, he was misled. I feel like he was lied to,” Haskell said.
The deal was set to close Jan. 19, and the town had already issued a restaurant license to Hashey to operate on the first floor of the building, said Orono Town Manager Catherine Conlow. Haskell said he had already spent thousands of dollars on attorney and engineering fees and licenses associated with preparing the building to house two separate businesses.
According to Conlow, no new owners of any part of the building have gotten licenses since the original deal between Haskell and Hashey fell through.
Haskell said the details of the sale had been set since Christmas Eve. He believes other parties may have affected the outcome.
The ramifications of the fallen deal will have lasting effects, according to Haskell.
“I don’t really care what happens to me; I’m fine. I care about what’s going to happen to my employees,” he said. “I care about the Bear Brew and the people who the Bear Brew needs to take care of.”
While Haskell plans to keep the Bear Brew open, he is looking at options that would lead him out of Orono. He feels that as a bar owner he is under a magnifying glass with town officials and law enforcement, who he said target him more than other businesses. He said he has had pleasant and unpleasant experiences in Orono.
“The fire marshals have been all over me for years. I’ve spent upwards of $80,000 easily on the fire system, the fire alarm, fire balconies that we have to install — all that stuff,” Haskell said. “Every time I do something for them, they come in and find something else. It’s not right if you’re not going to go to every other business and treat them the same way.”
The pub proprietor said there is no leniency in Orono, and officials are actively trying to find something wrong with his business.
“The problem with Matt is we have repeat violations. We find the same problems time and time and time again,” said Henry Vaughan, Orono fire marshal. “Some of these he has corrected, some of these he has not.” Vaughan said it is untrue Haskell is targeted more than other businesses in town.
“If an offer comes on the table which would give me an opportunity to get out of this town, I would consider it. It’s not the residents or college kids of Orono. I thank them and love them. It has nothing to do with them,” Haskell said. “It’s time for me to potentially move on if the offer is right.”
