Twitter
Facebook
Reddit
Digg
Tell us what you think!Send a letter to the editor about this or any other article in The Maine Campus.
After a failed attempt to sell his business in February, Bear Brew Pub owner Matt Haskell has sold the Orono bar and restaurant.
Jim Bence, proprietor of Stillwater Brewing Company, bought the Bear Brew for an undisclosed price earlier this month. Bence also owns and operates CJ’s Big Dipper, an ice cream shop in Bar Harbor.
“I had other people tour the place, but I wanted someone serious,” Haskell said. “I know how Jim runs his business in Bar Harbor, which is a good indication of how he’ll run the Bear Brew.”
Haskell said Bence initially contacted him after an earlier sale to Tom Hashey, a former Woodman’s Bar and Grill cook who planned to re-open the restaurant as I Gomelly, fell through.
“Jim was serious,” Haskell said. “He was ready to go.”
“It’s going to be pretty much the same,” Bence said Tuesday, between clearing out boxes and trash from the restaurant portion of the pub. He hopes to open for business by April 15.
Despite plans to maintain the overall aesthetic established by Haskell since opening the Bear Brew in 2002, the new owner said there will be some changes in store at 36 Main St.
“I was thinking of playing music videos upstairs [in Soma 36]. Maybe we’ll have open mic night too,” Bence said. “Saturdays we hope to feature blues and jazz bands.”
Bence said the new Bear Brew will also feature a bakery, sandwiches and pizza service to both floors. He plans to move a brewing operation in-house by fall, when he hopes to offer at least two different Stillwater Brewing microbrews. The new owner said Thursday would still be college night at Bear Brew. The business, including the second floor club, Soma 36, will keep their names, Bence said.
The third floor of the pub, currently home to a pool table, jukebox and a few arcade games “won’t be open for quite some time,” Bence said. “Maybe we’ll turn it into a martini bar sometime in the future. That’s what it was designed for.”
Repairs and touch-ups in the restaurant and club are underway. All the tables and chairs have been refinished, the kitchen has been gutted completely and new coats have paint have been applied to most of the walls.
The Orono Town Council approved liquor, food and special entertainment licenses for Bence’s Bear Brew at their March 8 meeting. The council conditioned the approval of the food license on satisfactory completion of minor repairs, including the installation of a grease trap and some electrical work, that Bence said are well underway.
Haskell said the sale was bittersweet.
“I love the place to death,” Haskell said. “Orono is a great place to do business. The college community is great, second to none. I appreciate the business over the years and the friends I’ve met. I’ll miss it for sure, but it’s time to move on.” The former owner plans to open his new restaurant in Bar Harbor, Finback Alehouse, on May 1.
