A popular downtown Bangor bar is changing hands.
Richard and Mandy Clark announced Monday that they have sold Benjamin’s on Franklin Street.
The Clarks decided earlier this year to sell the business, but rather than list it publicly, they approached “the most qualified pair” to take over for them. The Clarks didn’t identify the new owners on Monday, saying “they will reveal themselves soon.”
This comes as the Clarks turn their focus to their new venture, a brewpub Benjamin’s Brewer on Acme Road in Brewer. That has been a four-year project, and they expect to open next year.
The Clarks were responsible for reviving a classic downtown hangout spot. The original Benjamin’s opened in the 1970s and remained open until 1988. Chinese restaurant Panda Garden took over the upstairs space formerly occupied by Benjamin’s the following year and remained there for 32 years. A string of bars occupied the downstairs bar space over the years, including another attempt at reviving Benjamin’s.
The Clarks finally took over the downstairs space almost six years ago. Then last year they expanded into the upstairs, returning Benjamin’s to its original two-floor plan for the first time since 1988.
“To our regulars and supporters: we can not really put it into words. We have formed an unbelievable bond of friendship with all of you. We have met the most unbelievably impressive youth that this county has. You have all shared your stories of college, marriage, children, family, and careers with us,” the Clarks wrote.