CHICAGO — SmallBar Division, one of the city's best-known soccer bars, will close and sell its Wicker Park location in November.
"Staff, friends & family know," according to a Facebook post. "Now it's time to tell our fans. SmallBar Division will close and be sold mid-November. We've had 10 great years, enjoyed every minute. For that, we say Thank You!"
Reached Tuesday, SmallBar owner Phil McFarland said: "Ten years is a long time to do anything; we had a great run. It seemed like a great time to do something new."
Alisa Hauser says their craft beer selection attracted customers:
McFarland, 38, is the sole owner of SmallBar Division, which opened in September 2004, about a year and a half after SmallBar's first location, which is now owned by a former business partner of McFarland's, debuted in Logan Square at 2956 N. Albany Ave.
The SmallBar in Logan Square remains open.
"I will miss the folks I work with. We are a great team, and we have some of the best food and beer programs in the city. It will be a difficult transition to not work with them every day," McFarland said of his team, which he said ranges between 25 to 40 workers, depending on the season.
McFarland said that he had a buyer for SmallBar and the three-story building at 2049 W. Division St., which includes apartments above the bar, but declined to comment on the buyer. He did say the group that intended to take over the spot was Chicago based.
As for Division Street, McFarland said: "It's become a robust nightlife district and I am happy to be a part of it."
SmallBar's last night in operation will be Thursday, Nov. 13, and will include a tapping event featuring rare barrel-aged beers from New Belgium, Avery, Half Acre and Perennial breweries, according to the SmallBar website.
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