Chevy Chase Inn changing owners but not much else

The Chevy Chase Inn on Euclid Avenue is a neighborhood institution and apparently will be staying that way.

Bill Farmer, Lexington-Fayette Urban County council member and owner of nearby Farmer's Jewelry, and Kevin Heathcoat and Will Pieratt, owners of Bourbon n' Toulouse, are buying the bar, which originally opened in 1932 as the Blue Goose.

Heathcoat and Pieratt learned the bar was for sale, and there were rumors that potential buyers had plans for the property, which is next door to their Cajun restaurant.

"There was talk of a high-end wine bar or bringing in retail," Heathcoat said.

That was a fairly shocking prospect for long-timers. A haven for cheap beer and plain cocktails, the bar has the patina of decades of cigarette smoke, now banned, and the kind of boozy history that can't be faked. The bar is now owned by Joe Scott, Kurt Childs and the widow and son of the late Lyle Robey.

The authentic charm that has proven irresistible to generations of Lexingtonians was the subject of a book in 2013 by Sarah Razor called Chevy Chase Inn: Tall Tales and Cold Ales From Lexington's Oldest Bar.

"This is a piece of Lexington history, centered right here in Chevy Chase, part of what makes us special down here," Farmer said. "This is a place that holds a lot of great memories for people.

"Some places aren't just watering holes, some places are special. It kind of has genuine character. ... This is no Sistine Chapel but it does have a certain quirky nature that is quite lovable."

Heathcoat said he, Pieratt and Farmer "took out a loan we couldn't afford to save an institution that Lexington couldn't afford to lose."

Farmer, Heathcoat and Pieratt will close on the bar for an undisclosed price on March 2 and plan to change very little.

"We'll put in craft beer, and fix the bathrooms," Heathcoat said. "And this summer we'll cover the back patio and make it a nice place to sit out and eat Bourbon n' Toulouse and drink beer."

The staff and live music will stay the same.

"Nothing's going to change," Heathcoat said. "That was our whole motivation. The only people we trusted to keep our favorite bar in town the same way it always has been is us. I've been in a lot of dive bars, and this is my favorite."

This story was originally published February 13, 2015 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Chevy Chase Inn changing owners but not much else."