Tararua pub up for sale

It’s a hard road finding the perfect bar-owner, and a couple of Dannevirke publicans are now two years deep in the search.

Matt and Caroline Charlton started the Barrelhouse Restaurant and Bar 17 years ago when they came home after the big OE, but they feel it is time to move on.

‘‘We’ve enjoyed every minute of it, and we still love it. But hospitality isn’t something you can do forever,’’ Matt Charlton said.

They’re not in any hurry and want to wait for the right buyer – someone as passionate about the business as they were.

The Charltons put the Barrelhouse, on Ward St in Dannevirke, on the market in 2015.

They were looking for an opportunity to get into something new and to concentrate on their other businesses.

They own and manage a small portfolio of rental property and Caroline Charlton owns Dannevirke woman’s fashion boutique Faith, which she started seven years ago.

But they didn’t push the restaurant and bar sale hard at first, reluctant to say goodbye to the pub which had been so good to them.

‘‘We’ve had a lot of good times looking after the Dannevirke regulars. A lot of them became our friends...and I’ve enjoyed watching regulars go through all the milestones, sharing birthdays and weddings.’’

The Charltons met in the UK while on the traditional Kiwi overseas experience, and when Matt Carlton brought his future wife back to Dannevirke, they found themselves at loose ends.

She loved cooking and had a lot of hospitality experience, and he was a wine aficionado, so they decided to open a restaurant and bar.

Matt Charlton said the couple were extremely proud of the Barrelhouse, and they wanted to ensure the skilled and dedicated team they’d gathered still had jobs after they left the business.