Owners Gloria Stoddard and Mark Mazzola have sold the bar and restaurant to Michael Mulcahy, who owns the building. The transfer is scheduled to take place in early December.

"It's just time to move on to something else," Mazzola said. "Gloria and I have been here a long time."

Mazzola and his sister, Stoddard, purchased Sharky's six years ago from Fran Crozier, who acquired the establishment from her deceased husband, Al Crozier. Although Mazzola managed the bar before acquiring it from the previous owner, running Sharky's was Mazzola and Stoddard was their first business venture. Willow Glen resident Mazzola said he plans to remain in the area and continue to work as a truck driver for Office Solutions.

And after manning the bar at Sharky's for several years, Mazzola said his loyal customers have become a surrogate family.

"We have a really strong neighborhood clientele," he said. "And customers always say that Sharky's is practically a Willow Glen institution. They love it here, and they don't want to see us go."

During his 28 years, Mazzola said the dedicated customers have made the hard work all worthwhile And there are aspects of the business he will miss.

"One of my favorite points about working in a bar is talking to people," he said. "We laugh a lot around here. And I'm always ready to tell a joke or just shoot the breeze."

Although he said he plans to remain in touch with his loyal fan base, Mazzola said he was looking forward to a respite from the stress of owning a business.

"We've had a good run," he said. "But I'm just ready to settle down and relax. It's a 24/7 job."

And with the departure of Stoddard and Mazzola, Mulcahy will take over the day-to-day operations until he finds a new tenant. The property owner said he planned to run the bar and restaurant "as is" through December, and is currently speaking to business owners interested in the location.

"After that, we will be looking to the next opportunity," he said. "Right now, we can't commit to anything. I'm not sure what the next step is. But I anticipate that the establishment will remain a bar and restaurant."

Mulcahy said he intends to encourage future proprietors to remodel the interior of the bar and restaurant. But whoever moves into Sharky's will be the beneficiary of recent exterior renovations. Mulcahy said he refurbished the building two months ago. Describing the adjustments as "aesthetic," he said he added foam trim to the crown and columns to the building, touched up the exterior with textured paint, fixed an exposed air conditioner and repaired stairs that presented a safety hazard to patrons.

"As a landlord, I take pride in the buildings I own," he said. "I can see the building from my workplace."

And whoever takes over ownership of the bar and restaurant will have to cater to what locals want, Mulcahy said.

"Above all else, we need a bar and restaurant that serves the broadest segment of Willow Glen residents," he said. "Willow Glen residents are loyal. If a restaurant is serving good food, residents will keep coming back. Any business that comes in needs to pay attention to that fact."