Joel Penenburgh has traded ledger sheets and a suit for bar tabs and a polo shirt inscribed with "The Pub," the nickname of the landmark Wilde Lake village tavern the accountant bought earlier this month.
Mr. Penenburgh, 42, said owning the tavern known as J. K.'s Pub -- the closest thing to a neighborhood pub in Columbia -- suits him better than accounting work, which he did previously.
"This type of business fits me. I have the personality and energy to do it," said Mr. Penenburgh, an 11-year Columbia resident and co-owner of the tavern with his wife, Abby. "I like people and talking to people -- and I talk all the time. I find people interesting."
The restaurant and bar at the Wilde Lake Village Green is named after their founder and longtime owner, John K. Lea, who sold the pub's interior fixtures and the lease to Mr. Penenburgh on Dec. 1.
A former drama and speech professor, Mr. Lea opened the business in 1978, intending to create an establishment similar to the neighborhood pubs he frequented during a sabbatical leave in England. He and his wife, Claire, retired earlier this month, saying they no longer had the energy needed to run the pub.
The new owner plans to change the tavern's name to "The Pub" and make other changes, including live music and disc jockeys on weekends, and daily food and drink specials. As a kickoff, he has booked the Box Tops, a group that had national hits in the 1960s, for New Year's Eve.
But Mr. Penenburgh said he has no plans to alter the tavern's friendly, low-key atmosphere.
"I'm sure [the Leas] would like to see it continue in the pub manner, which is what we intend to do," he said.
Regulars at J. K.'s Pub say they are encouraged by Mr. Penenburgh's enthusiasm and look forward to some of the changes.
"I'd like to see it become a little more youthful, a little more lively," said Brian O'Connor, 36, a Wilde Lake village resident who has been coming to J. K.'s for eight years. "That's what I see happening."
Jan Malony, a regular since J. K.'s opened, met her husband, David, at the pub and married him there at a ceremony in 1982. She hopes to remain a loyal patron. "The main reason I like coming here is I can come alone and not be hassled," she said. "It's a neighborhood family bar. I bring my [2-year-old] granddaughter in and she sits at the bar and asks for juice."
Mr. Penenburgh also wins high marks from Frederick Paine, general manager of Columbia village centers for Columbia Management Inc. (CMI), the Rouse Co. subsidiary that owns and leases the building.
The new owner will "inject a new level of enthusiasm and excitement into the space," while remaining true to Mr. Lea's original concept, the CMI official said.
Mr. Penenburgh, who declined to give the pub's purchase price, said he had thought about opening his own business during his 17 years working as a certified public accountant and financial officer for several Baltimore- and Washington, D.C.-area auditing and software firms.
A bicycle racer in high school in Montgomery County, he considered a bike shop. But his thoughts kept returning to a bar or restaurant. When his wife said that J. K.'s was up for sale, he jumped at the opportunity.
"I'm not sure I ever really liked accounting, but it's a good profession," Mr. Penenburgh said. "This provides an opportunity to grow a business and have fun in the process. . . . We're here to have fun. "