Haywood’s Bar & Grill, his popular restaurant and sports-themed bar in Muncy, is for sale.

“Carol (his wife) and I are both 67 years old,” he said. “It’s time.”

When Kim started Haywood’s with a partner, he wasn’t even sure the restaurant business

was something he would stay with. Up to that point, his working life had been in automobile sales, including as a general manager at a car dealership.

Kim Walker laughs as he tells stories about owning Haywood’s in Muncy. Walker owns the restaurant and says he will miss the staff and customers he’s gotten to know over the 23 years he’s been in food service. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

He’d often thought about becoming his own boss rather than continuing to work for other people and, when a property became available at 113 W. Water St., the site of various bar-restaurants over the years, he made the leap into entrepreneurship.

“Muncy Bank had foreclosed on it,” he recalled. “We basically tore the building down and rebuilt it.”

Kim recalled with a smile that his wife said he could go ahead and buy the property and start the business “as long as it’s not a money pit.”

“She has always been very supportive,” he said.

Making the transition from automobile sales to the restaurant business, he noted, really wasn’t that big a leap.

Both are people-oriented businesses.

And that’s how he always approached running Haywood’s.

Patrons often find Kim, a gregarious sort, showing up at their table with a smile to see how the food and the service has been.

“I talk to everyone,” he said.

Of course, he knows many of the patrons who come to his establishment, which include those he knew growing up in his hometown of Muncy. Numerous photos of local sports teams and people decorate the walls of Haywood’s. Of course, there are no shortage of sports memorabilia of NFL, Major League, college and other athletic teams as well.

Some of the sandwiches appearing on the menu are named after notable sports figures: the Willie Stargell, the Roethlisberger Burger, and the Hot Ed Ott, a salute to the recently deceased Muncy native and former Pittsburgh Pirates catcher.

Kim agreed that Haywood’s is a place where many people come to belly up at the bar with a drink, meet up with friends, or to catch a game on one of the TVs. Through the years, Haywood’s has seen its share of regular customers as evidenced by their first names imprinted on the bar stools.

But he’s quick to note that perhaps 80 percent of his business is food.

Many other small restaurants, he lamented, are struggling, but he feels the so-called “mom and pop” operations will make a comeback.

His hometown of Muncy, he said, has been a great place to be.

“I’m a little partial because I grew up here,” he said.

The passion he brought to his work likely also helped him stay in business for so long and thrive.

“I never wake up and think, oh no, I have to go to work,” he said.

At one time, Kim owned and operated two other restaurants in addition to the Muncy location — Haywood’s on the Water in Williamsport and Haywood’s on the Green in Mill Hall.

But he found he eventually didn’t like the idea of owning three different places and trying to be at the various locations all the time.

Looking back, he said he’s going to miss all the customers and his staff.

He said the key to running a successful business is putting in place good employees you can depend upon.

And, of course, it means not taking your customers and staff for granted.

“If you want to work in this business, you can make a good living,” he said.

Kim is looking to sell not only Haywood’s but the four-unit apartment building next door, and he’s hopeful that the right buyer will come along.

“I’d love to see this place around for a long time,” he said.

Looking ahead, he hopes to travel and spend more time indulging himself in his other interests such as cars and racing.

In the meantime, he remains involved in the community, including as a member of the Muncy School Board.

The business is listed for sale with Scott Johnson of Adventure Realty.