The expression "when one door closes another door opens" aptly sums up the coming days and months for Gavin's Tavern in Horsham.

Even as owner Bobby Gavin stares down his 31-year business' final days - the 1144 Horsham Road sports bar will close for good on Dec. 25 - Gavin is reluctant to say the Horsham Road bar is closing.

"It’s not really closing, I’m selling," Gavin, 63, told Patch. "I've been at it 31 years. It’s just the right time."

Gavin said Joe Wade, the owner of Jamison Pour House, is purchasing the building and closing is slated for Dec. 28. Wade intends to reopen in early March 2013 after "pretty extensive renovations," according to Gavin. 

Wade envisions a "family friendly environment that will also include sports and things like that," Gavin said. 

Wade said he is excited to branch out into Horsham Township.

"We think Horsham's phenomenal and mirrors a lot of the same things we're doing over here in Jamison," Wade said.

Gavin's Tavern has thrived for the last 24 years in its current location, Gavin said. But, the building was in need of "massive renovations just to refresh the business" and, at his age, he was unwilling to take that on.

Prior to opening the tavern at its first location at 1129 Horsham Road in October 1981, Gavin said he worked for Federal Express and rose to the rank of vice president.

Now, with the business all but behind him, Gavin said he looks forward to being "semi-retired."

Gavin, recognizing that his dozen employees may not be looking forward to days free from work, said he conditioned the sale of the property on Wade's agreement to "indeed interview" current employees for jobs at his impending business. 

Wade intends to hire "as many as 25 employees" and plans on having a job fair, Gavin told Patch.

Gavin said he notified employees a few weeks ago that Gavin's Tavern would be closing its doors for good on Christmas Day.

"We lost no employees," Gavin said. "To varying degrees each person is getting a 'thank you very much check' once this is all over."

Since a new owner would be taking over the business in the new year, Gavin said he was willing to forego his bar's tradition to be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. 

It was his employees who pushed to continue that holiday tradition one more time, he said. 

"I told them that we didn’t need to do that if they wanted to take the Christmas off they could," Gavin said, adding that they "wanted to work." "They spend all year with these customers."

Gavin's Tavern will close for good after those final Christmas Day hours of 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.