Dive into 8 Ball Tavern’s eclectic history in Cotati

Much of what is known, or thought to be known, about the 87-year-old 8 Ball Tavern in Cotati is hearsay, speculation or gossip. To the staff and the guests, that only adds to the lore of the long-standing watering hole.

However, some things are factual, despite how odd they may sound.

In a clipping of an unidentified newspaper, a wrecked plane rests in front of what is now Cotati Market on Old Redwood Highway. The headline reads, “New Cotati Landing Field,” and several onlookers can be seen in the background, one identified as Glenn “Stinky” Nylander by his daughter, Patricia Nylander Brott, in a Facebook post from about two years ago.

Nylander allegedly received his endearing nickname because of his personal logo: a skunk. He helped tend bar at 8 Ball Tavern during Howard Jacobsen’s ownership in the 1940s and 1950s, according to the Cotati Historical Society.

Rumor has it, the pilot of the downed aircraft, Cecil Edwards, was showing off for some buddies at the 8 Ball Tavern and the engine stalled-out during a risky maneuver. Whatever the cause, he collided with power lines crossing Charles Street, smashed into Cotati Realty Company (now Superburger) and skidded across Old Redwood Highway.

He suffered relatively minor injuries and submitted to a blood alcohol test afterward, but the results are unknown. It’s even unclear when this minor aerial disaster occurred, but it can be deduced, on account of Nylander’s presence in the photograph, that it likely happened sometime during the 1950s or early 1960s. One commenter on the Facebook notes the clipping is from July 2, 1961.

This is just one of a long line of tall tales and funny fables that the old bar has amassed in nearly a century of business.

History of the tavern

The bar was originally built by Sonoma County resident Jacobsen in 1937. The tavern allegedly got its name from an old, battered eight ball found in the rafters of a building on the property, though no one can truly confirm nor deny this.

“My dad was a tease and it wouldn’t surprise me if he made up that story,” said Kathy Norwood, Jacobsen’s daughter, in a conversation with 8 Ball Tavern’s management.

Jacobsen, a builder by trade, continued to expand upon the property with apartments built closely behind the bar on Charles Street.

Jacobsen and his wife ran 8 Ball Tavern for 15 years or sothen they sold the business in the early 1950s. It has been sold several times since. Most recently, in 2018, Brian Tatko, 44, and Greg Johnson, 33, purchased the bar and made only minor modifications to it, including new floors and some structural improvements.

In the old building, the doors are irregularly-sized, the ceiling hangs pretty low and things aren’t necessarily built to the 2024 California Building Standard Code. No one seems to care, though.

The original color of the exterior was white and, at an unknown point in time, changed to its current deep red color. The neon signage out front is still the original from 1937, although it’s been repaired.

Since Tatko and Johnson took over, they made a conscious effort to remedy the “drug-and-biker bar” persona that many locals and Sonoma State University students associated with the establishment. They began hosting a weekly DJ during the ever-popular “Cotati Crawl” on Thursdays during the school year. There’s karaoke on Mondays, and, sometimes, special events like mock “graduations” for Sonoma State University students who become regulars during the school year.

These students receive an honorary 8 Ball Tavern “diploma,” complete with a commencement speech from management and, of course, celebratory shots — often Jägerbombs. The event takes place the morning before SSU’s official graduation and it’s not uncommon for parents to attend both ceremonies.

“Before we took it over, a lot of the SSU kids thought this place was just a hardcore biker bar, so a lot of them were scared to come here,” Johnson said. “That was the biggest change that we made when we took over was we just, kind of, cleaned it up and made it a little bit more inviting and tried to cater to them so that they felt comfortable coming in.”

It’s a formula that’s worked well, as 8 Ball Tavern has become one of the popular go-to spots for students and locals alike. When Friar Tucks closed during the pandemic, the remaining three bars in downtown Cotati — Spancky’s, the Tradewinds and 8 Ball Tavern — all benefited from an increase in foot traffic, but Tatko looks forward to a new bar opening in Friar Tucks’ old location.

Each bar in downtown Cotati functions symbiotically off one another, as the town functions as a social “bar crawl,” where people hop from one bar to the next.

The team behind the business

Tatko made the switch into bar ownership in 2014 after bartending for several years. He decided he wanted to work for himself and purchased the Roaring Donkey on Kentucky Street in Petaluma. Before that, he worked odd jobs and served as a golf course superintendent at a country club in Chico.

After helping to build a bar with some friends, he showed up for some drinks on the night they opened. Then, he ended up working behind the bar.

“I worked the whole night,” Tatko said. “I woke up on the floor of my house wearing a pink polo shirt and — that’s not what I started (the night) in — I was on the floor, my nose was bloody and I had a pocket full of money. I went back to the bar that day … and I walked in and they were like, ‘Dude, you were awesome last night … Do you want a job?’ And I’ve been bartending ever since.”

Jesse Marie, 32, acts as the 8 Ball Tavern’s manager. She joined the staff when Tatko and Johnson took over ownership in 2018 after years as “one of the regulars”, as she put it. There are about 18 employees, including a rotation of bouncers who work at the tavern.

“I think our biggest thing is that we don’t want to change anything and we don’t like to do too many events,” she said. “The regulars just want a bar to sit at, they don’t need a ton of crazy stuff. They like what they like and they want it to stay the same.”

Tatko and Johnson are looking at one or two other bars to purchase, although there are no firm timelines or guarantees at the moment. When Tatko first purchased the Roaring Donkey in Petaluma, he was skeptical of expanding to other locations but had his sights on only one other bar.

“I told Greg that the only other bar I would ever buy would be the 8 Ball in Cotati because I love that place,” he said. “Literally, like, three months later, our Realtor guy said, ‘Hey, 8 Ball’s going on the market right now, do you want me to tell them to wait?’ So, we came up and met Rick and John (the former owners), who are great guys. Awesome dudes. Like, if your dad was your best buddy — that’s these guys.”

Tatko and Johnson are planning to bring back the annual 8 Ball Golf Tournament, although no firm date or location has been set.

While they continue to bring 8 Ball Tavern into the modern age, they still can’t help but add to the old bar’s eclectic history.

Recently, Jessie Marie did some investigatory work into the 8 Ball Tavern’s history, collected some memorabilia and wrote an extensive note for inclusion in a “time capsule” that they interred somewhere on the property.

No date has been set for the capsule’s opening , so who knows when somebody will happen upon it. Perhaps it’ll one day be another story to speculate on in the 8 Ball Tavern’s lengthy past.