For the second time in a year, the original Penn State Sub Shop was up for auction on eBay.

The sale, which ended at midnight on Saturday, was set up by Kate and Tom Cestone, the owners of the Sub Shop, 225 E. Beaver Ave. The couple first put the shop online in February when they thought that Kate would have to be relocated for her job.

"We were fielding buyers for months, but just before football season, we found out that I didn't have to move," she said. The Cestones decided to keep the shop through football season, which is the busiest time of the year for the store.

The couple said this time around the people who have contacted them with interest in the shop seem to be more earnest than those who showed interest last year.

"We've been talking to a bit more business-minded people this year," Kate Cestone said. "We've had a little more serious interest this year, and that's great."

The Cestones decided to list the shop online as a trial before actually putting the shop up for sale. They intend to sell the shop to owners who will keep the shop as is and not change it to a different restaurant.

"We definitely don't want to go down as the last owners of the Penn State Sub Shop," Kate said. "We're looking for someone who wants to buy it and keep it as is."

The first time the shop was listed on eBay, it received about 1,000 views, a much larger number than the Cestones had anticipated.

"We didn't necessarily anticipate getting a bid, but we received about 20 different inquiries, and we're hoping that we still get something from those people," Kate said. "I think that with eBay, alumni see the listing, and there's a sense of emotion involved in it. The shop is a part of Penn State."

The couple said they are in no rush to sell the shop, although they would like it to be sold sometime this spring.

"We're going to wait and see the offers that we get from this auction," Kate said. "Probably three or four people have seriously followed up and asked to come see the place."

The Cestones, both Class of 1995, returned to State College three years ago and noticed a listing for the shop. Tom, who has a hotel, restaurant and industry management degree, and Kate decided that owning a small business was a good place to start. "It's small and not a tremendous operation," Kate said. "It's a great business to get your feet wet in."

While the shop has helped the Cestones break in to the business world, they now want something more.

"We're ready to move on to something larger," Kate said. "It's been a great experience, and we'll definitely miss it."

The restaurant, established in 1978, is a lunch and dinner spot for students, professors and alumni. The owners boast being "home of the six-foot sub" and the menu includes pizza, wings, salads, subs and cheesesteaks. While they are excited about moving on to a bigger business, the Cestones' feelings about leaving State College are mixed. "It's bittersweet," Cestone said about selling the shop. "It's been really fun."