Showcase billiards is gone.

jayman

jayman

Hi Mom!
Gold Member
Silver Member
Well i supose its another sign of the times. The doors were closed forever at the great Showcase Billiards in westminster Co. yesterday.

I stopped by to see the remaining items being auctioned off. I felt more like I was at a funeral than an auction. I could tell I wasn't alone in that feeling either.

-Jayman- :(
 
Wow...!!

I used to do a fair amount of business with Showcase 15 or so years ago...

Sorry to hear that...
 
That is a real bummer. Showcase was a real wonderland of billiard products. Clay Etheridge once told me that he would try to buy a couple of everything made in the billiard industry and he surely did have just about every book, poster and gadget you could imagine. I hope that he and Kathy and their family got out of it alright and ended up well off.
 
I was there on business Tuesday and Wednesday, and stopped in both days after the convention was over. There was great one piece Valley cues straight as a arrow for 11 dollars. I carried 2 of the around the store for about an hour just to put them down because I really don't need any more cues. I did find a great shaft that was new for 19 dollars and a box of triangular shaped chalk made by Elephant balls and I got that whole box for 2 dollars. I even went into the cue makers shop and was allowed to go through the drawers and cabinets just looking. The auction was on Saturday and I could of gone back for that but decided to keep my money in my pockets. There was tons of goodies in the back room hundreds of shafts laying around Hardwood squares and rounds of all kinds of wood and inlay material just piled up. Ring work, joint protectors you name it it was there. Clay had several lathes and milling machines and a finish spray booth. I asked Clay a few years ago if he made cues himself and he said not so much anymore but he used to. He said that he learned much of what he needed to get started from Bob Meucci. Yes I agree it was a very sad thing to see one of the best billiard stores in the country go out of business but such is life. :frown:
 
Cuebuddy said:
I was there on business Tuesday and Wednesday, and stopped in both days after the convention was over. There was great one piece Valley cues straight as a arrow for 11 dollars. I carried 2 of the around the store for about an hour just to put them down because I really don't need any more cues. I did find a great shaft that was new for 19 dollars and a box of triangular shaped chalk made by Elephant balls and I got that whole box for 2 dollars. I even went into the cue makers shop and was allowed to go through the drawers and cabinets just looking. The auction was on Saturday and I could of gone back for that but decided to keep my money in my pockets. There was tons of goodies in the back room hundreds of shafts laying around Hardwood squares and rounds of all kinds of wood and inlay material just piled up. Ring work, joint protectors you name it it was there. Clay had several lathes and milling machines and a finish spray booth. I asked Clay a few years ago if he made cues himself and he said not so much anymore but he used to. He said that he learned much of what he needed to get started from Bob Meucci. Yes I agree it was a very sad thing to see one of the best billiard stores in the country go out of business but such is life. :frown:
Click to expand...

I showed up saterday and the place was pretty empty. It was just amazing, since it was always jam packed with something in every available nook and cranny, even though the place was friggin huge. It was the kind of palce that was always there, and seemed like always would be.
 
I always hate to hear when a room shuts down, its sad for the owners AND the players.

I havent been able to spend much time there over the last few years, but I would HATE it if our local room shut down. Its the only place I go to see the few people that I consider to be friends.

Woody
 
yep, this sucks.

I remember when Clay got the table from the Color of Money. I've been going to see him for THAT long. I used to drive up from Amarillo at least a couple of times a month to shop, and get Gale Clark to make my sneakies in the back room. I just really can't imagine Westminster or Denver without Showcase......
You really COULD find just about anything in there. Obsolete movies that you've never heard of were behind the counter, collector's items, novelty items, weird games, great cues, movie set items, there was always something new showing up and being added to the ceiling high billiards collection.
Now I wish I had stopped in when I left Cali, and seen the place one more time. Even my dogs loved going to Showcase over the years.
We'd get there, my dog would jump out and run into the door, Clay would point and my dogs would run back out and jump in back, grab a ball or something and try it on Kathy.....
From the doorway.lol

Thanks for letting us know that another Legacy has gone into the past like so many other places.
This is just getting depressing.
 
I have a Showcase Sneeky built to the same dimensions as one of my snooker cues. I think it cost me a C-note in the mid eighties when I was stationed at Lowry AFB. Not the greatest looking cue but still stiff as can be. Sorry to hear they closed down
 
Having lived in CO for 15 years, I spent a fair amount of time in Clay's store (went there EVERY time I went to, or through Denver, and ALWAYS found something to buy). I'm really sorry to hear that they had to close the store. It will be missed by a lot of players, especially in the Denver area. There really is nothing like it, for hundreds of miles in any direction! :frown:

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
I bought a great Viking from them in 96 and I also purchased a Helmstetter a few years later. After that my purchases got smaller like accessories and then I just decided to buy nearly everything on line. I am sure I am not the only one who looks to save some dough by cutting out a middle man, but it kinda catches up with you when you see the end result. I am not sure if Showcases business was hurting or not but the internet and tough financial times is no doubt a factor.
 
jayman said:
Well i supose its another sign of the times. The doors were closed forever at the great Showcase Billiards in westminster Co. yesterday.

I stopped by to see the remaining items being auctioned off. I felt more like I was at a funeral than an auction. I could tell I wasn't alone in that feeling either.

-Jayman- :(
Click to expand...

That's too bad. I bought a Showcase custom a few years back from Clay at VF. Got it home and noticed a slight flaw in the finish. He asked me to send it and had it repaired and shipped back at NC. I wish him the best. Is he going to retire?
 
Too bad. I stopped in there last summer when I was in town and bought some stuff. Should have bought more. They had a couple of Hueblers I was tempted to buy since those are gone too. I first went in there- when it was on 104th I think- right after COM came out. There was even a radio show on pool for a little bit in Denver. Won my copy of McGoorty answering a trivia question on that and picked it up at showcase. Bought a few cues and cases there. Sad to see them go.
 
Paul Mon said:
That's too bad. I bought a Showcase custom a few years back from Clay at VF. Got it home and noticed a slight flaw in the finish. He asked me to send it and had it repaired and shipped back at NC. I wish him the best. Is he going to retire?
Click to expand...

He is still going to be involved with pool on a much lesser level. The gal at the register said he would be involved with selling or setting up tables. I got the idea she didn't have a clue. Clay and Kathy were both voting members and at times on the board for the BCA, I don't know if they are still a part of the BCA or not these days.
 
This is sad news indeed. i have been in his place numerous times and have done lot's of business with Clay.
I remember that Color of Money table real well. I played Kevin Satterfield on that table many years ago. I nearly bought that table n fact, but I had given the game up at the time.
Too bad, nice place place and people.
 
Sad news. But in this economy, it's not a huge surprise - pool stuff is in the "luxury" category, after all. It's that sort of stuff people will cut back on first when money gets tighter.

So what happened to the TCOM table, anyhow? It was great to try cues on/etc., but Clay was asking a huuuuge amount for that thing... I'd even heard that every time someone came in and considered buying it for Clay's asking price, he'd end up refusing and raise the price a bit - basically that he simply didn't want to get rid of it after all.

One wonders what the rest of the staff will do, especially the cue craftsmen there...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top