What was your first pool hall?

[branpureza]

Colonial Billiards... Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

Luther "Wimpy" Lassiter's hometown pool room.

Wimpy used to sit on the nearest corner of the bench to the right

Right above my head in this shot is a shrine to Wimpy including one of his US Open straight pool trophies.

These last two were taken after I painted the room and we got a new Brunswick:

 

[Morgantownfats]

My first pool room I went to to play all the time was the Met Pool room. This place has been open since 1924 and has the old 4 1/2 x 9 Brunswicks. The floor was concrete and the place was smokey and hot as hell in the summer cause of no a/c. The owner Bill "Ruby" Bonfilli was something else. He was a good player in his day and liked to show people trick shot. He taught me a lot. He always had a good storie or joke to tell and loved playing gin. Most folks came down judt to see him. The Met is still open, same tables same decor but hasn't been the same since Ruby passed away a few yrs ago. If your ever in Morgantown WV ya gotta stop in and see the Met pool room on high st

 

[gunzby]

My first one was Dello's Rack n Roll on Mentor Ave in Mentor, Ohio. I loved that place and actually worked there as soon as I turned 18. I can still remember the owner interviewing me and asking the dreaded "Why do you want to work here?" question. I turned and simply said, "So I can play for free." and with that I was immediately hired.

Too bad that place isn't a pool hall anymore. Actually every single pool hall that was around when I moved to NC in 95 is gone and as far as I know none have sprung up to take their places.

 

[12310bch]

Ran across this photo in the advertising section of the 1963
Wilkinsburg (Suburb of Pittburgh, Pa.) High School year book. Nobby Sands was the owner. Old Irish guy with a stub of a cigar stuck between his teeth. Sweet guy. You could always hit him up for 5 bucks. When the 8 or 9 went in you'd yell , "Rack, Nobby," and throw your dimes on the table.

 

[Terry Ardeno]

My parents divorced when I was 11. My dad had us on Sunday's from 1:00-5:00. He took me to a bar called "The Chatterbox", which was across the street from the Jessup Steel Mill where he worked. Inside, it had a single 7ft bar-box. Naturally, I had no idea what it was, let alone the dimensions. But I did know that I liked bouncing the white ball into the rails while my dad was busy. Somebody saw me & put some coins in the table & all these bight & shiny balls rattled down. When I put them up on the table & smacked the white ball into them (by hand), I remember that this was something that just captured me. I almost fainted with ecstasy!

Funny side note....I have never played a single game of pool for real, with a stick, on a bar box. Every other game I ever played was on either an 8ft or 9ft table. I'm 52 right now, so that's 41 years having NEVER played a single game of pool on a 7ft table. I actually didn't realize that until this strory was being told......Anyway, after that first taste, I would walk to the Rt 19 Bowling Lanes where they had 4 9 ft pool tables in a back room. It's there that I learned the finer points of pocket billiards. At 15, I got an 8 ft "Minnesota Fat's Pacer" model table in the basement of my grandparents house where we lived. It was a snug fit between 2 coal furnaces. We needed shorty sticks if the cue ball got too near an end rail on either side. But I stayed down there for hours & hours at a time, just practicing things. Just like everybody else who ever got bit by the pool bug did!

One more funny item....I bought a 2 piece cue at a Pool City, along with one of those cheap vinyl cases. I took a long strip of masking tape & placed it along the outside of the case. Then I wrote in magic marker "I accept Visa & MasterCard also". So ratty & corny! But still, lotta fun memories.

 

[Island Drive]

I'll tell you what... it's pretty friggin' amazing that you find two people who started their pool journey in the exact same pool hall more than 50 years ago.

I started in Swank as well. In '64 I was 15. Best guess is I started playing there a year later. And I bought one of those new Viking cues right there in Swank Pool Club. I still have it. :thumbup2:

I mostly played there during the summer days and on Saturday afternoons. I worked nights in the factories of Addison.

Memories.

ID - Do you remember Roy?... the old geezer that ran the counter during the day? He was a hoot.

Oh yeah, big Roy, and I too remember Gordon Hart peddeling his Viking cues, dressed slick, in a suit, black hair slicked back. When the Super Joint came out it was the neatest invention, along with Ostrich leather wrap. The owner flew commercial airplanes. We did battle as kids with other towns/Pinacck, whos now a good poker player. There was also a counter guy that got drafted/Vietnam, and he got drunk and jumped from table to table until he slipped and shredded the table cloth. I also rememeber Lord & Ladies in Wheaton, I did two memorable things, I broke so wildly, I miscued once and broke a light about 8 feet above table, and also miscued and broke my opponents collar bone even tho he stood directly behind the rack, I couldn't of been more than 14-15 yr old at the time. Good times....

One other thing Dave, I've had over 20 motorcycles in my life, from a Lil Indian/Cushman/150 hand you the oil bottle Suzuki/305 Dream/Honda/Beemer to many Ducatis, now I traded in my bicycle that I rode for 20+ yrs (my daughters were born) and now just have an inter city bike that satisfies my need for wind in my face and ease of parking and 90 miles per gallon.

 

[cigardave]

Oh yeah, big Roy, and I too remember Gordon Hart peddeling his Viking cues, dressed slick, in a suit, black hair slicked back. When the Super Joint came out it was the neatest invention, along with Ostrich leather wrap. The owner flew commercial airplanes. We did battle as kids with other towns/Pinacck, whos now a good poker player. There was also a counter guy that got drafted/Vietnam, and he got drunk and jumped from table to table until he slipped and shredded the table cloth. I also rememeber Lord & Ladies in Wheaton, I did two memorable things, I broke so wildly, I miscued once and broke a light about 8 feet above table, and also miscued and broke my opponents collar bone even tho he stood directly behind the rack, I couldn't of been more than 14-15 yr old at the time. Good times....

One other thing Dave, I've had over 20 motorcycles in my life, from a Lil Indian/Cushman/150 hand you the oil bottle Suzuki/305 Dream/Honda/Beemer to many Ducatis, now I traded in my bicycle that I rode for 20+ yrs (my daughters were born) and now just have an inter city bike that satisfies my need for wind in my face and ease of parking and 90 miles per gallon.

Yeah, I started on a Suzuki 80 when I was 16... what a dog! The oil and gas had to be premixed. From there to a '67 Yamaha 305 Big Bear Street Scrambler, then a '72 Yamaha 650 4-stroke and finally graduating to Harleys. Currently have the Superglide in my avatar and a Road King as well.

If you're ever going to be in the Seattle area you have to let me know. I have a 9' Diamond Pro Am in my finished garage. Love to hit some balls together and chat.

Cheers, brother.

 

[Njhustler1]

my dad used to take me to Fusco's Family Rec Center in northeast philadelphia. but when i turned 16 and could drive, I started hanging out at Valley Billiards in Huntington Valley. The tables were sh*t but the people were great!

 

[Island Drive]

Yeah, I started on a Suzuki 80 when I was 16... what a dog! The oil and gas had to be premixed. From there to a '67 Yamaha 305 Big Bear Street Scrambler, then a '72 Yamaha 650 4-stroke and finally graduating to Harleys. Currently have the Superglide in my avatar and a Road King as well.

If you're ever going to be in the Seattle area you have to let me know. I have a 9' Diamond Pro Am in my finished garage. Love to hit some balls together and chat.

Cheers, brother.

If you or any of your Harley friends need good work, my best man, who now lives in N. California, used to be the road mechanic for the Harley race team back in the late 60's early 70', then went factory/Milwaukee/then mfg hard to get harley parts in Long Beach CA for years, now he just builds motors (has a machine shop) and does other nefarouis reapairs, and is as good as it gets for and engine man. JR's engines in Lakeport CA. If you need his # just PM me.

 

[M HOUSE]

My first room

After reading about all the nice rooms you guys had to start out in, I'm starting to get jealous. In '66 or '67 I began playing in King's Barber Shop and Pool Hall located on Main St. in my home town of Lake Providence, La. The barber shop was up front and towards the back was a 5' x 10" snooker table and three 8' pool tables. There was no air conditioning and no restrooms. The front of the building was at street level, but the ground sloped down from the street so the back of the building was 12' off the ground. There were stairs going up to the back door. If anyone needed to go to the bathroom they would go down the stairs and under the building. If it was late in the day, you just tried to find a place that wasn't already wet. During the hot and humid summer days in Louisana the smell coming up through the wooden floor could get pretty bad.

If I have time later I will put this in context and explain why we felt lucky to have such a fine establishment.

 

[jgpool]

Full circle

Originally Posted by cigardave
I'll tell you what... it's pretty friggin' amazing that you find two people who started their pool journey in the exact same pool hall more than 50 years ago.

I started in Swank as well. In '64 I was 15. Best guess is I started playing there a year later. And I bought one of those new Viking cues right there in Swank Pool Club. I still have it.

I mostly played there during the summer days and on Saturday afternoons. I worked nights in the factories of Addison.

Memories.

ID - Do you remember Roy?... the old geezer that ran the counter during the day? He was a hoot.

Oh yeah, big Roy, and I too remember Gordon Hart peddeling his Viking cues, dressed slick, in a suit, black hair slicked back. When the Super Joint came out it was the neatest invention, along with Ostrich leather wrap. The owner flew commercial airplanes. We did battle as kids with other towns/Pinacck, whos now a good poker player. There was also a counter guy that got drafted/Vietnam, and he got drunk and jumped from table to table until he slipped and shredded the table cloth. I also rememeber Lord & Ladies in Wheaton, I did two memorable things, I broke so wildly, I miscued once and broke a light about 8 feet above table, and also miscued and broke my opponents collar bone even tho he stood directly behind the rack, I couldn't of been more than 14-15 yr old at the time. Good times....

One other thing Dave, I've had over 20 motorcycles in my life, from a Lil Indian/Cushman/150 hand you the oil bottle Suzuki/305 Dream/Honda/Beemer to many Ducatis, now I traded in my bicycle that I rode for 20+ yrs (my daughters were born) and now just have an inter city bike that satisfies my need for wind in my face and ease of parking and 90 miles per gallon.

Let's go full circle. I know both you guys. CigarDave I grew up with and went to the same High School with in Villa Park. Played lot's of baseball with him also. I learned my pool skills in the same area of Chicagoland at the Villa Park Bowl. I have also played against Bill Meacham in Colorado Springs in the Colorado Springs Pool League in the late 70's early 80's. Bill beat on everyone back then.

 

[Tigers fan]

My dad would take me to Hit and Run Billiards just outside Flint MI, There were some champs that played there like Harry Sexton , Richie Richison,
Mark Hossler. I was 12 and hooked, still have the bug 16 years later

 

[cigardave]

Originally Posted by cigardave
I'll tell you what... it's pretty friggin' amazing that you find two people who started their pool journey in the exact same pool hall more than 50 years ago.

I started in Swank as well. In '64 I was 15. Best guess is I started playing there a year later. And I bought one of those new Viking cues right there in Swank Pool Club. I still have it.

I mostly played there during the summer days and on Saturday afternoons. I worked nights in the factories of Addison.

Memories.

ID - Do you remember Roy?... the old geezer that ran the counter during the day? He was a hoot.




Let's go full circle. I know both you guys. CigarDave I grew up with and went to the same High School with in Villa Park. Played lot's of baseball with him also. I learned my pool skills in the same area of Chicagoland at the Villa Park Bowl. I have also played against Bill Meacham in Colorado Springs in the Colorado Springs Pool League in the late 70's early 80's. Bill beat on everyone back then.

Hey, Joey... how you doin', brother!!

And then there's ribdoner (Adam) as well. He came from Villa Park Bowl too, iirc.

Adam, Joey and I all attended the same HS (Willowbrook) in suburban Chicago. Joey and I graduated in '67. Adam was a year or two ahead of us. Small world, sometimes.

 

[phishman]

Rust Brothers in Terre Haute, In.---started in 1957--most of the room was gin tables but had one of the best deli's you would ever find (35 cent beef manhatten). House man was Pop White who taught me everything he knew about pool. In his day was a road player during the depression--at the end started to loose his sight but still beat everyone that came in.

 

[ne14tennis]

Milwaukee

I played in a tournament at a place on Capital Drive in the mid 1970's. Capital Billiards was the name I think and I doubt it's open anymore. Later I played at Romnies High Pockets on South 27th Street

 

[classiccues]

City Billiards, Paterson NJ.. owned by Miami Gonzales..
Rizzutos, Midland Park NJ.. worked there on and off for 4 years...

JV

 

[jgpool]

I wonder

Hey, Joey... how you doin', brother!!

And then there's ribdoner (Adam) as well. He came from Villa Park Bowl too, iirc.

Adam, Joey and I all attended the same HS (Willowbrook) in suburban Chicago. Joey and I graduated in '67. Adam was a year or two ahead of us. Small world, sometimes.

I wonder if Bill ever played at Villa Park Bowl? I know Adam (ribdoner) did. John Abruzzo (sp) played there. What fun this thread is!

 

[DogsPlayingPool]

I wonder if Bill ever played at Villa Park Bowl? I know Adam (ribdoner) did. John Abruzzo (sp) played there. What fun this thread is!

Back then if you wanted to find a pool table you just walked into any bowling alley.

I used to play on the North side at All Star Lanes, Orchard Twin Bowl, and Howard Bowl, just to name a few.

 

[Island Drive]

I wonder if Bill ever played at Villa Park Bowl? I know Adam (ribdoner) did. John Abruzzo (sp) played there. What fun this thread is!

I was there I'm sure a few times (Villa Pk) if I remember, it had earlier brunswick tables before the Glut of GC I's that were everywhere, every alley, every town, every state college. I too, class of 67 Glenbard West.

 

[jgpool]

Not that much

Hey, Joey... how you doin', brother!!

And then there's ribdoner (Adam) as well. He came from Villa Park Bowl too, iirc.

Adam, Joey and I all attended the same HS (Willowbrook) in suburban Chicago. Joey and I graduated in '67. Adam was a year or two ahead of us. Small world, sometimes.

I don't think Adam attended as much as we did. :thumbup: Time for a cold COORS!