Slick Willie's - Houston - Westheimer - Closed

[BillYards]

Another poolhall bites the dust.

Slick Willies on Weistheimer between Dairy Ashford and Eldridge has closed.

The vibe had changed over the past year, so I am not surprised at its demise.

It is tough to find a pool hall that is clean and safe. (Though Slick's was not all that clean, it did feel safe.)

Changes in managment and bartenders changed the crowd, which seemed to increase the drug dealing in the parking lot.

The regulars fled.

I had a lot of good times there, so I am a tad heartbroken, though I knew the end was coming.

Pinky was the best bartender and it started to fall flat when they failed to replace her with someone of her caliber.

 

[htown_ant]

The Slick Willies in Channelview near Federal Rd and the Slick Willies at 45S and Monroe closed as well. Both closed within the last month.

 

[TX Poolnut]

Slicks in League City closed too.

 

[(((Satori)))]

I mentioned the importance of a good, friendly staff in the "real problem with pool" thread.

The staff sets the mood of the whole establishment. A friendly sociable staff also makes the regulars feel like going to the pool hall even on nights when they just want to hang out. The good staff also make new customers feel as though they have found a place they can fit in, they then have potential to become regulars.

A good staff is underestimated in this business.

 

[alphadog]

Another poolhall bites the dust.

Slick Willies on Weistheimer between Dairy Ashford and Eldridge has closed.

The vibe had changed over the past year, so I am not surprised at its demise.

It is tough to find a pool hall that is clean and safe. (Though Slick's was not all that clean, it did feel safe.)

Changes in managment and bartenders changed the crowd, which seemed to increase the drug dealing in the parking lot.

The regulars fled.

I had a lot of good times there, so I am a tad heartbroken, though I knew the end was coming.

Pinky was the best bartender and it started to fall flat when they failed to replace her with someone of her caliber.

Think that was the original Red,s where Efren/Cesar Morales started in the US, Someone can confirm this?

 

[cajunfats]

Inventory

Another poolhall bites the dust.

Slick Willies on Weistheimer between Dairy Ashford and Eldridge has closed.

The vibe had changed over the past year, so I am not surprised at its demise.

It is tough to find a pool hall that is clean and safe. (Though Slick's was not all that clean, it did feel safe.)

Changes in managment and bartenders changed the crowd, which seemed to increase the drug dealing in the parking lot.

The regulars fled.

I had a lot of good times there, so I am a tad heartbroken, though I knew the end was coming.

Pinky was the best bartender and it started to fall flat when they failed to replace her with someone of her caliber.

I wonder what they are going to do with the 8 Ft. Gold Crowns they have?

cajunfats

 

[cajunfats]

Location, Location, Location!

I mentioned the importance of a good, friendly staff in the "real problem with pool" thread.

The staff sets the mood of the whole establishment. A friendly sociable staff also makes the regulars feel like going to the pool hall even on nights when they just want to hang out. The good staff also make new customers feel as though they have found a place they can fit in, they then have potential to become regulars.

A good staff is underestimated in this business.

When the area declines, it is hard to maintain an attractive offering. Sad to say, but when a neighborhood becomes,"the Hood", it isn't good for business.

cajunfats

 

[mowermarty]

bad managers

I used to spend 270 to 300 per month at the slicks in channelview. All this was before 7 pm when I would leave. Many of the A C units did not work and it would be 90 to 95 inside by the 9s. I quit going when the day manager would not stop 2 players who never paid for anything from getting on the table I used. I quit going, the person who practiced next to me quit going(about 400 month)and about 200 a month from people who came to play us. About a 1000 per month lost during the slow time of the day, The person who caused this was later hired as bartender- then manager-needless to say it closed soon after. Poolrooms that behave so should go broke

 

[pvc lou]

There's karaoke at Fast Eddies Fuqua tonight.

Hey Marty

 

[RFranklin]

Slicks Closing

While that neighborhood isn't the best it certainly isn't dangerous. That location should be doing fine based on all of the traffic on Westheimer. I am not saying that a good manager and wait staff isn't important but what is happening with many of these places, especially Slicks is that the rents keep getting pushed up and their monthly nut is too high. Pool rooms take up an awful lot of square feet that they could be leasing to several mail boxes etc, and other strip mall renters that probably don't come with the liability that a bar/pool hall brings. We had an Austin Slicks close for this reason about a year and a half ago and the landlord basically increased the monthly by 50% and would not negotiate because he already had renters lined up. That kind of increase just cant be absorbed.

 

[mowermarty]

hey lou

to tired today may play rizzos Friday if they do not have to many entries - 25 or 30 last Friday with 4 tables it goes late

 

[mowermarty]

Reds was down the road at uvalde

 

[Dead Money]

Man, I hate to hear about another pool hall closing.

Here in Austin there have been two Slick Willie's closed in the last four years. One over by Highland Hall about four years ago and then the one on South Lamar mentioned earlier that closed about two years ago.

If I'm not mistaken Slicks has closed about 7 or 8 locations in the past 5 years.

http://www.slickw.com/locations.htm

 

[Mr. Bond]

is the one up by intercontinental still there...?
it was nice, had a couple of different levels...waitresses would rack for you etc
had a funny name...red neon if i recall
of course its been a while since I went, it might have closed long ago

(i used to work over by the 59 diner and Star pizza)

 

[West Point 1987]

I was in the Slick Willie's on Westheimer about 3 years ago...went there to enter a weekly tournament that was scheduled on their website. When I got there, there were maybe three customers there, no tournament scheduled, the equipment was horrible...the staff was very friendly, though. I rented a table, played for thirty minutes or so, then folded and left. I and my brother used to spend hundreds in the place back in the 80s, just wasn't the same place. The neighborhood TOTALLY changed since then. Too bad to see them close, but I'm not surprised. The pool rooms north of beltway 8 seem to still be succeeding...everything west, east and south (at least the places I knew coming up) are either closed or closing...

 

[IbeAnEngineer]

Add the Slick Willie's on Jones Road on the Northwest Side to the list also.

 

[mowermarty]

anyone know how many left open

is the store at I 10 west ( katy?) open.

 

[HouTexPlayer]

I own a rental property about 4 miles from there - the last time I played in that pool hall during the day was about 3 years and in my opinion, that entire neighborhood has declined a tremendous amount in the last few years

There's a host of cultural and economic changes in that area - that's the reason my former primary home is now a rental property.

 

[JumpinJoe]

is the store at I 10 west ( katy?) open.

Yes, that store does well, it won't be closing. A lot more money in that area.

 

[htown_ant]

I've found Slicks to be too expensive to play at. From drinks to table time. And the service was usually not very good. I think competition plays a big role in why Slicks is closing. For the Slicks on Monroe, it was having to compete with Barney's across the street (which is still open) and Fast Eddies about 3 miles down the freeway. Fast Eddies does very well. Legend's Billiards further down the road in League City is another good pool hall with good tables.