Another pool room closes

Shermanscs

Shermanscs

Steve sherman
Silver Member
I am extremely disappointed and saddened that my "home pool room" is closing. On January 7th, The Corner Pocket in Milford Connecticut will close its doors for good. The big problem seems to be high rents combined with the fact that pool players simply don't spend money in the pool hall (which also, by the way, has a full bar and full kitchen and great food).

I never noticed that the pool players never spent money there. The place would be packed nightly with APA players who thought because they paid their $10 APA dues that they were entitled to hang out all night, playing on all the tables, enjoying the TVs and social experience of a wonderful establishment with fantastic equipment while the owners sit there all night as glorified baby sitters (and baby sitters make more $).

I know the owners well and they truly care about the sport and really care about their customers. They cater to their customers and create an atmosphere and environment that makes you feel like family whenever you step foot in there.

The recurring theme with pool seems to be the lack of money that goes into the sport (at all levels). Hypocritically, the pool players who rarely ate or bought a drink at Corner Pocket will now cry because its closing.

For heaven's sake people, please invest in your local rooms and our sport - have a meal, buy a few drinks (alcoholic or not), purchase that PPV to watch a stream, pay to play in a tournament, go pay to see a live pro tournament, purchase from the advertisers. Support the pros who make this beautiful sport great. For if not, there will be no place to play and no one to watch.

Please don't take your pool hall for granted, nor the sport for that matter.

Thanks for reading and putting up with my rant.
- Steve
 
Shermanscs said:
I am extremely disappointed and saddened that my "home pool room" is closing. On January 7th, The Corner Pocket in Milford Connecticut will close its doors for good. The big problem seems to be high rents combined with the fact that pool players simply don't spend money in the pool hall (which also, by the way, has a full bar and full kitchen and great food).

I never noticed that the pool players never spent money there. The place would be packed nightly with APA players who thought because they paid their $10 APA dues that they were entitled to hang out all night, playing on all the tables, enjoying the TVs and social experience of a wonderful establishment with fantastic equipment while the owners sit there all night as glorified baby sitters (and baby sitters make more $).

I know the owners well and they truly care about the sport and really care about their customers. They cater to their customers and create an atmosphere and environment that makes you feel like family whenever you step foot in there.

The recurring theme with pool seems to be the lack of money that goes into the sport (at all levels). Hypocritically, the pool players who rarely ate or bought a drink at Corner Pocket will now cry because its closing.

For heaven's sake people, please invest in your local rooms and our sport - have a meal, buy a few drinks (alcoholic or not), purchase that PPV to watch a stream, pay to play in a tournament, go pay to see a live pro tournament, purchase from the advertisers. Support the pros who make this beautiful sport great. For if not, there will be no place to play and no one to watch.

Please don't take your pool hall for granted, nor the sport for that matter.

Thanks for reading and putting up with my rant.
- Steve
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terrible news, indeed, Steve.

I know Bart and his wife put their hearts and souls into Corner Pocket - what a shame they couldn't make it work.

You still have Yale in Wallingford and Cue & Brew in Branford and you can always come to Shooters in Southington, a very good core group of players there.

All that you listed in your "rant", I couldn't agree more. Don't sit all day or all night at your pool room having a water.

If we want to see them succeed, we really have to do our part.

best,
brian kc
 
There is a way

I am always sorry to hear of a room closing. This has been something that has bothered me and I have expounded on for years.

One way of increasing revenue is house leagues and finding events that create excitement, but that has to be something you do long term. It seems hard to get house leagues started but Ive seen it done successfully at many places. I really don't think that an owner has a choice in todays pool environment. He either has to do that or he has to find a way for the APA type player to want to spend money and that is a hard sell. My condolences.

Shermanscs said:
I am extremely disappointed and saddened that my "home pool room" is closing. On January 7th, The Corner Pocket in Milford Connecticut will close its doors for good. The big problem seems to be high rents combined with the fact that pool players simply don't spend money in the pool hall (which also, by the way, has a full bar and full kitchen and great food).

I never noticed that the pool players never spent money there. The place would be packed nightly with APA players who thought because they paid their $10 APA dues that they were entitled to hang out all night, playing on all the tables, enjoying the TVs and social experience of a wonderful establishment with fantastic equipment while the owners sit there all night as glorified baby sitters (and baby sitters make more $).

I know the owners well and they truly care about the sport and really care about their customers. They cater to their customers and create an atmosphere and environment that makes you feel like family whenever you step foot in there.

The recurring theme with pool seems to be the lack of money that goes into the sport (at all levels). Hypocritically, the pool players who rarely ate or bought a drink at Corner Pocket will now cry because its closing.

For heaven's sake people, please invest in your local rooms and our sport - have a meal, buy a few drinks (alcoholic or not), purchase that PPV to watch a stream, pay to play in a tournament, go pay to see a live pro tournament, purchase from the advertisers. Support the pros who make this beautiful sport great. For if not, there will be no place to play and no one to watch.

Please don't take your pool hall for granted, nor the sport for that matter.

Thanks for reading and putting up with my rant.
- Steve
Click to expand...
 
Shermanscs said:
I am extremely disappointed and saddened that my "home pool room" is closing. On January 7th, The Corner Pocket in Milford Connecticut will close its doors for good. The big problem seems to be high rents combined with the fact that pool players simply don't spend money in the pool hall (which also, by the way, has a full bar and full kitchen and great food).

I never noticed that the pool players never spent money there. The place would be packed nightly with APA players who thought because they paid their $10 APA dues that they were entitled to hang out all night, playing on all the tables, enjoying the TVs and social experience of a wonderful establishment with fantastic equipment while the owners sit there all night as glorified baby sitters (and baby sitters make more $).

I know the owners well and they truly care about the sport and really care about their customers. They cater to their customers and create an atmosphere and environment that makes you feel like family whenever you step foot in there.

The recurring theme with pool seems to be the lack of money that goes into the sport (at all levels). Hypocritically, the pool players who rarely ate or bought a drink at Corner Pocket will now cry because its closing.

For heaven's sake people, please invest in your local rooms and our sport - have a meal, buy a few drinks (alcoholic or not), purchase that PPV to watch a stream, pay to play in a tournament, go pay to see a live pro tournament, purchase from the advertisers. Support the pros who make this beautiful sport great. For if not, there will be no place to play and no one to watch.

Please don't take your pool hall for granted, nor the sport for that matter.

Thanks for reading and putting up with my rant.
- Steve
Click to expand...

Typical-the ladies are worse probably. I went to many tournies where the owner would add 1k or so and all the ladies would arrive at the pool room with a packed lunch.
 
Sorry to hear the news. I would go a little crazy if my home room closed it's doors.
 
Dang !
Ya'all making me feel a bit guilty right now. I can't do bar food or beer anymore. I do cheat every so often,(hey, I grew up on the stuff!), and have a beer or two. The occasional slice of pizza as well.

Right about the women: they come in sat tourneys with baked goods and cookies.My homeroom owner allows it as he's more into the family atmosphere. Most regs are there 4-5 days/week easily.

One thing we all can do to help the local owners is to make them the first stop when buying accessories and having cue work done. My homeroom owner gets my biz in that regard exclusively. :thumbup:

Some rooms have a special for regs, or league players. That's a good time to bring a friend,(or a not-so friend) :grin:
 
Sad news. When will the customers learn?

When will the rooms take back our sport?
 
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League players are brutal on business. Place i used to play at has a bunch of leagues and they are the biggest bunch of no spendin' cheapskates on earth. They get free pre-match warm-up and then proceed to drink water or possibly a beer or a soda. Rarely any food or bar orders. Also, they never come in and play on the clock, only when it's free. Like i said, BRUTAL.
 
You point out a lot of valid issues there I know I have been guilty of in my home room in the past. I have actually thought a lot about the pool hall business lately myself. I have also done a lot of reading on it. I agree the problem is based upon the income vs expenses of the business. The pool hall closest to my home has signs on the door stating no outside food and drink and it is enforced other then simple tap water. One of the major problems I tend to see happening over and over is in order for the pool halls to make a profit they need to provide other services as well and advertise a lot more to generate traffic. In my area the pool hall has been in the same location for several years yet several of my coworkers don't even know where they are located. They offer food and vending machine snacks and drinks. They also offer pool cue services. They have lockers available for pool cue storage as well. I personally will not rent a locker for them for cue storage as I have been in there when the temperature and humidity were very high and I was literally dripping in sweat because the owner would not turn on the air conditioning as it cost too much to run. What I was surprised to notice is they only take cash payment no credit or debit cards. They have an ATM that charges a high fee to use. They do not sell any cues or accessories. Other then online if you want a quality cue you need to travel about 20 miles to get one. They have a good location currently as they are the only pool hall in a 20 mile radius and only one other place rents tables that is a single bowling alley. Many pool halls also offer lessons to interested parties and that could generate more income as well. Some pool hall owners however like the one in my area will only give lessons to people willing to commit to a large number of practice hours per week. In my case when I asked about it I was told he only gave lessons to people willing to practice 27 hours per week or more. There are several colleges and universities in this area most of which have bar tables in them yet they there is no advertisement for the pool hall anywhere. If the people don't know the pool hall is there they will not even think about going there. If they sell food and alcohol as well they should be making a large percentage of their income from it more so then the tables. If they don't sell alcohol but only have a small grill area and some vending machines their pricing needs to remain competitive with other near them. For example a 12 oz soda should not be $2.50 at the hall and $1.50 at the convenient store. I don't know about the others in here but I don't make a lot of money at my job. For me if I did not own my pool table I would likely not be able to afford to play pool enough to become skilled at it. When table time is $8-9 per person not counting food or beverages it will add up quick. People can go to a movie in the theater for $10 per person and get two hours of entertainment for about the same price as an hour of pool. Lots of people will go out on a weekend and spend money to do it occasionally just like they would go to a bar. Granted the pool leagues will help out the business of any hall but they need to have enough open tables for regular players to use while the leagues are playing. Rent prices are going up all over the country for large open commercial spaces. Pool can make a comeback as a recreational sport. In order to make that happen the tables need to be available at reasonable pricing and halls need to advertise their services and specials. It seems to be getting a little bit more television coverage lately which is great but the more people you can get interested in it the better it is for the sport. Pool halls should not become a place to hang out and bs unless your an active customer at the time (Meaning buying or consuming goods or paying for your table time). To many times I have walked into pool halls only to see couches sometimes around a table with people relaxing on them and talking about something non pool related without anyone playing pool in their area.

I have heard in order to gt the skill level of a professional you need to sink over 1,000,000 balls. If you sink 100 per hour your still talking about 10,000 hours. That is a substantial investment of time and money if you have to pay $8-9/hr. While most people will not think about it at that level, they will in fact realize improving your game will take several hours.

We as players need to support and promote the sport. Pool hall owners should do the same as well.
 
garczar said:
League players are brutal on business. Place i used to play at has a bunch of leagues and they are the biggest bunch of no spendin' cheapskates on earth. They get free pre-match warm-up and then proceed to drink water or possibly a beer or a soda. Rarely any food or bar orders. Also, they never come in and play on the clock, only when it's free. Like i said, BRUTAL.
Click to expand...
League players are good customers at my home room. They account for a significant part of each week's food and drink sales.

Table time has the biggest profit margin, though (by a long shot), and they don't account for as much of that (they get a deal).

pj
chgo
 
Kevin3824 said:
You point out a lot of valid issues there I know I have been guilty of in my home room in the past. I have actually thought a lot about the pool hall business lately myself. I have also done a lot of reading on it. I agree the problem is based upon the income vs expenses of the business. The pool hall closest to my home has signs on the door stating no outside food and drink and it is enforced other then simple tap water. One of the major problems I tend to see happening over and over is in order for the pool halls to make a profit they need to provide other services as well and advertise a lot more to generate traffic. In my area the pool hall has been in the same location for several years yet several of my coworkers don't even know where they are located. They offer food and vending machine snacks and drinks. They also offer pool cue services. They have lockers available for pool cue storage as well. I personally will not rent a locker for them for cue storage as I have been in there when the temperature and humidity were very high and I was literally dripping in sweat because the owner would not turn on the air conditioning as it cost too much to run. What I was surprised to notice is they only take cash payment no credit or debit cards. They have an ATM that charges a high fee to use. They do not sell any cues or accessories. Other then online if you want a quality cue you need to travel about 20 miles to get one. They have a good location currently as they are the only pool hall in a 20 mile radius and only one other place rents tables that is a single bowling alley. Many pool halls also offer lessons to interested parties and that could generate more income as well. Some pool hall owners however like the one in my area will only give lessons to people willing to commit to a large number of practice hours per week. In my case when I asked about it I was told he only gave lessons to people willing to practice 27 hours per week or more. There are several colleges and universities in this area most of which have bar tables in them yet they there is no advertisement for the pool hall anywhere. If the people don't know the pool hall is there they will not even think about going there. If they sell food and alcohol as well they should be making a large percentage of their income from it more so then the tables. If they don't sell alcohol but only have a small grill area and some vending machines their pricing needs to remain competitive with other near them. For example a 12 oz soda should not be $2.50 at the hall and $1.50 at the convenient store. I don't know about the others in here but I don't make a lot of money at my job. For me if I did not own my pool table I would likely not be able to afford to play pool enough to become skilled at it. When table time is $8-9 per person not counting food or beverages it will add up quick. People can go to a movie in the theater for $10 per person and get two hours of entertainment for about the same price as an hour of pool. Lots of people will go out on a weekend and spend money to do it occasionally just like they would go to a bar. Granted the pool leagues will help out the business of any hall but they need to have enough open tables for regular players to use while the leagues are playing. Rent prices are going up all over the country for large open commercial spaces. Pool can make a comeback as a recreational sport. In order to make that happen the tables need to be available at reasonable pricing and halls need to advertise their services and specials. It seems to be getting a little bit more television coverage lately which is great but the more people you can get interested in it the better it is for the sport. Pool halls should not become a place to hang out and bs unless your an active customer at the time (Meaning buying or consuming goods or paying for your table time). To many times I have walked into pool halls only to see couches sometimes around a table with people relaxing on them and talking about something non pool related without anyone playing pool in their area.

I have heard in order to gt the skill level of a professional you need to sink over 1,000,000 balls. If you sink 100 per hour your still talking about 10,000 hours. That is a substantial investment of time and money if you have to pay $8-9/hr. While most people will not think about it at that level, they will in fact realize improving your game will take several hours.

We as players need to support and promote the sport. Pool hall owners should do the same as well.
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Wow. Another post like this and I will go blind!
 
philly said:
Wow. Another post like this and I will go blind!
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Sorry about the long post. I just think it won't be much longer before the local hall I go to closes its doors as well. It is so sad really the tables there are outstanding. If it closes I don't think pool will stand a decent chance of surviving in this area.
 
Kevin3824 said:
Sorry about the long post. I just think it won't be much longer before the local hall I go to closes its doors as well. It is so sad really the tables there are outstanding. If it closes I don't think pool will stand a decent chance of surviving in this area.
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I know. I love my room too.
 
Amazingly I was at a bowling alley yesterday and you couldn't park. BTW I know a few bowling hustlers and they never have a problem getting a game..

BTW the alley has food, terrible food, but everyone eats it....

JV
 
few people that run pool rooms are good business people. that dooms them.
they have to understand who they are competing with for the dollars of their customers.

they also have to be aggressive in promoting new customers and making repeat customers come more often as well.

i find current practices of places terrible and i travel and play. many places make you put up cash por credit card or drivers license for them to hold. no restaurants or other places require that. it is an insult.

food is mostly crappy overpriced bar greasy prepackaged food. who wants that?
tables are not clean enough and the person behind the counter is not working just handing out balls with no owner to supervise.

few real specials or events to bring in spectators or just fill the place with people. people bring in other people and spend money.
 
That really blows... sounds like it was a really nice room... was that the one in your avatar?

Sandwiches from home vs an $8 burger? There are some truly super cheap people, and pool players can be the worst. Sometimes that option ain't there... some rooms just don't have any quality food at all, unless you count stale nachos drenched in Cheese Whiz, or the occasional slice heated by a light bulb.

And some rooms don't have a liquor license, so there's that... those that do should have a two drink deal with table time... I've seen that and don't have a problem with it.
 
garczar said:
League players are brutal on business. Place i used to play at has a bunch of leagues and they are the biggest bunch of no spendin' cheapskates on earth. They get free pre-match warm-up and then proceed to drink water or possibly a beer or a soda. Rarely any food or bar orders. Also, they never come in and play on the clock, only when it's free. Like i said, BRUTAL.
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That's why a nice place here pulled out most of their Diamond bar boxes.
He got rid of players and just left two tables for bar goers.
No more tournaments.
Bars should not serve water without food imo.
 
With all the room closings, it sounds like a perfect opportunity to take over and open your own poolhall and implement the ideas suggested.
 
Sad to hear. The place I played in closed after 35 or so years {posted by another AZ member} some time back. I'm glad I moved before it happened, we knew it was coming due, in part, to the current management, but it was still a bit of a shock. Unlike a lot of places, the players often ate there, bought cues, etc. there and consumed gallons of coffee, soda, snacks. The players came in between noon and 1 pm and most were gone by 7 or 8. Yes, you have to have some business sense but you also have to know the game, not just league play, to survive. Never had organized national leagues while I was there but in my personal experience, they have not been real supportive of other rooms I've been in. When I went back there in 2011 95% or more of the players were gone, either to another, smaller room or quit altogether.
Pool just ain't what it used to be, unfortunately:eek:
 
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Right now the rooms in my town with leagues matches:

1. Pay to sponsor teams
2. Give them free pool
3. Give one free round of drinks

It doesn't make sense. I really want to support the rooms, and I have the money to do so. I just don't drink that much and I don't eat much of the foods they serve. And I'm not going to become a fat alcoholic to support my room.

There has to be a different model. But everything has to be "free" and "added money" in pool - and not just pool. Apps are free but they make money from stupid people buying farms and gems. Google is free but they sell your info to everyone. Phones are free but they don't tell you that you're paying on it every month with your service. Our economy is built on tricks.

How about this: We actually pay for things. If you play in a league, you pay $5 a night to, you know, use their room and tables. If you play in a tournament, they subtract money rather than add it. In return they actually stay in business, and maybe want more leagues, tournaments, and pool players.
 
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