Hard Times Bellflower

Johnnybgood · May 5, 2018

jay helfert said:
The cloth on the tournament side is long overdue for recovering. I played on some really filthy and very old cloth last month.

Almost all the tables at HT need recovering. They are using ANDYS cloth. Which is fine I guess. Not my preferred cloth. The tournament room has this on all the tables and it is due for replacement.

On the other side (which they also use for the tournaments) those tables are far over due. To a point of disgust. Those are some of the slowest tables I have ever played. They may even need new cushions.

In my opinion the greatest thing about HT is that tournament room with the bleacher (not bleachers) setup. It really makes for a nice viewing and hang out.

The location is not great and the building as a whole needs a douche.

It does have an energy about it but, I can’t help but feel it’s better days are behind it. Would love to just pick that building up and move it to a better location. Then probably replace all the tables and get a beer and wine license. But that’s not going to happen.

Too bad. Really is an amazing layout.

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Runner · May 5, 2018

Johnnybgood said:
Almost all the tables at HT need recovering. They are using ANDYS cloth. Which is fine I guess. Not my preferred cloth. The tournament room has this on all the tables and it is due for replacement.

On the other side (which they also use for the tournaments) those tables are far over due. To a point of disgust. Those are some of the slowest tables I have ever played. They may even need new cushions.

In my opinion the greatest thing about HT is that tournament room with the bleacher (not bleachers) setup. It really makes for a nice viewing and hang out.

The location is not great and the building as a whole needs a douche.

It does have an energy about it but, I can’t help but feel it’s better days are behind it. Would love to just pick that building up and move it to a better location. Then probably replace all the tables and get a beer and wine license. But that’s not going to happen.

Too bad. Really is an amazing layout.

You pretty much nailed it... legendary room, needs some TLC.

I was never a fan of the Andy cloth... the tournament side used to run Simonis 860
with Centennial balls.. pockets were tight, but you could let your stroke out a little.
The Andy cloth with the measles CB rolls like a snooker table. They must have got a deal on that cloth (free?)

The other side? Beat cloth, tired rails and big pockets... you can't transition from those
to the other side. The billiards tables are nice. I know they have some bangers that go on that side, but still.

Funny.. we played some 1P about 3 days ago and there was no AC, it was like 90 on table 10... don't know what the AC is doing... regulars bringing their own box fans.

I sure don't want to see HT go away, but it needs some love. No food (sorry, bad hot dogs and sammys don't count), no beer or wine (which would def help the bottom line) spotty AC, tables all over the map. We're not talking sports bar BS with flat screens every 10 feet... just bring it up a little, keep the vibe.

Nine ... corner · May 5, 2018

Haven't been there in quite some time but I suspect the golf game on the left when you walk in is still in daily progress.

rexus31 · May 5, 2018

Hard Times has been going down hill for some time. High Lease + no kitchen + no alcohol = corners get cut. No AC in the summer is miserable. We were playing an AMRO league there in June some years back. It was 85 degrees in there at 11pm. I quit the league and vowed to never go back. The high real estate costs here in SoCal are killing pool rooms.

Runner · May 10, 2018

Just a bump to see if anybody has any new info.

I noticed Little Al Romero, who used to be upstairs at HT, moved to the
Sacramento Hard Times. Saw the handwriting on the wall?

eazyace · May 10, 2018

rexus31 said:
Hard Times has been going down hill for some time. High Lease + no kitchen + no alcohol = corners get cut. No AC in the summer is miserable. We were playing an AMRO league there in June some years back. It was 85 degrees in there at 11pm. I quit the league and vowed to never go back. The high real estate costs here in SoCal are killing pool rooms.

Just in SoCal? Rent in general is killing all pool halls. Regulars want to keep paying $5 for all day passes while asking owners to re-cloth, and use better balls, and fix tables etc..

I am pretty sure regulars dont do the math on the Space a pool table takes up vs. what it generates. The game of pool died long ago when the earth became over populated and space became an issue

The only thing that saves pool halls is booze, and those are not the people that regulars want playing on the tables.

Pool will surely die in the near future and not for lack of players but for lack of space.

How many pool rooms still have a snooker table? How about 9ft tables?

idk nothing and prob just ranting from what i see

poolhustler · May 10, 2018

rexus31 said:
Hard Times has been going down hill for some time. High Lease + no kitchen + no alcohol = corners get cut. No AC in the summer is miserable. We were playing an AMRO league there in June some years back. It was 85 degrees in there at 11pm. I quit the league and vowed to never go back. The high real estate costs here in SoCal are killing pool rooms.

Russ <<< Table at Home !!!

Island Drive · May 10, 2018

jay helfert said:
I'd love to Frank, but we are going to a classic car show instead. I'll be wheeling my '67 Chevy pick-up.
P.S. It would be nice if Eddie recovered some of the tables in the tournament room. They need it!

I remember that posture and that Truck. Hauled a few slates in it's day eh?
:thumbup:

jay helfert · May 10, 2018

Island Drive said:
I remember that posture and that Truck. Hauled a few slates in it's day eh?
:thumbup:

Been everywhere but Winnemucca. :grin:

Runner · May 14, 2018

Bump to see if anyone has any more info... played at HT this past weekend and
the consensus is that HT will close (and/or move) at the end of the year.

Jay, you mentioned in a POV 10 ball video how legendary a room HT is... I couldn't agree more! In the last couple of years there hasn't been as many bigger tournaments.

I guess time moves on, and the almighty dollar is gonna kill another pool room.

sbpoolleague · May 14, 2018

It's clear that the intent is to knock down and redevelop that entire neighborhood, so I'm not so sure that there is anything Hard Times can do to avoid it. Crossing my fingers that they can find an affordable new location.

Runner · Nov 12, 2018

I thought I'd bump this up to see if anybody has new info regarding
Hard Times closing... I've talked to the owners, who say everything's
fine, but conditions aren't great there. (tables need cloth, no A/C)

The real estate redevelopement in the area is marching down Bellflower
Blvd. I hope HT gets a reprieve... too iconic a pool hall to go away.

SoCal AZ's... let's hear it.

rexus31 · Nov 12, 2018

Runner said:
I thought I'd bump this up to see if anybody has new info regarding
Hard Times closing... I've talked to the owners, who say everything's
fine, but conditions aren't great there. (tables need cloth, no A/C)

The real estate redevelopement in the area is marching down Bellflower
Blvd. I hope HT gets a reprieve... too iconic a pool hall to go away.

SoCal AZ's... let's hear it.

Good riddance, IMO. It is a shadow of what it was 15-20 years ago. The equipment is not properly maintained and don't get me started about trying to play there during the summer months; unbearable comes to mind. You reap what you sow.

CocoboloCowboy · Nov 12, 2018

Well has anyone run the address in the MLS Service of Properties for sale/lease. Might give you an idea as to if its a rumor, or turn.

I honeslty do not understand how a stand alone pool room make money with out Beer, Wine, and Liguor with the cost of doing business.

Profit margins are think any way.

deanoc · Nov 12, 2018

Hard times belflower is one of the nicest pool rooms i ever saw

lots of action when i was there
great players and constant action
of course i have been home for 20 years

if there was one in dallas i would play there all the time

rexus31 · Nov 12, 2018

deanoc said:
Hard times belflower is one of the nicest pool rooms i ever saw

lots of action when i was there
great players and constant action
of course i have been home for 20 years

if there was one in dallas i would play there all the time

It is not the same as it was 20 years ago. Not even close.

JoeyInCali · Nov 12, 2018

deanoc said:
Hard times belflower is one of the nicest pool rooms i ever saw

lots of action when i was there
great players and constant action
of course i have been home for 20 years

if there was one in dallas i would play there all the time

20 years ago, you could sit in the stands or chairs and enjoy the matches.
It was pretty nice after they banned smoking.
Now, if you sit around, you start itching.
When Chuck owned the place, there was a ton of action.
Even after he sold it to Kenny.
After Kenny sold it, it was downhill from there.

CocoboloCowboy · Nov 12, 2018

The other parts of the World have changed also, noting is forever except birth, and death. Back in 2014 I heard this old guy say, I no longer recognize th country I grew up in. His year of birth was 1920, he saw change.

pwd72s · Nov 12, 2018

CocoboloCowboy said:
The other parts of the World have changed also, noting is forever except birth, and death. Back in 2014 I heard this old guy say, I no longer recognize th country I grew up in. His year of birth was 1920, he saw change.

I was born in '43...and I agree with him.

jay helfert · Nov 12, 2018

CocoboloCowboy said:
The other parts of the World have changed also, noting is forever except birth, and death. Back in 2014 I heard this old guy say, I no longer recognize th country I grew up in. His year of birth was 1920, he saw change.

It's changed a lot since 2016 as well!

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