The Rack in Lavonia, MI

Chembry · Jan 23, 2020

The Rack in Livonia, MI

I will be in Detroit on business the better part of the next 2 weeks. From other threads I have read, The Rack is a good place to play. I will be staying right near DTW. Curious if there are other places to play and if any of them have any weekly tournaments?

jasonlaus · Jan 23, 2020

Chembry said:
I will be in Detroit on business the better part of the next 2 weeks. From other threads I have read, The Rack is a good place to play. I will be staying right near DTW. Curious if there are other places to play and if any of them have any weekly tournaments?

I dont think the Rack has been there for a long time.

logical · Jan 23, 2020

jasonlaus said:
I dont think the Rack has been there for a long time.

It very much is there but it's spelled Livonia. I think Lavonia was the sister of the trans prostitute in Napolean Dynamite.

Sent from the future.

jasonlaus · Jan 23, 2020

logical said:
It very much is there but it's spelled Livonia. I think Lavonia was the sister of the trans prostitute in Napolean Dynamite.

Sent from the future.

Thought I had seen pictures where the building used to be

Wish I had known, worked in that area a few times over the years and woulda went for sure.

Friend of mine from Florida(now Texas) is the one who started the Rack thread years ago.

StraightPoolIU · Jan 23, 2020

I think it's a different "The Rack" than the one from the the famous old stories.

Jimmy_Betmore · Jan 23, 2020

jasonlaus said:
I dont think the Rack has been there for a long time.

The Rack in Livonia is most definitely there. You're probably thinking of the old legendary place called "The Rack" that, if memory serves be right, was the Russian American Club which is no longer.

jasonlaus · Jan 23, 2020

StraightPoolIU said:
I think it's a different "The Rack" than the one from the the famous old stories.

That's a name that should have been retired and nobody should be allowed to use it.

There will never be another.

hang-the-9 · Jan 23, 2020

Chembry said:
I will be in Detroit on business the better part of the next 2 weeks. From other threads I have read, The Rack is a good place to play. I will be staying right near DTW. Curious if there are other places to play and if any of them have any weekly tournaments?

I went to that place several times not long ago. Nice place, cheap with nice tables. Lots of players playing one pocket.

There is a weened tournament at a place called Snookers, in the same town. That was fun to play in, I think almost everyone there was a good C or B player, with a couple of guys that look to be at A speed. The tournament info is on their Facebook page. I only went there once for the tournament, played at The Rack every other time.

pt109 · Jan 23, 2020

jasonlaus said:
Thought I had seen pictures where the building used to be

Wish I had known, worked in that area a few times over the years and woulda went for sure.

Friend of mine from Florida(now Texas) is the one who started the Rack thread years ago.

The place you’re thinking about was originally the Rack and Cue....
...hence the street name The Rack.

When it became the pool player’s Mecca, it was actually called the Capital Cue Club...
...on Capital Street....sometimes called Eight and a Half Mile Road

DEXTER · Jan 23, 2020

Facebook

You might try a Facebook group called. Detroit Billiards Network.

driz86 · Jan 23, 2020

You'll find the Rack on Joy Rd., east of Middlebelt. Snookers which hosts the weekly open 9 ball (2pm) is just up the road on Inskter and 96.

pt109 · Jan 23, 2020

Jimmy_Betmore said:
The Rack in Livonia is most definitely there. You're probably thinking of the old legendary place called "The Rack" that, if memory serves be right, was the Russian American Club which is no longer.

Is Middletown Whitey still playing?,,,I always liked him.

MoonshineMattK · Jan 23, 2020

Does anyone have pictures of the building? What was the address?

Jimmy_Betmore · Jan 24, 2020

pt109 said:
Is Middletown Whitey still playing?,,,I always liked him.

I honestly don't know if Whitey is still playing but I'm fairly certain his son Tommy still gets out from time to time. He finished third in the Derby nine ball division back in '02.

Chembry · Jan 24, 2020

Thank you everyone. I was doing some research and found Hall of Fame Billiards in Warren as well. I have a car so I don't mind driving. Is that a decent place as well?

garczar · Jan 24, 2020

MoonshineMattK said:
Does anyone have pictures of the building? What was the address?

THE Rack was at 13400 Capital. Building is gone. Google Satellite still shows it but it was torn down a few yrs. ago by the towing co. that resides there now. It sat right behind the patch of grass with the rocks(which have been there forever): https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=e...Search&imagekey=!1e2!2sEL3H9Jd-QSLzNAoyzMPW-A

jtompilot · Jan 24, 2020

Chembry said:
Thank you everyone. I was doing some research and found Hall of Fame Billiards in Warren as well. I have a car so I don't mind driving. Is that a decent place as well?

I haven’t been to HOF in a very long time. They have some bar boxes there. No bar boxes at the Rack. There is some 9b at the rack but mostly 1P of various skill levels and some golf on the big table

I thought the old time famous room was the RAC.

stevelomako · Jan 24, 2020

I thought this was funny for a while and wasn’t going to reply but I thought I’d set the record straight.

There’s 3 different places being discussed and I had 2 of them.

(1) The original “Rack” in Oak Park, MI

(2) Russian American Club (RAC) in Livonia, MI. It had to be a private club to be able to stay open all nite hence the name. It was on Plymouth Rd near Middlebelt. I had this place from 1999-2003

(3) The Rack in Livonia, MI. It originally opened in 1963 as “Eddies Rack and Cue”. I took it in 2004 and sold it in 2010. This is the place that’s still open on Joy Rd between Inkster and Middlebelt.

Here’s something that I posted on onepocket.org a few years ago that might help a little.

http://onepocket.org/forum/index.php?threads/capital-social-club-aka-the-rack.7677/

logical · Jan 24, 2020

Chembry said:
Thank you everyone. I was doing some research and found Hall of Fame Billiards in Warren as well. I have a car so I don't mind driving. Is that a decent place as well?

I wouldn't cross the street to go there.

Sent from the future.

Chembry · Jan 24, 2020

logical said:
I wouldn't cross the street to go there.

Sent from the future.

Ok. I will cross Hall of Fame billiard off my list.

The Rack in Lavonia, MI

AzB Silver Member

Rep for Smorg

Loose Rack

Rep for Smorg

Brent

AzB Silver Member

Rep for Smorg

AzB Silver Member

WO double hemlock

Runde fan

AzB Silver Member

WO double hemlock

.

AzB Silver Member

AzB Silver Member

AzB Silver Member

AzB Silver Member

Try and jack this bitch.

Loose Rack

AzB Silver Member