Article from the Clarion Ledger dated August 23, 2006
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060823/BIZ/608230357
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Pool champ co-owns sports bar
by Arnold Lindsay August 23, 2006
Two brothers open restaurant in Byram
BYRAM - Two brothers have opened a restaurant to give Byram diners a place to watch the game at night and feast at a homestyle cooking for lunch.
Reed Pierce is an upscale sports bar that serves a southern lunch buffet weekdays, then transforms into a full-service bar at night with televisions and pool tables scattered throughout.
After 5 p.m., the menu changes to feature fried shrimp, a catfish po-boy, salads and high-dollar steaks.
"Me and my brother always kind of wanted to open up an upscale sports bar, billiard room and saw a chance to do it down here in Byram," said the business' namesake.
Semi-retired professional pool player Reed Pierce, 43, has numerous honors that include winning the U.S. Open 9 Ball Championship before leaving the circuit in 2001. He once was ranked the third-best player in the world.
"I got burnt out of living out of a suitcase and traveling all over the world," he said.
His brother, Ronnie Pierce, owns Distinctive Builders, which built the St. Jude Dream Home in 2005.
The Brandon men renovated the space in a strip center in an area of Byram that is starting to see commercial growth.
"We think this is a great area that's expanding. It was not really anything in this area," Ronnie Pierce said. "We meant for it to look that way. There's no beer signs or that sort of thing. We run a first-class operation." Barry Slay, who works in Byram, said the restaurant is filling a void.
"It's real good," Slay said of the food.
State Sen. Richard White, R-Terry, said growth in the area means the eatery has a good chance to succeed.
"There's a great opportunity here. We're seeing all kinds of new stuff coming in," White said. "I think there's a lot of people moving here and I think people are looking for a place to live, sort of like a community atmosphere with a small-town atmosphere."
Reed Pierce said he eventually wants to get back on the professional pool tour. He plays in the U.S. Open each year, but might return to the sport if the sports bar/restaurant does well by year's end.
"I already accomplished basically what I wanted to accomplish in pool. I was as high as No. 3, but I'd love to be able to go back out there... It's a dream of mine to do that," said Reed Pierce, who plays down the level of his past fame, captured in time on magazine covers, newspaper articles and trophies inside the display case.
"I still feel like I've got a lot of good years in me," Reed Pierce said.
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060823/BIZ/608230357
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Pool champ co-owns sports bar
by Arnold Lindsay August 23, 2006
Two brothers open restaurant in Byram
BYRAM - Two brothers have opened a restaurant to give Byram diners a place to watch the game at night and feast at a homestyle cooking for lunch.
Reed Pierce is an upscale sports bar that serves a southern lunch buffet weekdays, then transforms into a full-service bar at night with televisions and pool tables scattered throughout.
After 5 p.m., the menu changes to feature fried shrimp, a catfish po-boy, salads and high-dollar steaks.
"Me and my brother always kind of wanted to open up an upscale sports bar, billiard room and saw a chance to do it down here in Byram," said the business' namesake.
Semi-retired professional pool player Reed Pierce, 43, has numerous honors that include winning the U.S. Open 9 Ball Championship before leaving the circuit in 2001. He once was ranked the third-best player in the world.
"I got burnt out of living out of a suitcase and traveling all over the world," he said.
His brother, Ronnie Pierce, owns Distinctive Builders, which built the St. Jude Dream Home in 2005.
The Brandon men renovated the space in a strip center in an area of Byram that is starting to see commercial growth.
"We think this is a great area that's expanding. It was not really anything in this area," Ronnie Pierce said. "We meant for it to look that way. There's no beer signs or that sort of thing. We run a first-class operation." Barry Slay, who works in Byram, said the restaurant is filling a void.
"It's real good," Slay said of the food.
State Sen. Richard White, R-Terry, said growth in the area means the eatery has a good chance to succeed.
"There's a great opportunity here. We're seeing all kinds of new stuff coming in," White said. "I think there's a lot of people moving here and I think people are looking for a place to live, sort of like a community atmosphere with a small-town atmosphere."
Reed Pierce said he eventually wants to get back on the professional pool tour. He plays in the U.S. Open each year, but might return to the sport if the sports bar/restaurant does well by year's end.
"I already accomplished basically what I wanted to accomplish in pool. I was as high as No. 3, but I'd love to be able to go back out there... It's a dream of mine to do that," said Reed Pierce, who plays down the level of his past fame, captured in time on magazine covers, newspaper articles and trophies inside the display case.
"I still feel like I've got a lot of good years in me," Reed Pierce said.
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