Good Old Days Owning Poolroom

[Johnnyt]

In the 1960's I owned a 9 table poolroom right on Main Street, 2 blocks from a church, on Long Island, East Islip, NY. No booze or beer. No video games or pinball machine...just 8 9' tables and 1 billiards table.

Rent $120 @ month
Electric= About $50 @ month
Open 12 pm to 12 pm...7 days a week
Had to be 16 years old unless with an adult
Table time $1.10 @ hour
Waiting list most days after. 3 pm.
Ran the joint for about 3 years by myself until I sold 45% of it so I could try something else. Was bored and no time to party.
Room netted me about $2500 @ month for years. Mostly under 25 years old male customers.

I didn't need to be a wiz in business back then either. Johnnyt

 

[ibuycues]

Nice post!
Brings back some memories.

Will Prout

 

[macguy]

In the 1960's I owned a 9 table poolroom right on Main Street, 2 blocks from a church, on Long Island, East Islip, NY. No booze or beer. No video games or pinball machine...just 8 9' tables and 1 billiards table.

Rent $120 @ month
Electric= About $50 @ month
Open 12 pm to 12 pm...7 days a week
Had to be 16 years old unless with an adult
Table time $1.10 @ hour
Waiting list most days after. 3 pm.
Ran the joint for about 3 years by myself until I sold 45% of it so I could try something else. Was bored and no time to party.
Room netted me about $2500 @ month for years. Mostly under 25 years old male customers.

I didn't need to be a wiz in business back then either. Johnnyt

Yours was a room with a manageable nut. You could have just as easy had a place that could not pay the bills even in the 60's. The problem with most pool rooms that go out of business is a bad business plan based on unrealistic projections of what they can make. The principles today are no different then back in the 60's for running a small one owner business.

In fact when it come to owning a pool room it may be easier today. There were laws in many citied back then that made pool rooms pretty much illegal. In Florida in the 60's it was not legal for anyone under the age of 21 to even be in a pool room without jumping through a bunch of hoops. It was also not legal for a pool room to serve any alcoholic beverage in many circumstances.

Today a nice say 10 table room with a bar and serving good food can be a good business for the owner that is willing to work. It is not an absentee owner business, it is a job. There is not enough income to support 3 partners it has to all belong to you and you treat it as your job that you show up at every day.

 

[pdcue]

Yours was a room with a manageable nut. You could have just as easy had a place that could not pay the bills even in the 60's. The problem with most pool rooms that go out of business is a bad business plan based on unrealistic projections of what they can make. The principles today are no different then back in the 60's for running a small one owner business.

In fact when it come to owning a pool room it may be easier today. There were laws in many citied back then that made pool rooms pretty much illegal. In Florida in the 60's it was not legal for anyone under the age of 21 to even be in a pool room without jumping through a bunch of hoops. It was also not legal for a pool room to serve any alcoholic beverage in many circumstances.

Today a nice say 10 table room with a bar and serving good food can be a good business for the owner that is willing to work. It is not an absentee owner business, it is a job. There is not enough income to support 3 partners it has to all belong to you and you treat it as your job that you show up at every day.

The overwhelming important point that you missed is the bar and food, which today
are all but mandatory, which increases your workload by about 900% and your initial
investment by about 9000%.

The room the OP describes was the norm in those days. You could make a very comfortable living
with the place virtually on autopilot, and all you needed was a pop machine and candy bars.

Them was the days.

Dale

 

[Johnnyt]

The overwhelming important point that you missed is the bar and food, which today
are all but mandatory, which increases your workload by about 900% and your initial
investment by about 9000%.

The room the OP describes was the norm in those days. You could make a very comfortable living
with the place virtually on autopilot, and all you needed was a pop machine and candy bars.

Them was the days.

Dale

Yes, most rooms in NY were making good money...but the hours get brutal after awhile. Johnnyt

 

[Black-Balled]

The overwhelming important point that you missed is the bar and food, which today
are all but mandatory, which increases your workload by about 900% and your initial
investment by about 9000%.

The room the OP describes was the norm in those days. You could make a very comfortable living
with the place virtually on autopilot, and all you needed was a pop machine and candy bars.

Them was the days.

Dale

Agrees. I greet up playing and working in one like that.. Just pool and soda and a candy machine.

Pool? You're in the right place.
Hungry? Go get something to eat.

 

[mikemosconi]

My room in Yonkers NY opened in mid 60's and I started going in 1970 at age 16, by 1971 when I was 17 and really getting into pool it had closed -- Vietnam war probably accounted for a minimum 50% business loss at many rooms due to guys either in the services from 1966 to 1972; too busy getting their life together after returning from the service, or unfortunately, and sadly, either unable to get themselves together after returning or never returning at all.

 

[macguy]

Yes, most rooms in NY were making good money...but the hours get brutal after awhile. Johnnyt

No body said it was easy. I had a 24 hour place and although I put in a zillion hours would not have traded it for a "Punch the clock kiss ass job" for anything. Being in business for yourself is understood you will work more the a 40 hour week.

Some people are the kind who don't want any responsibility. They want to know where they park their car and when do they get off work. Many though like the creativity of running and building a business. Not to mention the rewards of providing jobs that would not exist without your efforts. It is not for everybody and is a lot of work.

 

[macguy]

The overwhelming important point that you missed is the bar and food, which today
are all but mandatory, which increases your workload by about 900% and your initial
investment by about 9000%.

The room the OP describes was the norm in those days. You could make a very comfortable living
with the place virtually on autopilot, and all you needed was a pop machine and candy bars.

Them was the days.

Dale

I don't know about a comfortable living. I worked in pool rooms like that in the 60's and they usually had very little day business and a few hours at night and often closed early. Many times it was the law. They were lucky to gross $50 or $60.00 a day. A $100.00 day was a bonanza. Just pool and soda was a starvation business.
Most had year to year leases and once the landlord had a better use for the space they were out.

 

[Lesh]

Gotta have some kind of quick food like pizzas or burgers or something fast and loose like that. Full liquor bar is the real money maker though. Get that, and you are good to go... at least in FL. My Home room owner is actually making money.... WITH a pool room. I know, insane isn't it?

Lesh

 

[macguy]

Gotta have some kind of quick food like pizzas or burgers or something fast and loose like that. Full liquor bar is the real money maker though. Get that, and you are good to go... at least in FL. My Home room owner is actually making money.... WITH a pool room. I know, insane isn't it?

Lesh

For pool only is is a hit and miss thing. If you can develop a day business and have a reasonable nut you may survive but you never know, but at it's best it is just a job, no one is getting rich. You have to do it because you like the game and the business, not because you think you are going to make a lot of money because your not. At best you survive and make a few bucks.

 

[pdcue]

I don't know about a comfortable living. I worked in pool rooms like that in the 60's and they usually had very little day business and a few hours at night and often closed early. Many times it was the law. They were lucky to gross $50 or $60.00 a day. A $100.00 day was a bonanza. Just pool and soda was a starvation business.
Most had year to year leases and once the landlord had a better use for the space they were out.

Depends on which part of the 60s - by the end of the decade the boom ignited by
'The Hustler' had died out in most areas... along with many other problems.

The rooms spawned by Tevis, in the early to mid 60s, were doing quite well. I am
familiar with people from many areas of the country who owned or played in
poolhalls just like Johnny's.

Comfortable living circa 1962...

By way of comparison - a UNION Auto worker had a 'take home pay' of roughly
$85 to $90 for a WEEK(40 hours) and that was about as good a working class job as
a guy could get. They were able to buy houses, cars, TVs... raise kids and cats and dogs.
All that with hardly any wives with a paying job.

So, being able to clear $800 a month where your hardest task was filling a pop machine
was a pretty tempting gig.

Dale

 

[david(tx)]

No body said it was easy. I had a 24 hour place and although I put in a zillion hours would not have traded it for a "Punch the clock kiss job" for anything. Being in business for yourself is understood you will work more the a 40 hour week.

Some people are the kind who don't want any responsibility. They want to know where they park their car and when do they get off work. Many though like the creativity of running and building a business. Not to mention the rewards of providing jobs that would not exist without your efforts. It is not for everybody and is a lot of work.

Some people are the kind who don't want any responsibility.

Think your describing our society. Seen many posts here lamenting the lack of quality poolrooms in their area and if one opens up they seldom patronize it. Showing up once every couple of weeks and wondering what hours do they have free pool and if they have fee coffee in the daytime won't keep it open. Use to be gamblers were there in the afternoon , especially one pocket guys .

People will spend 7 bucks on a hamburger and Coke but not 4 bucks on and hour of pool . Poolrooms or sports bars don't have true house men anymore who run table hoppers out and keep deadbeats from hassling patrons who don't want to gamble . They knew who to steer where. Their called bartenders these days .