How many pool rooms?

In this day...you should probably define what your idea of a pool room is. Certain number of tables? No Bar? No restaurant? Coin op vs hourly rate? Restaurants and Bars with pool tables far outnumber pool rooms.

The definition of a "pool room" is probably like "indecency"....I know it when I see it!
 
For my purposes, I would define pool room as an establishment that has multiple pool tables and markets to pool players. It can have food, drinks, a bar, etc. They have a need to bring in pool players.

I can't find any kind of industry statistics. Would the BCA have data about the industry?

I want to start a website for pool room owners and, maybe, table mechanics. I'm trying to get information to get some stats to see if there are enough pool rooms out there.

Thanks for any input.
 
BCA does in fact have a survey they did although it is fairly old. I ordered it a couple years ago and it doesnt reflect the downturn in the economy in the past 4 years. Table mechanics are more likely to be employed by billiard retailers since that is where 90% of their work is. I "market" to the masses up to a point. There are 95% bangers and 5% players in a non-alcoholic setting. The 5% will be there every week but the 95% will pay your bills and buy cues and refer their friends. Good luck with your website. Lots of them have gone under in the past 10 years.
 
Thanks for your feedback Craig. I was hoping I could pick your brain a little. I'll give you some ideas that I have. I'd like your opinion. I'd also like other peoples thoughts, too.

I thought there might be a desire for room owners to have a place where they could share ideas, best practices, etc. like they do here. In addition to that, I'd like to organize some audio and/or video content that would help them with there business. I was thinking of interviews with industry people, successful room owners, marketing experts, promoters, etc. This could, also, include equipment maintenance instruction, legal advice, tour information, league information, etc. Obviously, feedback from that community would drive my content creation. The site would have a forum, videos, podcasts, teleconferences, product reviews and more.

Maybe this has been tried before. I don't know. I have the technical skills to create the site, but I wanted to do some research to see if there is a market for such a site. I'm not sure how many establishments there are. Also, I don't know how many owners use the internet and/or would want to be involved.

I would appreciate any feedback.

Thanks!
 
Unfortunately on the internet, every business is located right next door to another business. So opening a store next to Walmart (AZBilliards) can be risky. If you only do a few things different, your competition can just do it also to drive you under. Know what I mean? AZbilliards has a virtual monopoly on billiards forums with the number of hard core fans and regular contributors. You can always offer something different, but be prepared for the comparisons with AZ and the possible backlash. I asked AZ a couple years ago about a Room Owners section and they thought it was a good idea. Several room owners and I have made connections and talk business on a regular basis. Manwon, Tracy from Golden Cue, (poolhallmaven) and several others. We have traded ideas for promotions and stimulating business and even griped to each other when things are not going smoothly. So whatever you decide to do should take in mind you will probably be a compliment not a competitor to larger more established sites. Just my ramblings.
 
I agree with your thoughts Craig. I wasn't really trying to directly compete with AZ. They have a real strangle-hold on the billiard forums. If I go through with my venture, it will have a lot more content, specifically, targeted to room owners. To be successful, it will have to provide some real value to room owners.

I have a few other ideas that I might pursue before trying this venture. Thanks for your feedback, though. If anyone else has thoughts, please chime in.

Thanks. I hope your business is doing well!
 
Skippy, I've often thought about a site that could provide tournament information based on location. For instance you could set a parameter such that you would be notified about a tounament within a specific mile range. At some point you would get a great mailing list for other tournament organizers. You could also offer advertising to help pay for the site.
 
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