Hybridizing pool hall with another existing business

[galipeau]

Where I live there are no pool halls anywhere in the area. I was thinking it might be smart to approach an existing business (for instance there is a really good coffee shop with lots of space right on the main street) and see if they would like to expand their customer base by bringing in people who wants to play a game of billiards. They have lots of tables and nobody uses them to sit down and have coffee. Why not convert the unused space to revenue producing equipment? It's also located very close to a car ferry. Lots of people sit in their cars everyday, sometimes with an hour or two to kill if there is a backup or long wait time.

I've worked at pool halls in the past and have a business major. I feel like it could be an easy side hustle to manage the maintenance and monetization of these tables, even offer lessons for kids to spark the interest. There is very little in terms of entertainment in this town. There's a small movie theater, but other than that it's just a couple restaurants, cafes and a bar. I feel this might be a great way to introduce pool to the community in a more friendly atmosphere.

 

[Black-Balled]

I'd wonder if the tables in the coffee shop being unused is a consequence of covid... temporary (hopefully!)

Where I live there are no pool halls anywhere in the area. I was thinking it might be smart to approach an existing business (for instance there is a really good coffee shop with lots of space right on the main street) and see if they would like to expand their customer base by bringing in people who wants to play a game of billiards. They have lots of tables and nobody uses them to sit down and have coffee. Why not convert the unused space to revenue producing equipment? It's also located very close to a car ferry. Lots of people sit in their cars everyday, sometimes with an hour or two to kill if there is a backup or long wait time.

I've worked at pool halls in the past and have a business major. I feel like it could be an easy side hustle to manage the maintenance and monetization of these tables, even offer lessons for kids to spark the interest. There is very little in terms of entertainment in this town. There's a small movie theater, but other than that it's just a couple restaurants, cafes and a bar. I feel this might be a great way to introduce pool to the community in a more friendly atmosphere.

 

[garczar]

Based on most of the players in my local spot a combination dispensary/poolroom would freakin' kill it.

 

[soyale]

alright so this is my imaginary billiard parlor: a back room full of laundry machines, and milk/eggs/bread/butter sold for slightly higher than the supermarket. skip the liquor license and get a tobacco license instead, find out what the locals smoke and stock up on that again sold for just slightly higher than the gas station. hell, throw a gas pump out front. get your local butcher to cart in fresh cuts on saturdays. bake up pizzas and freeze them and sell 'em as to-go items so you're not dealing with running a restaurant as well. to-go coffee as well.

this is hilarious to even imagine a bunch of pool players stumbling upon this type of establishment, i don't know how well it would actually work in reality. i'm just trying to think outside the box on ways to bring people in on a regular basis for stuff that they need and buy every day anyway..... might as well play for an hour or two while i'm here!

as it stands, there is absolutely zero encouragement for anybody play alone to try and get better.

imagine that you want to be a basketball player. you decide that you want to go down to the court and spend 6 hours working on your game.... however, first you must first purchase your time at the court, and then also you must buy an order of french fries and 3 beers so nobody looks at you funny for playing basketball for 6 hours.

by the way we have a basketball league coming in an hour so you can't actually stay anyway, chug that beer.

 

[Renegade_56]

yourself is always the easiest person to convince

 

[TheBasics]

Howdy All;

How about combining with a laundromat? Once the clothes are in the machine, what are ya gonna do?
Wash takes about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes drier takes about twice as long. Most folks don't care to leave
as someone might walk off with their 'stuff'.

hank

 

[garczar]

There used to be a laundry-mat in Tulsa that was bar as well. Had two tables. Stayed open til 1a and was always busy.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

Lost of gentleman clubs, aka strip joints have pool tables.

Could make for profitable biz.

 

[336Robin]

Where I live there are no pool halls anywhere in the area. I was thinking it might be smart to approach an existing business (for instance there is a really good coffee shop with lots of space right on the main street) and see if they would like to expand their customer base by bringing in people who wants to play a game of billiards. They have lots of tables and nobody uses them to sit down and have coffee. Why not convert the unused space to revenue producing equipment? It's also located very close to a car ferry. Lots of people sit in their cars everyday, sometimes with an hour or two to kill if there is a backup or long wait time.

I've worked at pool halls in the past and have a business major. I feel like it could be an easy side hustle to manage the maintenance and monetization of these tables, even offer lessons for kids to spark the interest. There is very little in terms of entertainment in this town. There's a small movie theater, but other than that it's just a couple restaurants, cafes and a bar. I feel this might be a great way to introduce pool to the community in a more friendly atmosphere.

Absolutely, but a different way of looking at pool would have to be taken than most sports bars today. When you think about how many of us were exposed to the game in our youth and I'm 60 yrs old, a lot of learned to play in recreation centers as children. It is way past time for Pool to learn another direction.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

Absolutely, but a different way of looking at pool would have to be taken than most sports bars today. When you think about how many of us were exposed to the game in our youth and I'm 60 yrs old, a lot of learned to play in recreation centers as children. It is way past time for Pool to learn another direction.

Change is alway possible, but change effort.

Hard to find people willing to work at making changes.

I started playing Pool at a Boys Club kids stood in line to play Pool.

Today those same Club have electronic game, Pool tables collect dust from little use.

Maybe question is how do we get kids interested in Pool in USA.

Pool is big with kids in Philippines apprently.

 

[336Robin]

Change is alway possible, but change effort.

Hard to find people willing to work at making changes.

I started playing Pool at a Boys Club kids stood in line to play Pool.

Today those same Club have electronic game, Pool tables collect dust from little use.

Maybe question is how do we get kids interested in Pool in USA.

Pool is big with kids in Philippines apprently.

I agree 100% with the bolded statement. Few know this but its the perfect time.

 

[galipeau]

Some of you mentioned learning at a young age. That's when I got hooked as well traveling in youth hostels. The cafe in town that I mentioned is a nonprofit I believe. I think it also acts as a youth center for activities. Pool might fit right in, and if the local high school is interested in starting a club that would get a new generation interested in the game and invested. It is a longer term strategy, but I think that's a simple win-win has the building on the exist in the space is available and unused inside

 

[336Robin]

Some of you mentioned learning at a young age. That's when I got hooked as well traveling in youth hostels. The cafe in town that I mentioned is a nonprofit I believe. I think it also acts as a youth center for activities. Pool might fit right in, and if the local high school is interested in starting a club that would get a new generation interested in the game and invested. It is a longer term strategy, but I think that's a simple win-win has the building on the exist in the space is available and unused inside

Pool is a huge market and a lot of that market is hidden in peoples home game rooms. The popularity of Pool is still there but the presentation with places that serve Alcohol didn't do a lot for Pool because the children were left out.

 

[garczar]

Inflation/crime get any worse you could have a poolroom/gunstore/soup kitchen.

 

[Fatboy]

Change is alway possible, but change effort.

Hard to find people willing to work at making changes.

I started playing Pool at a Boys Club kids stood in line to play Pool.

Today those same Club have electronic game, Pool tables collect dust from little use.

Maybe question is how do we get kids interested in Pool in USA.

Pool is big with kids in Philippines apprently.

You are absolutely right cowboy! Get kids interested and we’ll be back in biz.

Tall order these days. Things changed and pool doesn’t have the appeal it once did.

It’s a cultural shift, hard to go against that.

 

[336Robin]

You are absolutely right cowboy! Get kids interested and we’ll be back in biz.

Tall order these days. Things changed and pool doesn’t have the appeal it once did.

It’s a cultural shift, hard to go against that.

Unless of course there is a plan to cause the cultural shift.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

You are absolutely right cowboy! Get kids interested and we’ll be back in biz.

Tall order these days. Things changed and pool doesn’t have the appeal it once did.

It’s a cultural shift, hard to go against that.

Got to show them, give some basic instruction, an hope pool bug bites em.

 

[Fatboy]

Got to show them, give some basic instruction, an hope pool bug bites em.

I agree

Bit me real good when I was very young

 

[boogieman]

alright so this is my imaginary billiard parlor: a back room full of laundry machines, and milk/eggs/bread/butter sold for slightly higher than the supermarket. skip the liquor license and get a tobacco license instead, find out what the locals smoke and stock up on that again sold for just slightly higher than the gas station. hell, throw a gas pump out front. get your local butcher to cart in fresh cuts on saturdays. bake up pizzas and freeze them and sell 'em as to-go items so you're not dealing with running a restaurant as well. to-go coffee as well.

this is hilarious to even imagine a bunch of pool players stumbling upon this type of establishment, i don't know how well it would actually work in reality. i'm just trying to think outside the box on ways to bring people in on a regular basis for stuff that they need and buy every day anyway..... might as well play for an hour or two while i'm here!

as it stands, there is absolutely zero encouragement for anybody play alone to try and get better.

imagine that you want to be a basketball player. you decide that you want to go down to the court and spend 6 hours working on your game.... however, first you must first purchase your time at the court, and then also you must buy an order of french fries and 3 beers so nobody looks at you funny for playing basketball for 6 hours.

by the way we have a basketball league coming in an hour so you can't actually stay anyway, chug that beer.

We used to have a place that was a combination pool hall and laundromat back in the 90s. It did really well. They had a bar and also sold bar food like tenderloins, hamburgers and such. Some arcade machines too. Snooker table and a 9' in a back room with closable doors for money matches. The back room also had a couple 7' Valleys as they were also used a lot in action matches. A lot of people would do their laundry, grab a bite and play. The laundromat was in a separate room (but with an open doorway. They had good ventilation so humidity wasn't really a problem.

It was a dreamland for a teenager growing up. They made the best lemonade. Come to find out they used Minute Maid frozen concentrate. That stuff was great.

 

[CocoboloCowboy]

Brothel with pool tables in reception area.