if i could,
i wouldnt
id use the money for something other than lighting cash on fire
i wouldnt
id use the money for something other than lighting cash on fire
If you could build your dream room that actually has a chance to stay in business…
- Thread starter Mark V
- Start date
Instead of dreaming...here is a successful pool hall for players. From novice and league players, to successful professional players The Fiddlestix Billiard Cafe in Canton, Ohio has a business plan for a long term business success.
Excellent 9 and 7 foot Diamonds in an inviting room with plenty of safe parking. Full bar and you may bring your own food in, sport TV's, smoking area outside, very clean. And, and, and guests are expected to respect the venue.
Google: Fiddlestix Billiard Cafe, Canton, Ohio.
Excellent 9 and 7 foot Diamonds in an inviting room with plenty of safe parking. Full bar and you may bring your own food in, sport TV's, smoking area outside, very clean. And, and, and guests are expected to respect the venue.
Google: Fiddlestix Billiard Cafe, Canton, Ohio.
billiards_watch
Well-known member
Just googled and looked at the pictures. This is it. This is how I a place should look and feel.
I like the bar area.
Didn't read anything but the OP's first thread.
Why..... Had three rooms already.
Yep Mark..... But you forgot two Major concerns in your original post, location and parking.
if another Already said that....it's because I read No other posts is why it's a repeat.
Remember good parking lots have other ''tenants" some that may of been there for years, and often have say in your dream, but you'll never know why they said NO. Also some family business owners in your immediate area, Not Liking YOUR pool room idea.
Why?...... after they close with liquor/music/drugs that's their concern. Finding that place to me is #1 on my list.
I'd for sure talk with all the current tenants about your idea to see their thoughts.
Good luck,
bm
There are lots of churches closing too !
Every cloud has it's silver lining!
Since there's some still open, you should ask for forgiveness for your response
And that’s exactly what has me salivating.
This is in a small shopping center, shared with a dollar general, hair salon and a physical therapy office. Besides the 15 or so cars that are in front of the DG at any particular time, the lot remains completely empty. The parking lot is very large and easily accessible. It is right on a major state highway, which is the main thoroughfare used to travel to the counties to our north and south… and even continues in to Florida, for that matter. Martha Berry was a very influential woman. The location literally could not be better.
This area is safe and crime is low-ish for the town. It’s in a good, but not high $ real estate part. This is still a good old boy ‘city’ in many ways and I don’t think I would run in to many issues with permits and the like, except for maybe liquor.
My county is about 100,000 people and has 2 small private colleges 15 minutes away. Combining the contiguous counties takes the population to around 250,000 people. There is nothing, literally nothing, like my dream within an hour’s drive.
I personally know the guy that owns the building but never inquired about it. It’s been vacant for years but well maintained. Being an old grocery store, it is wide open on the inside with no interior walls to have to negotiate around. Sliding doors on both sides of the entrance and nice big glass windows right in front.
I know every ball banger has a fleeting fantasy of owning a joint at some point in their mid life crisis years. I’ve actually started admiring C8 corvettes and I’m firmly in the requisite age bracket, so it’s my turn…I guess? … kind of like Funny Farm, pool player’s edition.
I am beyond fortunate and am able to live comfortably with my day job. There is a 98% chance this will never come to fruition, but it’s fun to dream
Safe, clean, fun, accessible.
I really, really want to do something to get young people/kids hooked in to pool…. Friday, Saturday, Sunday. under 18, accompanied by an adult. 7 am to 11 am, I guess. Could even arrange for some old pro to come by for a ‘workshop’ where group lessons are given. Something to this idea. Heck, have a trick shot exhibition and let the kids see it up close and personal in an environment where parents feel good about taking their kids to. You want to talk about hooking a kid in? But kids going in to places that serve booze.. not sure how that works. There would be no alcohol served during ‘kids time.’ Maybe add another small exterior door that leads right in to the room. Since booze are only available at the bar in the sports bar or by text message, this would make it kosher? This way your football crowd can still use the sports bar to pre-game before the games start up.
… But to players, when the sun goes down, it still feels like a true pool room… because it is, mostly. Sanctioning it off in to its own ‘room’ within the establishment itself, my hope is to keep the feel of what makes a pool room a pool room. Clean, well maintained and properly lit. Hire college kids. The pool room would occupy the majority of the sq footage.
I would expect the sports bar to be the real revenue stream, but I admittedly know less than squat about all of that. Food would look exactly like a Buffaloe’s menu.
I’ll end my completely schizophrenic rambling of ideas that I think are pretty cool and haven’t seen anywhere else. More to come, probably, later.
Attachments
The church of the good hustler? At least we (and all our numerous side-hustle businesses) would then be tax exempt.
I’m old enough I’ll just stick with the dream of painted windows, card table up front, spit buckets at tables, buttons on the wire, some local racking, paying him by the game, front table always open table with cheap ring games, bar and grille, bingo pinballs, dice game in the basement, a crappy dark single holder bathroom for everyone…..yep I’m old!
if you are smart enough to have enough money to open a pool hall you have enough to invest wisely in the stock market or real estate and make a better living.
if you already have a pool room you are probably doing it close to right or would have been out of business by now.
but to make it worthwhile you need great counter food so people go out of their way for lunch. and a good bar.
and an owner who is there which is rare now.
if you already have a pool room you are probably doing it close to right or would have been out of business by now.
but to make it worthwhile you need great counter food so people go out of their way for lunch. and a good bar.
and an owner who is there which is rare now.
When I think of a grocery store building.
My monthly wallet says this...
High ceilings cost allot to heat.
Haha facts
So true. Many government ran local offices have space and the taxpayer pays for it. Get some pool tables in there. I live in a decent size town now and only a few tables in one senior center which is open day only…no weekends. Make America play pool again!Our city has been trying to build a 40 million dollar library for a decade and the voters keep saying NO by about 2-1 but they never give up.
Maybe a room with a dozen diamond tables added to it would be good "pork" for the ballot measure? Why not all they can say is no again for the 5th time.
Pool would be free. Tables would be kept up. Clean restrooms. All at taxpayer expense.
Of course you would have bums sleeping under the tables but if they just keep quiet?
Hey what the hell they have tampons in the men's bathroom now at the old library, would a pool room be such a stretch?
Pierre Shakes
Registered
I have my dream money-making poolhall after 43 years and will be expanding because there are waiting lists most nights. There are 21 - nine’s of many fancy and technical makes, because even total duffers prefer more acreage for their rental dollar; and 4 - seven’s, which fit between the columns.
Girl appeal? I can see now that it was a major reason for success, but at the time I just kept making it nicer year after year. Continual investment in the business. The wife objected to the outlay then, but is very happy now. Hardwood paneling replaced paint on the walls. Big art, often 8’x10’, was even more interesting (pretty, if you will).
Face it, females are more sensitive to beauty and comfort than men. Leather sofas can be had cheap. Men will play in a place designed by a sergeant-major - straight lines of uniform tables - and on the walls, who cares, posters of pool players. Many, many colours of cloth is very cheerful in a poolroom. If the best players don’t want to play on gold, burgundy or purple - fine, I have five kinds of blue and three greens.
Food and drink? Worth the trouble only if you want to make money. Very beautiful, interesting decor in the James Joyce Bistro.
Sales breakdown:
5% merchandise, cloth, cues, service work, table sales
15% good food, weekly specials
37% table time
43% bar
The table time is all profit (minus cloth & labour, which comes to 12 cents per player hour to keep all cloths fine).
We also have good rent on 10,000 sqft and are in the very center of town - greater Victoria, BC, Canada has 300,000 people. See the virtual tour at PeacockBilliards.com
Girl appeal? I can see now that it was a major reason for success, but at the time I just kept making it nicer year after year. Continual investment in the business. The wife objected to the outlay then, but is very happy now. Hardwood paneling replaced paint on the walls. Big art, often 8’x10’, was even more interesting (pretty, if you will).
Face it, females are more sensitive to beauty and comfort than men. Leather sofas can be had cheap. Men will play in a place designed by a sergeant-major - straight lines of uniform tables - and on the walls, who cares, posters of pool players. Many, many colours of cloth is very cheerful in a poolroom. If the best players don’t want to play on gold, burgundy or purple - fine, I have five kinds of blue and three greens.
Food and drink? Worth the trouble only if you want to make money. Very beautiful, interesting decor in the James Joyce Bistro.
Sales breakdown:
5% merchandise, cloth, cues, service work, table sales
15% good food, weekly specials
37% table time
43% bar
The table time is all profit (minus cloth & labour, which comes to 12 cents per player hour to keep all cloths fine).
We also have good rent on 10,000 sqft and are in the very center of town - greater Victoria, BC, Canada has 300,000 people. See the virtual tour at PeacockBilliards.com
Those are called Senior Centers. In Ventura there is a room that is a designated City Senior Center. For some number of hours each day (daytime, I think) several of the tables are designated for seniors. Cheaper than the city maintaining tables and the room gets some income.
Mine would be more or less like Fargo Billiards except add:
A tournament room with space for four snooker tables (and so maybe 6 pool tables)
At least four carom and snooker tables. Lots of 9-foot tables. Maybe some 7-foot.
Courses/lessons for the local schools/colleges and individuals
National championships from time to time: junior, carom, snooker
Fargo Billiards has/had amazing decor, lots of tables, several private rooms with tables, weekly tournaments, a full restaurant...
A tournament room with space for four snooker tables (and so maybe 6 pool tables)
At least four carom and snooker tables. Lots of 9-foot tables. Maybe some 7-foot.
Courses/lessons for the local schools/colleges and individuals
National championships from time to time: junior, carom, snooker
Fargo Billiards has/had amazing decor, lots of tables, several private rooms with tables, weekly tournaments, a full restaurant...
Badpenguin
Well-known member
Some jurisdictions like our area won’t allow any alcohol to be sold/served unless a certain % of your sales are from food.