Hello,
Recently, Playtime Billiards in Portage MI closed. The closest pool hall to Kalamazoo/Portage is now ~50-60 miles away. Given the size and demographic of this town, I’ve wondered if a pool hall should be able to survive here.
I’ve done some searching on this sub-forum, but what I’m hoping for is consolidated information/input on starting and sustaining a pool hall.
Here are a few ideas/pre-conceptions:
-Around 20 tables: twelve to fourteen 7’ tables and six to eight 9’ tables.
-Get the leagues back. APA membership has weakened in the area in recent years; BCA and Valley are becoming more established. In-house APA leagues at pool hall used to be large. This is also my reasoning for having majority bar tables.
-It would be great to have a 12’ snooker table or a 10’ Diamond, but are they worth the space?
-Beer and wine license (no liquor). SW Michigan is craft beer crazy now.
-Limited food menu (burgers, wraps, pizza)
-Do you need another niche? (bike night, live band, etc.)
-Tournaments – do you make any money on these, or is the exposure worth it?
-Wait staff – do you need one? I feel like they’re in the way at a pool hall.
-EXPENSES – here’s where I’m looking for the most help. The only thing I can say is that I’d be looking to lease a building. Maybe 10K square foot (?) and in or near one of the shopping districts. What should one expect for monthly expenses?
It would be great to hear from people in the mid-west because the pool demographic obviously varies in different parts of the country. I welcome any and all input though. If you’d like to take a discussion offline, my email address is bingdog74@gmail.com.
Mike
Recently, Playtime Billiards in Portage MI closed. The closest pool hall to Kalamazoo/Portage is now ~50-60 miles away. Given the size and demographic of this town, I’ve wondered if a pool hall should be able to survive here.
I’ve done some searching on this sub-forum, but what I’m hoping for is consolidated information/input on starting and sustaining a pool hall.
Here are a few ideas/pre-conceptions:
-Around 20 tables: twelve to fourteen 7’ tables and six to eight 9’ tables.
-Get the leagues back. APA membership has weakened in the area in recent years; BCA and Valley are becoming more established. In-house APA leagues at pool hall used to be large. This is also my reasoning for having majority bar tables.
-It would be great to have a 12’ snooker table or a 10’ Diamond, but are they worth the space?
-Beer and wine license (no liquor). SW Michigan is craft beer crazy now.
-Limited food menu (burgers, wraps, pizza)
-Do you need another niche? (bike night, live band, etc.)
-Tournaments – do you make any money on these, or is the exposure worth it?
-Wait staff – do you need one? I feel like they’re in the way at a pool hall.
-EXPENSES – here’s where I’m looking for the most help. The only thing I can say is that I’d be looking to lease a building. Maybe 10K square foot (?) and in or near one of the shopping districts. What should one expect for monthly expenses?
It would be great to hear from people in the mid-west because the pool demographic obviously varies in different parts of the country. I welcome any and all input though. If you’d like to take a discussion offline, my email address is bingdog74@gmail.com.
Mike
