New Pool Hall Idea --- Barbershop/Billliards

galipeau

galipeau

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I've been thinking about an interesting idea for a small pool hall. Instead of relying solely on food and alcohol for income, it might be interesting to open a place that has a couple barber chairs in one section, as well as a few pool tables. I've also noticed that some barber shops have crap hours and are never open after work when I get off, or are closed on the the weekend afternoons, and most pool halls aren't open early on the weekends. It would be sweet to go somewhere that you could shoot the shit, play a few games while waiting for your haircut. Both Barber shops and Pool halls are social places it might be an interesting way to pull in customers for both sides to the business. What do you guys think? Any potential downfalls, or positives of something like this?
 
I know of 2 and both do lots of business. One is in Addison TX off of Beltline, and the other is in Galveston Tx. I say go for it! Pool mixes with anything imo. We had a vapor shop recently open with 3 8fts in it. It was a cool spot until they were forced to either get a liquor license or get rid of the tables :-/. They don't sell beer and never planned on it so they got rid of them.
 
galipeau said:
I've been thinking about an interesting idea for a small pool hall. Instead of relying solely on food and alcohol for income, it might be interesting to open a place that has a couple barber chairs in one section, as well as a few pool tables. I've also noticed that some barber shops have crap hours and are never open after work when I get off, or are closed on the the weekend afternoons, and most pool halls aren't open early on the weekends. It would be sweet to go somewhere that you could shoot the shit, play a few games while waiting for your haircut. Both Barber shops and Pool halls are social places it might be an interesting way to pull in customers for both sides to the business. What do you guys think? Any potential downfalls, or positives of something like this?
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Great idea, I have a picture somewhere of me in front of of Major Lynns Barber shop and pool room in Valdosta Georgia, just off Martin Luther King Drive.
My wife and I were visiting my son who was in the air force when we got lost and discovered it .
I was a little leery of doing anything at night, because I had my wife with me.
So we went back early on Sunday morning and took the picture with me and my pool case in front of the place.
I still wish I had gone in and checked it out.
 
I often wondered how a coffee shop/billiards would do just off campus, here in Norman OK. We have 30,000 students with in a few square miles.
 
There have been a lot of pool hall-barbershops in the last century...
...they did fine....most of them, that I know of, closed when their long lease ran out...
...they couldn't stand the modern prices.

So what ever you do, get a lease that you can live with.
 
I've looked up a couple places with similar concepts. Some only have one table, and it always seems to have pretty gross purple or red cloth. There are a few High end joints that seem to have a nice setup. I think a whiskey bar with a couple beer's on tap would do well. the layout would be tricky. This is just purely theoretical for me, not planning on opening anything...

Also, as for the coffee shop idea, it might work as well. The pool hall I use to hang out at was open at 9am, and they had diner style seating that served breakfast and later in the day did burgers and such for lunch. I come by so often in the morning, they eventually hired me. The food was a big part of the income for that place.
 
I don't know. Sounds to me like a place where you could go and get scalped twice in one afternoon. :smile:
 
Mrdodd72 said:
I often wondered how a coffee shop/billiards would do just off campus, here in Norman OK. We have 30,000 students with in a few square miles.
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thats a moneymaker right there. it also has the benefits ofadding new fans to the game. tournaments on the cheap where kids can have fun. you could even talk to the physica department and have an off campus class every once in a while. ive been to a pool hall near new palts university, great room with a great crowd. easxy money if you have the capital o invest.
 
Tramp Steamer said:
I don't know. Sounds to me like a place where you could go and get scalped twice in one afternoon. :smile:
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I did a lot of that in my time. I had a shop with a table in the back.

Whenever a customer came in that wasn't a regular I would have the shine boy go in the back and hit some balls to make some noise. If the customer said something then I knew he was there for the pool action. It always started with double or nothing on the hair cut.
 
Back in college, we had a laundromat called Harvey Washbangers near campus that had a couple of bar tables.

Being an irresponsible sophomore, laundry day usually meant having to wash so many loads of laundry, you'd think I had a family of four. Lol

I hate to admit it, but all the time I spent there stealing quarters from my washing budget to play pool was partially responsible for why I finally started taking pool seriously.

I'd end up spending $15 on laundry and $30 on pool.

The worst part was having to give up the pool table while I moved loads to the dryer and folded the laundry. Hahaha, priorities...

-Blake
 
dabarbr said:
I did a lot of that in my time. I had a shop with a table in the back.

Whenever a customer came in that wasn't a regular I would have the shine boy go in the back and hit some balls to make some noise. If the customer said something then I knew he was there for the pool action. It always started with double or nothing on the hair cut.
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frank;

You were a smooth operator. :thumbup:
 
I also like the idea of being able to get your ears lowered and hitting some balls at the same place.

I would recommend that you strongly consider the female drawing card aspect whether it be with them as employees (hair stylists, servers, bartenders, whatever) or simply there to partake in the fun.

If ladies are showing up, so will the guys.

A reality here in the northeast, is that it seems like a long shot for a pool room to survive without serving alcohol so keep that in mind if it's the same where you are.

I know you're just in the 'thinking about it' stage but it's fun to ponder.

best,
brian kc
 
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Back in the day a lot of barber shops had pool tables or pool rooms in the back. The last one on Long Island that I played in was in Amityville in the 1970's. They had 3 chairs and 5 9' tables. Johnnyt
 
Mrdodd72 said:
I often wondered how a coffee shop/billiards would do just off campus, here in Norman OK. We have 30,000 students with in a few square miles.
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Tarrant County Junior College near Fort Worth in 1971 had a rec room with either 4 or 6 of the 9-foot Brunswicks, the commercial style of that era. I had to take the bus from work to class - it was a 30-mile haul - and I got there a couple of hours early every class day. Free pool, but not much competition, meaning not too many students came in during the afternoon.

I don't know if colleges nowadays have rec rooms with such a large number of good 9-fooot pool tables. Seems they would go with barboxes or 8 footers if there were any at all.

I have been trying to see if our local junior college has pool tables in their student area, if so I am signing up for a class in basket weaving or something, since there are no places to play in this county.
 
here we go:

store2.html
 

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Texdance said:
Tarrant County Junior College near Fort Worth in 1971 had a rec room with either 4 or 6 of the 9-foot Brunswicks, the commercial style of that era. I had to take the bus from work to class - it was a 30-mile haul - and I got there a couple of hours early every class day. Free pool, but not much competition, meaning not too many students came in during the afternoon.

I don't know if colleges nowadays have rec rooms with such a large number of good 9-fooot pool tables. Seems they would go with barboxes or 8 footers if there were any at all.

I have been trying to see if our local junior college has pool tables in their student area, if so I am signing up for a class in basket weaving or something, since there are no places to play in this county.
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I was a student at TCJC in 1971... I lived in Arlington & played Pool at the 6th Street Rec & the Texas Rec in Ft Worth, the Pool Rooms in Arlington & so on... maybe we crossed paths.

I do believe there was a M/F Salon out on Camp Bowie that had a Pool Table, private liquor & so on. It was a going concern for awhile.
 
In the 50s there was a barber shop in Celoron NY (the home of the infamous scary I :love2: Lucy statue) that had 2 tables.
.
 
galipeau said:
I've been thinking about an interesting idea for a small pool hall. Instead of relying solely on food and alcohol for income, it might be interesting to open a place that has a couple barber chairs in one section, as well as a few pool tables. I've also noticed that some barber shops have crap hours and are never open after work when I get off, or are closed on the the weekend afternoons, and most pool halls aren't open early on the weekends. It would be sweet to go somewhere that you could shoot the shit, play a few games while waiting for your haircut. Both Barber shops and Pool halls are social places it might be an interesting way to pull in customers for both sides to the business. What do you guys think? Any potential downfalls, or positives of something like this?
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It is not a good idea. When you link two business they have to augment each other. A pool room and a barbershop don't. For example, if you have a pool room / pizza parlor these are products that people can want every day.

They come in for a pizza and play a little pool. They come to play a little pool and they have a slice or two while they play and maybe take a pie home when they leave.

You are wanting to link up a business that people may only need every 6 or 8 weeks, not good. There used to be a Laundromat near me that had 6 bar tables and a bunch of video games. That place was a gold mine but the building got sold and that that was the end of it. There are good ideas but pool and a barber shop would not work I don't think.
 
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