New Pool Room

A

ajrack

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well, I finally put my eggs out there to get crushed!
I am opening, in October, a Pool Room called "Boomers"
in Longview, Washington (pop. about 250k in the neighborhood)
21 tables / food/ and NO Smoking or Alcohol!
Should have a good local interest. Hoping to run some local tourneys and a couple of large ones a couple of times a year.
 
ajrack said:
Well, I finally put my eggs out there to get crushed!
I am opening, in October, a Pool Room called "Boomers"
in Longview, Washington (pop. about 250k in the neighborhood)
21 tables / food/ and NO Smoking or Alcohol!
Should have a good local interest. Hoping to run some local tourneys and a couple of large ones a couple of times a year.
Click to expand...


It will take take time to build a following but if you have a quality room you will do fine, you might want to try to run a league on the slow nights.

I think you picked a good time as I think the interest in pool will grow greatly in the next 5 years.

Good Luck!
 
ajrack said:
Well, I finally put my eggs out there to get crushed!
I am opening, in October, a Pool Room called "Boomers"
in Longview, Washington (pop. about 250k in the neighborhood)
21 tables / food/ and NO Smoking or Alcohol!
Should have a good local interest. Hoping to run some local tourneys and a couple of large ones a couple of times a year.
Click to expand...

You may not want to sell alcohol and that is your choice but I would be sure you have the option should you change your mind or want to sell the place. It will be worth twice the price with a beverage license or the option to get one. If there is an ordnance against it or the landlord or zoning prevents it, I would not open there plain and simple. The business is an up hill battle as it is don't paint yourself into a corner. I gave this same advice to another owner who didn't listen who after about a year called me in the middle of the night actually crying asking me what to do, he was going broke and had all his money invested. There was nothing he could do, so he managed to get out of his lease and Borrowed money and moved the place lock stock and barrel to a different location that was zoned for a beverage license. That was over 20 years ago and the place is still going strong. Like I say, just don't leave yourself without the option. I Might go as far as to get the license even if I never served the first beer. You may not want to be in the bar business but I can assure the next owner if you decide to sell will. I am sorry if I am not a very good cheer leader, I wish you the best but can't help but express my opinion on this it is a risky business anyway I would like to see you give yourself every chance for success.
 
Heh Jackson
Congrats - I know this is something you have been working on for a very long time. Best of luck to you. Talked to Todd S quite awhile back and he was very hipped about you opening a room. Again - very best of luck - maybe I will get a chance to see you this January. Have some pool playing friends that have a place near Tillamook and I may be visiting them - we can make a little side trip on the way.
Jack
www.johnmaddencues.com
voting member The American Cuemakers Association
 
best of luck

I have been daydreaming about opening a similar room. It will probably never happen. Sure wish you the best of luck though and I am another one that will be very interested in hearing how you do.

Hu
 
The only pool rooms that survive are the ones that sell booze. Pool is on a decline due to the poker craze and gas prices. You're going to need clientele other than pool players. In general, pool players are cheap and unreliable. Good luck.
 
HEY JACKSON WAY TO GO!!!!! I'll see ya up there when I get a chance...send me a PM when you get a chance with all the contact info. Hope all goes well.

Todd
 
Roll-Off said:
The only pool rooms that survive are the ones that sell booze. Pool is on a decline due to the poker craze and gas prices. You're going to need clientele other than pool players. In general, pool players are cheap and unreliable. Good luck.
Click to expand...

Some get by without alcohol but they just get by in most cases. The simple truth is, most of the clientele are adults and many adults like to have a cold beer not a coke. Most don't come to get drunk, they just have a few beers and play pool all night. You don't even have to have a sit down bar if you don't want to. It just makes no sense to not have a beverage license. Your there to make a living, so make a living, don't just be content to scratch out an existence, who wants to do.

The thing with a pool room is, out of the 168 hours in a week, most of the time you make no money. 1/3 or about 56 of those hours you are closed. The hours from say 10 am to 7 PM and 11 PM to 2 am you make very little hopefully you can build a little day business but you don't make a hell of a lot, just pay a few bills if you are lucky. From 7 PM to 11 PM are your peak hours, only 28 hours out of the whole week and out of that you will have a bad night here and there. Mostly you live for the weekends, if you are lucky you will put some money in your pocket then. With such a limited amount of hours to make any money you want to squeeze out as much as you can from the hours people are there. It's a glib business.

You know you mention gas, I live about ten miles from the room I like to go to. I used to go there several times a day just for something to do, see whose around or what's going on. I find myself not doing that any more. Figure it cost me $3.00 just in gas to go back and forth that's $9.00 a day or $270.00 a month. Makes you think twice before you go just for something to do. Basically it broke me of the habit and I find myself now only going there a few times a week when I really want to. They have lost a little money from me just because of the price of gas. I would bet I am not the only one.
 
Last edited:
ajrack said:
Well, I finally put my eggs out there to get crushed!
I am opening, in October, a Pool Room called "Boomers"
in Longview, Washington (pop. about 250k in the neighborhood)
21 tables / food/ and NO Smoking or Alcohol!
Should have a good local interest. Hoping to run some local tourneys and a couple of large ones a couple of times a year.
Click to expand...


Good luck on the room. I live up North in Mount Vernon and as my niece lives in Longview I am there from time to time. It will be nice to go and shoot some pool while I am there. Keep us posted as to when you are going to run your large tournaments. What kind and size are your tables?


Lunchmoney
 
Hard road to Hoe ....

No drinking or smoking ... You will end up with a bunch of teenagers
in there, sneaking in the bathrooms to grab a smoke, and just
loitering the place up. They won't have much money, just hang
there because they can, which will run off some older customers
because of the teenagers behavior.

You won't get any lifer Pool players that gamble because most
of them drink and/or smoke. If you are smoker, think he is going
to want to play at a room for $1,000 set where he can not smoke?

Early 20's crowd won't be there, because they all like to party and
drink. Plus a lot of others won't come there, BECAUSE there is no
ACTION going on. People like the 'HOT SPOTS' where things are going
on, like big money games, good music, partying, good looking girls, etc..

Good luck .... you will need it...
 
ajrack said:
Well, I finally put my eggs out there to get crushed!
I am opening, in October, a Pool Room called "Boomers"
in Longview, Washington (pop. about 250k in the neighborhood)
21 tables / food/ and NO Smoking or Alcohol!
Should have a good local interest. Hoping to run some local tourneys and a couple of large ones a couple of times a year.
Click to expand...
I'll be in seattle and portland from Oct. 10-17th. When you get a chance let me know the exact location of your room and the day/date you plan to open as I would love to stop by. Thanks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top