How long was Nick Varner down in Florida before he moved back to Owensboro? I believe him and Mike Sigel were making Sigel-Varner cues at the time. How long did that business venture last? Anybody have any recollection?
r/DCP
r/DCP
Nick Varner & Florida
- Thread starter DrCue'sProtege
- Start date
Sigel-Varner cues were made in China.. Just low end production cues.. as were a certain type of the Sigel cues.
Varner did not ever make any cues. it was a joint venture to mass produce cheap cues with their combined names on them.
Mike was making custom cues for a while also....not to be confused with his cheap production ones that have his name on them.
Varner did not ever make any cues. it was a joint venture to mass produce cheap cues with their combined names on them.
Mike was making custom cues for a while also....not to be confused with his cheap production ones that have his name on them.
As stated above S-V cues were asian imports. Top model sold for around 200-250bux. They were decent cues, maybe a little under what Lucasi does. Nick has been in Kentucky running his supply business for quite a while now. I don't know if he ever did live in Florida.
When Nick was in St Louis a few years ago he had a lot of those cues with him and he would tell you up front they were not high level cues.
You live in StL?? Ever eat at Anthonino's Taverna on Macklind?? Food there is just stupidly good.
I live in Columbia. Lived in St Louis for 40 years until the wife and I retired and moved to get away from the crime. Now crime in CoMO is getting bad also but still a lot better than St Louis.
I did not eat at the place you mentioned. Lived on the North side.
Rhoda and I used to eat at Rigazzi’s Italian restaurant on the Hill, would be there 1-2 times a year. Used to swing by, grabbed Jim Buss when he lived there. He liked the place. We haven’t been there for a dozen years or more, kinda fell out of going. May not even be the same anymore.
In Columbia, my must-stop is always Booche’s for burgers (and the atmosphere).
Will Prout
Viviano's on the Hill is very good too.
The Hill in STL is certainly a big tourist destination but having lived here for 30 years IMO it is highly over-rated.
There are too many mamas out there keeping their red sauce alive for *way* too long and adding *way* too much sugar to cut the acidity of over-cooked tomatoes. Other places are farming out product and menu items like manacotti and shells and are filling them with pureed, tasteless mush.
As of late the only place on The Hill I think is worth going to is Lorenzo's.
Lou Figueroa
There are too many mamas out there keeping their red sauce alive for *way* too long and adding *way* too much sugar to cut the acidity of over-cooked tomatoes. Other places are farming out product and menu items like manacotti and shells and are filling them with pureed, tasteless mush.
As of late the only place on The Hill I think is worth going to is Lorenzo's.
Lou Figueroa
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Dang, stupid me. I was in Owensboro today and stopped in to see Nick. Completely forgot to ask him how long - if ever - he lived down in Florida. Oh well, maybe next time. He did talk me into buying a new Diamond rack. He said its about the best he's seen. I also got some joint protectors for my new Cocabolo break cue that Chad Carter made for me. Picked it up today and then went over to Nick's store.
r/DCP
r/DCP
The plastic one with the double walls? I used that a few years ago at the last dcc I was at and really liked it.
Yes, but it doesnt seem to work all that great to me so far. Plus the time it takes to get the balls tight is hard on my back. So basically I've decided to continue to use the Magic Rack.
Speaking of the sore back......going to the doctor tomorrow for my yearly routine visit. Going to ask the lady nurse practitioner for a referral to get therapy on my back.
r/DCP
FYI ....When racks are too thick, it's difficult to see where the head spot is. When the racks are too heavy they buff/shine the rack area with the back and forth motion. In a commercial environment, if a someone mistakenly drops the rack (alcohol) on too the play surface, the weight of a heavy rack is able to cut/weaken the fabric where it lands.
Nick and I have some mutual friends in STL and I actually spoke to him a few months ago. If I remember correctly, he was in the last years of his professional tour life when he came up with the idea of starting his own cue line. Initially he was in Florida for what I believe was a few years in partnership with Mike Sigel. They eventually went in different professional directions while remaining friends. Nick is an incredibly hard worker and focused business man. I don't think I'm out of line with saying he's a very accomplished and wealthy man, yet still has a hearty appetite for hard work. When he's not operating his store alongside his wife, he's on the road giving incredible billiard clinics with the esteemed Mark Wilson. His passion and direction have changed, yet he still shows why he has always been such a success. He applied the same initiative and focus it took to being such an accomplished player and applied it to his business life. His college education didn't hurt either. He very carefully designed his cues to be for the newer players, but there are some fancier designs as well. He also makes an LD cue that plays great! The cues come in tons of colors, and designs, pins, etc. He puts a very high quality layered tip (TIGER) on EVERY single cue he makes, and you get a ton of value for your money. My friend Chris at Cue and Cushion in STL orders a ton of cues and other billiard supplies from Nick's company on a weekly basis. The cues sell like hot cakes. Nick has clearly been a visionary his entire life. First a vision to be a champion...and then a goal to build a business within the industry he's loved his entire life and he's been world class at both.
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Nick does not make cues. They are imports. Decent cues(i've seen a few up close) about like a Players or lower level Lucasi. Nick is a helluva guy and his supply co. is first-rate.
I guess I assumed people knew that.
I agree but you'd be surprised. People EVERYDAY see 'signed' Balabushka copies and think they're actual 'bushkas.
Very true.