Personal Pool Hall

lfigueroa

lfigueroa

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I suspect I will get crickets on this, but thought I'd ask:

A few years back a writer friend told me that he didn't have room for his own table where he lived and that the last decent pool hall had closed up. Soooo, he found a space in an industrial park or zoned area and put in his own Diamond (mit matching light). As an added benefit, he put a desk in and writes it off as an office. He said, at the time, that his rent was probably on a par with what he'd pay monthly at a pool room, so he came out ahead all the way around.

So my question is: has anyone else out there tried this? What do you pay in rent? Any pitfalls you've encountered?

Lou Figueroa
 
interesting. rent a large climate controlled storage facility with electric bring a tv and radio and your in.haha
 
This is a great idea. At one point, when I lived in NE Ohio, I wanted to start a member’s only club but could not find sufficient interest to get together the 20K I figured was needed.

With your idea I could have started small, with a tax write off, and later sold memberships and expanded. This is probably the best idea I have heard of for beginning your own club.

Start small, have your own place to play so the minimal expenses are justified and yet have the option to expand as needed. It might take a few years but would definitely be a winning situation. The generic idea can be implemented with many different variations.

Now I live in an active retirement community and we have our own room with four GC IIIs. That is one of the reasons I moved here.
 
I believe there are a lot of the that type of poolroom, but with 2 to 6 guys. They don't tell anyone because they don't want non members coming there. Johnnyt
 
lfigueroa said:
I suspect I will get crickets on this, but thought I'd ask:

A few years back a writer friend told me that he didn't have room for his own table where he lived and that the last decent pool hall had closed up. Soooo, he found a space in an industrial park or zoned area and put in his own Diamond (mit matching light). As an added benefit, he put a desk in and writes it off as an office. He said, at the time, that his rent was probably on a par with what he'd pay monthly at a pool room, so he came out ahead all the way around.

So my question is: has anyone else out there tried this? What do you pay in rent? Any pitfalls you've encountered?

Lou Figueroa
Click to expand...
I don't know of any personal pool halls, exactly, but there are a lot of micro-clubs. There is a 4-table club in Minneapolis in a former factory building that has three heated carom tables. Jamie Sibley used to have one carom table in the basement of a restaurant in Omaha and had tournaments on it. Several snooker players in this area pooled resources and opened a three-table club in San Mateo (at which I'll be playing tomorrow).

Around here you can get monthly memberships at a couple of pool halls (which both have all four kinds of table) for about $100/month. That would be hard to match in a solo operation.
 
Louis Ulrich did something along the lines of what you are talking about. Strip mall space, four tables by invitation only. It turned into a job for him though and he closed it up due to time reasons.

I have seen some shooting clubs where you pay a yearly fee, get the rules indoc and then are issued a key or keycard and can come and go as you please. One way to keep it on the up and up is install a surveillance system so everyone knows if they trash the joint or act like a dick with equipment its going to be found out.
 
Along those lines....there was a guy (Wally Porter...passed away some years ago....God rest his soul) who lived in a condominium in northern Indiana and BOUGHT a small house down the block for 2 pool tables (9ft.& bar box). All that was in the house was those 2 tables, a refrigerator and 2 chairs (maybe a radio). His idea was...I might want to play and everywhere else might be closed. ALSO..The Illinois Billiard Club (Willow Springs, Illinois) got it's start like that. Jim Parker (owner) bought a 3 cushion table and put it in his basement. So many guys were coming over to play, he started giving out keys to his house so the guys could play when he was not home. After a while I guess it got CRAZY...He opened the IBC on 103rd st. in Oak Lawn (?) renting a place in the 70's....moved it to 71st Street (bought the building) in Chicago in the 80's AND moved that to Willow Springs, Illinois with a restaurant/bar in the 90's....nice place. To this day the "billiard club" aspect of the business is "members only". It all started though in Jim's basement.
 
taxes

We have an office in our house. My tax accountant says I can have no personal use items in that room if I want to claim a business deduction. Its easier not to claim it.
 
jcs003 said:
interesting. rent a large climate controlled storage facility with electric bring a tv and radio and your in.haha
Click to expand...

This was my EXACT idea but don't have any climate controlled storage facilities near my house, they are all on the opposite end of town from where I live.
 
I've been tossing the same idea around with my accountant and a few friends, including a local table supplier who can get me Diamonds at a reasonable price. I like the idea of the $100/month memberships but my local room owner has yet to implement them and if I want to play at 8AM, or make an audible video of practice sessions I'm stuck.
 
kybill9 said:
We have an office in our house. My tax accountant says I can have no personal use items in that room if I want to claim a business deduction. Its easier not to claim it.
Click to expand...

My cpa differs--I have a two room "shop" and one room is a Man Cave she sees no problem with it all tho I do have some work related items on shelves in the "cave".
 
Lou,

We did this in Colorado. Got a brunswick GC cheap. Converted stand alone garage into a room, added heat. Members. Open 24x7 w/ key entry.

It was good for practice, but missed the action at the pool hall.
 
In some parts of the world, this may work out.. just not where I'm at. To rent a place large enough, you'd have to spend at least $1500/month and no way I could spend that in table time.

But I would guess it would work out the same anywhere, right?

Lou, how much do you spend in table time per month?
 
Bob Jewett said:
I don't know of any personal pool halls, exactly, but there are a lot of micro-clubs. There is a 4-table club in Minneapolis in a former factory building that has three heated carom tables. Jamie Sibley used to have one carom table in the basement of a restaurant in Omaha and had tournaments on it. Several snooker players in this area pooled resources and opened a three-table club in San Mateo (at which I'll be playing tomorrow).

Around here you can get monthly memberships at a couple of pool halls (which both have all four kinds of table) for about $100/month. That would be hard to match in a solo operation.
Click to expand...

Hold the phone, Bob, my brother lives in San Mateo!

What's the visitor policy at this snooker club you mention? Is there a daily/hourly arrangement? Possible to borrow/rent a snooker cue? I don't know when the next time I'll be in town is, but I might be interested in visiting.

-Andrew
 
I'm a member of a private club in the area. It has 3 heated billiard tables and 2 GC. We have less than 40 members and membership is $280 a year. All members have a key to the place and we can play 24/7. It's a fantastic deal, IMO.
 
jcs003 said:
interesting. rent a large climate controlled storage facility with electric bring a tv and radio and your in.haha
Click to expand...


I'm wondering if "climate controlled" just means they don't freeze you out in the winter nor roast you during the summer? It's be nice to be comfy.

Lou Figueroa
 
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JoeW said:
This is a great idea. At one point, when I lived in NE Ohio, I wanted to start a member’s only club but could not find sufficient interest to get together the 20K I figured was needed.

With your idea I could have started small, with a tax write off, and later sold memberships and expanded. This is probably the best idea I have heard of for beginning your own club.

Start small, have your own place to play so the minimal expenses are justified and yet have the option to expand as needed. It might take a few years but would definitely be a winning situation. The generic idea can be implemented with many different variations.

Now I live in an active retirement community and we have our own room with four GC IIIs. That is one of the reasons I moved here.
Click to expand...


Hi, Joe -- yeah, it is a great idea. Writer J.D. Dolan is the one who came up with it. I already have one guy who is chomping at the bit to do this with me. I'm thinking one table. If there is more interest, maybe go to two or four, but that's a long way off. Like you said: start small.

Lou Figueroa
 
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