What This Town Needs is a Pool Hall!

[MBL]

Ok so, granted I'm recently getting back into the stroke of things. But this side of Tampa Bay is really thin on good options. Most halls seem to cater to the bar crowd.

Eh, and I, like many of you on the board crave an old time room. Today I was walking around my town during lunch; it is downtown Plant City FL. There are quite a few empty buildings. Many of them are two story from the teens.

It would be GREAT to see someone open a hall in one of these second story spots and do it right. Old tables in good condition, and pool...perhaps some coffee, but nothing else.

I know Bakers in downtown Tampa closed, but even that place had the bad neighborhood surrounding it. Plant City is not a bad area at all...or as they say down here attawl. For the most part, they preserve things in this historic district. If they could have just moved some tables from the old Bakers to Plant City...alas, who knows where all that stuff went.

Anyhoo, I don't know if anyone would consider opening a hall her, but it would be a killer spot. And if done right, it would be a destination for sure.

I think.
Tim
MBL

 

[WilleeCue]

Opening an old style pool hall would be like starting a cue making shop.
If it needed to make money it would soon close.
Most serious pool players ... the ones looking for money games ... dont drink and since almost all pool halls offer free pool now there would be no income.
Lets face it ... the old days are gone along with the guy that racks the balls for ten cents a rack.
Were the glory days of pool really so great or do we just tend to remember them that way?
Seems like the real pool action is associated with big tournaments and big name players in big citys like Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

Willee

 

[mikemosconi]

Problem is, you will be the only one going to that new pool hall! I am an old timer (61) and the mid sixties in the NY/NJ area were unbelievable for pool. Days that may never return, just enjoy the game for what you personally can get out of it wherever that pool venue may exist. I am still in the NY area and occasionally you will find me playing in the Tri State or Predator Tour events -- but I am planning to move to my other home in Naples Florida and the only pool that I have found there is at the senior community center! LOL

 

[WildWing]

You have not much chance of a pool only room there.

However, if you're going to succeed, here are the keys:

A real player must manage the room, and keep the tables up, clean, etc.

Don't sell any alcohol. Only a few sandwiches, coffee, and soda. That way, the smokers can stay and play. Plenty of ventilation and smoke eaters.

Encourage gambling. Make it the place to be for the players, and make it well known.

Keep it open 24 hours. Hire a few counter folks to be able to do that. Serious pool players don't sleep between the hours of 2AM and 8AM.

Charge a reasonable price for the table, and no free pool. Everyone pays. That's how you make your money.

No loud music at all. It's ok to play a radio station very quietly.

Any one causes any crap, you throw them out and keep them out. Likely won't happen anyhow, because you're not serving alcohol.

Won't happen, but at least don't say nobody gave you the formula.

By the way, pretty much the standard in the 60s and 70s. Again, can't possibly happen again.

But, I dare someone to try it.

 

[boogeyman]

Opening an old style pool hall would be like starting a cue making shop.
If it needed to make money it would soon close.
Most serious pool players ... the ones looking for money games ... dont drink and since almost all pool halls offer free pool now there would be no income.
Lets face it ... the old days are gone along with the guy that racks the balls for ten cents a rack.
Were the glory days of pool really so great or do we just tend to remember them that way?
Seems like the real pool action is associated with big tournaments and big name players in big citys like Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

Willee

Finally, someone who sounds like they know what the reality of the pool world is!

For those who are continually wishing for the "old days" of pool will be thoroughly disappointed.
Glory days? Everyone in every hobby can claim the "good old days." Nothing new there.

Pool has simply changed with the times.
If we would all stop forcing things in the industry and understanding the new demands,
we all might get to where we're going faster.

 

[Brandon79ta]

You have not much chance of a pool only room there.

However, if you're going to succeed, here are the keys:

A real player must manage the room, and keep the tables up, clean, etc.

Don't sell any alcohol. Only a few sandwiches, coffee, and soda. That way, the smokers can stay and play. Plenty of ventilation and smoke eaters.

Encourage gambling. Make it the place to be for the players, and make it well known.

Keep it open 24 hours. Hire a few counter folks to be able to do that. Serious pool players don't sleep between the hours of 2AM and 8AM.

Charge a reasonable price for the table, and no free pool. Everyone pays. That's how you make your money.

No loud music at all. It's ok to play a radio station very quietly.

Any one causes any crap, you throw them out and keep them out. Likely won't happen anyhow, because you're not serving alcohol.

Won't happen, but at least don't say nobody gave you the formula.

By the way, pretty much the standard in the 60s and 70s. Again, can't possibly happen again.

But, I dare someone to try it.

Well the sad part is we have a pool hall like that here, all but the 24 hour part, and guess what more times then not it's damn near empty.

 

[WildWing]

Well the sad part is we have a pool hall like that here, all but the 24 hour part, and guess what more times then not it's damn near empty.

Then it's not doing all of the above, or it's not in a populated area. And if it's empty during night hours, close it during those.

The OP wanted the recipe for an old fashioned pool room. That's what I gave.

 

[bdorman]

You have not much chance of a pool only room there.

However, if you're going to succeed, here are the keys:

A real player must manage the room, and keep the tables up, clean, etc.

Don't sell any alcohol. Only a few sandwiches, coffee, and soda. That way, the smokers can stay and play. Plenty of ventilation and smoke eaters.

Encourage gambling. Make it the place to be for the players, and make it well known.

Keep it open 24 hours. Hire a few counter folks to be able to do that. Serious pool players don't sleep between the hours of 2AM and 8AM.

Charge a reasonable price for the table, and no free pool. Everyone pays. That's how you make your money.

No loud music at all. It's ok to play a radio station very quietly.

Any one causes any crap, you throw them out and keep them out. Likely won't happen anyhow, because you're not serving alcohol.

Won't happen, but at least don't say nobody gave you the formula.

By the way, pretty much the standard in the 60s and 70s. Again, can't possibly happen again.

But, I dare someone to try it.

You forgot the paper shredder. Feed thirty one-dollar bills into it every hour. Oops, I forgot...in your room hire someone to feed forty one-dollar bills into every hour.

 

[The Renfro]

The formula for a quality room without alcohol is up against the wall right now because of the monthly nut for commercial real estate... As the market corrects which is HAS to do there may be opportunities coming down the pike... I look every week here in Knoxville at commercial property and the amount of it sitting empty is completely and totally insane... Instead of lease rates adjusting the owners and leasing agents prefer to sit on it... Commercial at a minimum is over priced 30% currently and those building and spaces will remain empty until that changes..

 

[Colonel]

The formula for a quality room without alcohol is up against the wall right now because of the monthly nut for commercial real estate... As the market corrects which is HAS to do there may be opportunities coming down the pike... I look every week here in Knoxville at commercial property and the amount of it sitting empty is completely and totally insane... Instead of lease rates adjusting the owners and leasing agents prefer to sit on it... Commercial at a minimum is over priced 30% currently and those building and spaces will remain empty until that changes..

Bingo, I did alcohol in my first hall & while wildly successful it was more about entertainment than pool & I want to do it again but differently this time, where it's about pool & be able to stand alone & make it & as Chris said above with commercial real estate being what it is its just not viable. I'm also waiting for the market to readjust, as he also said, it has to, it's inevitable because while owners and property managers are holding tight for now, I have to wonder how long they can hang on with it empty. I just want to be in the right place at the right time when they finally realize it's not going up, it's going down.

 

[WildWing]

You forgot the paper shredder. Feed thirty one-dollar bills into it every hour. Oops, I forgot...in your room hire someone to feed forty one-dollar bills into every hour.

To take care of the counterfeit bills?

 

[WildWing]

The formula for a quality room without alcohol is up against the wall right now because of the monthly nut for commercial real estate... As the market corrects which is HAS to do there may be opportunities coming down the pike... I look every week here in Knoxville at commercial property and the amount of it sitting empty is completely and totally insane... Instead of lease rates adjusting the owners and leasing agents prefer to sit on it... Commercial at a minimum is over priced 30% currently and those building and spaces will remain empty until that changes..

You got it right, it's one tough nut. It would have to be known as the best players room for at least 300 miles. The tables would have to be constantly busy with action.

The models I would use would be Jack & Jill's in Arlington, Virginia in the 60s and 70s, and Gentlemens Cue in Baltimore in the 70s and about mid 80s.

One tough nut, won't happen in the rest of our lives.

 

[Medalist]

FELT in Denver has the right formula. Very busy money making place. Great tables all sizes. Enough people buying drinks to support the real players. Good food too. Beautiful building with a nightclub atmosphere.

 

[MBL]

Well perhaps, I'm just being wishful, but let's think a bit outside here.

Yesterday, I was in this old building that is being converted into vendor space for antique dealers. They have a second floor where they are going to put some "upscale" type coffee place. Not Starbucks but I'm guessing not to far off from that.

Now I was thinking, how hard would it be to put some tables up there. I even "asked/suggested" that they do that...he said it wasn't part of the business plan.

So let's say the formula is changed slightly to "upscale" coffee type place with billiards? I'd think the interior would need to be done right, but I'd be at a place like that all the time.
Tim
MBL

 

[MBL]

As I think more, the commercial real estate market is a big problem. But man, you see these empty buildings everywhere. They all can't be ok with zero rent.

Someone was telling me about how some malls will set the rent on a sliding scale based on the revenue generated. So the more the place makes the more the rent. This is how some stores can sit in the mall forever without selling 10k a month. That could be an idea for pool rooms.

I just need to hit the lotto...I'll build up an olde time pool room and a vintage recording studio for all the rockabilly cats that come by.

Tim
MBL