phil in sofla
07-02-2004, 04:32 PM
For the third time in a couple of years, I've had my favorite pool hall taken away from me by sudden events.
First, Bogie's Billiards ran afoul of a divorce issue and had to close. Then Kelly's Billiards got an offer they couldn't refuse, from the Publix grocery store chain wanting to expand. (At least the Weavers cashed nicely in that deal, and deservedly so).
Now, Breakers Billiards is under new management, who intend to turn the place into Breakers Latinos, catering to local Latinos (evidently mainly Columbians). The juke box is off, replaced by either Spanish music CDs, or evidently a kind of Spanish MTV, videos off the satelllite, piped through the sound system. (So loud it overdrives the little ceiling speakers into a grating distortion, on top of the otherwise annoying mariachi band style of the music).
Sports on the big screens is now from Fox Sports en espanol, where I've learned that Toyota sponsors some large soccer (sorry, FUTBOL, of course!) cup event, and the Columbian team sports 'Poker' ads on their jerseys (the Argentinian team advertises 'Pepsi').
We're keeping our league team there for a trial season extra (we've been there maybe 6 seasons to date), but it looks like it's an intentionally uninviting environment for Anglos. It may drive our opponent teams a little crazier than it does us, just because we're going to be somewhat more used to it than they are.
They kept the Gold Crowns and Medallists, selling only the one drop pocket Diamond table to make room for a snooker table converted to a 3-C table, although he wants to get another couple of 3-C tables in there, as the Latin Americans play a lot of 'caroms.'
While we wish the new proprieter luck in how he's re-marketing the place, and hold nothing against his intended new clientelle, it has pushed out almost the entire old crowd, and even those for whom the hall was a second home away from home. Worse, from our standpoint, is that there was no viable comparable hall to relocate to, and when we do move, it will be to a place quite inferior to how Breakers used to be.
Seems that a pool hall business is fairly hard to keep going, as nearly every place down here was available for sale in the past year. How are things where you live? Any closings, or complete changes in emphasis that have driven you from somewhere you used to go regularly?
First, Bogie's Billiards ran afoul of a divorce issue and had to close. Then Kelly's Billiards got an offer they couldn't refuse, from the Publix grocery store chain wanting to expand. (At least the Weavers cashed nicely in that deal, and deservedly so).
Now, Breakers Billiards is under new management, who intend to turn the place into Breakers Latinos, catering to local Latinos (evidently mainly Columbians). The juke box is off, replaced by either Spanish music CDs, or evidently a kind of Spanish MTV, videos off the satelllite, piped through the sound system. (So loud it overdrives the little ceiling speakers into a grating distortion, on top of the otherwise annoying mariachi band style of the music).
Sports on the big screens is now from Fox Sports en espanol, where I've learned that Toyota sponsors some large soccer (sorry, FUTBOL, of course!) cup event, and the Columbian team sports 'Poker' ads on their jerseys (the Argentinian team advertises 'Pepsi').
We're keeping our league team there for a trial season extra (we've been there maybe 6 seasons to date), but it looks like it's an intentionally uninviting environment for Anglos. It may drive our opponent teams a little crazier than it does us, just because we're going to be somewhat more used to it than they are.
They kept the Gold Crowns and Medallists, selling only the one drop pocket Diamond table to make room for a snooker table converted to a 3-C table, although he wants to get another couple of 3-C tables in there, as the Latin Americans play a lot of 'caroms.'
While we wish the new proprieter luck in how he's re-marketing the place, and hold nothing against his intended new clientelle, it has pushed out almost the entire old crowd, and even those for whom the hall was a second home away from home. Worse, from our standpoint, is that there was no viable comparable hall to relocate to, and when we do move, it will be to a place quite inferior to how Breakers used to be.
Seems that a pool hall business is fairly hard to keep going, as nearly every place down here was available for sale in the past year. How are things where you live? Any closings, or complete changes in emphasis that have driven you from somewhere you used to go regularly?