It was not until Prohibition came along that billiards got an unsavory image, along with the game of pool. They hope to return billiards to upper-crust associations, not forgetting that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both loved the game if memory serves. That distinction is one the owners of fancy billiard parlors enjoy. L ocal staff and the upscale atmosphere undoubtedly discourage p ool sharks and hustlers from playing in the lounge area, where the tables feature higher nap felt that slows the billiard balls and makes the tables less attractive for advanced players. I doubt if we ever witness such opulence in Beckley, even if there are well-heeled billiard enthusiasts in our midst.Īnyway, I was thinking of something with family appeal. Vehicles in the parking lot included a medley of Lexus, BMW, Corvette and one Dodge Viper (with what appeared to have a silver-inlayed steering wheel). The door at one salon I visited in Charlotte recently read: “Dress code strictly enforced.” (Shorts and khakis are OK, but no sleeveless shirts). The sport’s popularity, meanwhile, among those in the under $ 30 ,000 bracket has dropped by almost 20 percent.īilled as wonderful places to relax after work or to take dates, these new “billiard parlors” -the owners dislike the term pool hall -us ually combine pool tables for dining from eclectic menus.Īnd get this: a host will carry your billiard balls to your table and rack them for you. The number of players with an annual income above $ 8 0,000 has increased 145 percent in the last decade. The increase seems driven, unbelievably, by an influx of wealthier players. According to the Billiard and Bowling Institute of America, the number of people shooting pool at least once a year has shot up from thirty-five million in the 1980s to 50 million today. According to the Billiard Congress of America, the number of pool halls has grown in the past few years from 6,000 to 8,000 nationwide.Īnd that is not all. These centers are emerging as pool hovers near an all-time high in popularity. Not far away in Ohio and Virginia, several upscale pool halls have opened, with the promise of more to come.Īll over the country, in fact, there’s increasingly posh pool parlors. Fancy pool halls -c omplete with wine lists and valet parking -ha ve been popular for years on the East and West coasts. In case you have not been out of the state recently, the much-vilified pool hall has undergone a high-society face life. I am not talking about the smoky old pool parlors of the past, the hallmarks of low-culture decadence, where cheap beer flowed, and hustlers puffed 25-cent cigars.
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