Located at 1186 Edgewood Avenue the highly debated billiard parlor has opened on The First Block. I stopped by Saturday night after realizing they were open and they had quite a crowd for a new business. I went by again yesterday hoping to meet the owners and get their opinion on the controversy surrounding the establishment. I’ve followed this development from the planning procccess and documented the opposition that the owners of the building faced while trying to convert the old Wood’s Pharmacy to an upscale billiard parlor. Well, the time has come to see if all the uproar was worth the trouble.
I had the pleasure of meeting Gary and Amy Goff the owners of Perfect Rack Billiards, a pleasant couple that plan to manage the billiard parlor until they can get their feet under them. I got the impression they were genuinely surprised by the amount and ferocity of hostility they encountered from the neighborhood and the planning department over their intended use of the building. With all of that in the past it is time to see if the hard work and tenacity of the Goff’s can make their vision come to fruition.
The space itself has a simple but elegant decor with a seated bar area and 11 brand new Olhausen pool tables. There are 5-6 flat screen televisions on the walls so you can catch sports or news. There is little to no wall decorations, the owners are trying to decide certain themes. One wall near the bar will be dedicated to local artists displaying work for show or sale. Also tucked away in the corner are two electronic dart boards, maybe I can convince management to switch these out for genuine dart boards where you have to actually keep your own score.
The floorplan is virtually identical to the one I previously posted that was submitted to the building department. A cool aspect about the bar is that they reclaimed wood floors from the second floor and refurbished them to finish the top of the bar. Pool is $4 per person per hour which seems reasonable considering the quality of the tables to be played on. From 11:30-2 pool is free with the purchase of lunch and Friday and Saturday children under 12 play free while accompanied by an adult. Those types of specials confirm what the Goff’s had envisioned, a family friendly environment.
There is a modest menu consisting of burgers, wings, and sandwiches that will be expanded as demand dictates. They serve beer and wine but liquor is prohibited due to restrictions imposed by the planning commission while approving their exemption application allowing the desired number of pool tables. Council for the Goff’s have told them that after 6 months or so of positive commerce they can go before the appropriate government agencies to try to get a full liquor licence and loosen other restrictions currently imposed on the establishment. Some of those have been noted before: no live music, closing time is midnight sharp, no exceptions, two off duty police officers required Friday and Saturday nights, etc.
All in all the Goff’s said they have received positive feedback. A majority of the surrounding business owners have embraced Perfect Rack and Gary from Edgewood Bakery has even come by to offer support. The main thing that I took away from my meeting with the Goff’s is that they understand this is a neighborhood. Not just some strip mall to plop a pool hall in…this is Murray Hill. All of the staff hired at Perfect Rack are from the neighborhood and represent Murray Hill well. They were all super nice and accommodating.
I am glad that I took the time to listen to what was being said and not blindly opposing the billiard parlor. Hopefully we will all look back and agree that a diverse First Block is a prosperous one.
Pictures to come soon…
