kudos to the new DT billiard parlor....adjudged seventh best!!!!
(aw, c'mon. that's better than eighth........)
Posted on Fri, Dec. 01, 2006
Honor in the corner pocket
Magazine names the Wilkes-Barre business the seventh-best new parlor in North America.
By RON BARTIZEK
rbartizek@timesleader.com
WILKES-BARRE – Tex Clauss is a pool player and a contractor. So it just seemed natural for him to put his carpentry skills to work in his latest venture, Campus Square Billiards, which opened in October at 53 Public Square.
The result is the seventh-best new billiards parlor in North America, according to Billiards Digest magazine. The trade paper’s 18th annual architecture and design awards appeared in its November issue.
Clauss designed the room and did most of the work himself. That took about nine months, a month longer than expected after he broke a leg while on another job. He’s still recovering, so a grand opening that had been scheduled for September probably won’t take place until spring.
By then Clauss hopes to have an operating kitchen and a liquor license, making the place an attractive stop for people on a night out.
“I’m putting the kitchen in as we speak,” he said Thursday. There’s already a distinctive counter and soft drinks on the platform, as well as tables and chairs. The bar will go toward the front of the room and patrons will be allowed to bring beer to the tables as they play.
A glance around makes it easy to see why the place was honored; 25 spotless tables are spread across the ground level of the 10,300-square-foot space, while onlookers can watch the action from an elevated platform. Dark wood molding covers pillars and modern fixtures direct light onto the playing surfaces.
It’s all meant to attract a diverse crowd, from serious players to business people taking a break from the office and families looking for a pleasant outing, Clauss said. “This is the nature of an upscale billiards room,” he said.
Clauss, who has owned two other pool halls over the years, was attracted by the city’s revival. The downtown theater, new streetlights and removal of the canopy helped him decide to spend an estimated $425,000 renovating the former drug store.
“It’s slowly growing,” he said of customer traffic, although he has held back advertising until he’s completely happy with the finished room.
Depending on business, he has put in some long days accommodating players. “I get out of here sometimes at 3:30 in the morning,” he said, not sounding concerned about the late hours.
His own playing time has suffered, though, and he hasn’t picked up a cue in two years. “I just haven’t had time for it,” he said, ruefully.
DETAILS
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Campus Square Billiards
Where: 53 Public Square
Hours: 10 a.m. to closing, which can be in the wee hours depending on traffic
Cost to play: Varies from $2 per hour per player days to as much as $4 per hour after 6 p.m. Specials Monday and Tuesday, $10 per table with unlimited players and time.
Phone: 970-3216
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Ron Bartizek, Times Leader business editor, may be reached at 970-7157.