Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way? Our two children by my wife’s side, in the store from infancy to the 10 and 11-year old’s they are today. We grew into a full-fledged new table showroom and billiard supply store. I was off and running.Īfter 10 years of only doing service jobs (moving, refelting, etc.), my wife and I opened a small used pool table showroom. I borrowed $1500 from my dad and purchased a 1978 Chevy Van for moving services. Customers began inquiring about pool table moving and I began to realize the 504 would not lend itself to this task. I registered for a business license, placed a small in column ad in the yellow pages and officially became DK Billiard Service in 1993. After building up a small base of commercial clients, I decided to expand into the residential market by posting and handing out flyers in the neighborhood. I solicited every bar and cocktail lounge in the area until they let me service their pool tables. I had a set of not yet paid for tools in the back of my Peugeot 504 and one roll of green billiard cloth. In 1992, using the knowledge I gained from John Campbell and Mark Johnson, I started out on my own.
I started to see a great opportunity for my own business. I soon started helping co-worker John Campbell on deliveries and repair jobs, soaking up his 25-year experience. I kept my pool table and started with tasks like cleaning the shop, polishing balls and repairing cues. I went to Mark’s dad, Dick Johnson, owner of Golden West Billiards in Orange, CA and talked him into letting me work at the shop. My dad gave me an ultimatum – be gainfully employed by the following week or move out and end up with no pool table. I was 20, unemployed and still living at home. I set it up in my backyard and played pool all the time, even joining tournaments at bars and pool halls to practice my game. My friend Mark helped me get the materials to repair the table. The Delta one-piece slate table needed much repair. I only found that it played worse! Frustrated, I sold my Meucci cue for a 4X8 slate pool table. I even tried taking the table apart and replacing the half inch particle board with a one-inch thick one. The table had a non-slate particle wood playing field, and no matter what, the table would not play “true”.
In 1989, I saved enough money to buy a used pool table from a church in Anaheim, California. Today we’d like to introduce you to David Kay.ĭavid, please share your story with us.
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