Top 5 New Pools Halls in America

Won’t see the owner teaching a lesson on the table in the corner. He won’t be giving a dissertation on the differences between back- and front-handed English. No,

Doug Millan opened Surf City Billiards for an entirely different reason.

“I’m not a good pool player at all,” he said. “But I always had fun going out for a beer with my buddies and shooting around. And those are the folks I’m really looking to attract into the hall.”

Not that Millan ignored the more determined players. He has plans to get leagues set up and weekly tournaments on the schedule to make sure the 15 9-foot Brunswick Gold Crowns are in constant use. But when making a substantial investment (Surf City cost $400,000, not including the cost of the building), Millan,

along with his business partner Calvin Lee, did a little market research. He went to more than 30 poolhalls across the coun- try to find out what worked and what didn’t.

“I want to attract all types,” he said. “I want to have great equipment, so I can earn attention from those serious players. But I want to do that in a place that’s attractive and inviting to people who just want a night out.” Surf City Billiards is on the top floor of a building originally constructed in 1894. The current structure has been in place since it was rebuilt after a fire in 1934, and Millan was quite

familiar with it before making the purchase.

“I came into this space four years ago when it was a live- music venue,” he said. “When I walked up the stairs, I just knew this place had to be a poolhall. I kept an eye on it, and it came up for sale last year.”

One of the most inviting features is the 22-foot vaulted ceiling, giving the space an open-air feel, especially during the day when skylights allow the bright California sun to shine in.

The walls are tinted beige, and the carpet is a soft grayish blue to stay true to the beach theme. Surfboards and other beach paraphernalia hint that Surf City is an appropriate moniker. Five big screen TVs are grouped in the middle of the pool-playing area, which creates almost a stadium feel to the

place, thanks in part to the high ceiling. The lighting for the 15 tables is another curious twist on

the dark, clustered poolhall stereotype. Each table has three lights, which are strung directly to the ceiling. Again, the open

space is emphasized.

Then there’s that one table that isn’t like the others. Fourteen of them are covered in tournament-grade Simonis

blue cloth, but one Gold Crown in back row pops out from the pack because it’s draped in bright pink.

“That’s just something we did for fun,” Millan said. “We’ve got 14 tables that are dialed in for the hardcore pool players.

I wanted to have at least one table to have a ‘wow’ factor.” After all, market research and a refined design concept

are valuable, but the main goal of Surf City Billiards is much simpler.

“It ain’t rocket science,” Millan said. “Just do what you feel is right to make it a fun spot.”