Ironwood's Pool Hall Closes - Owner Retires to Devote More Time to Superior Chronicle

IRONWOOD, MI - Sunday, May 24, 2009 - After thirty years in business, Jim Albert, owner of the Knight Club Billiards on main street in Downtown Ironwood has called it quits. The pool hall has been a benchmark business in Ironwood's Downtown since 1950 when it was first opened up by Sam and Mike Khoury.

"I never opened the place with the intention of running it for thirty years. I started feeling old when 'kids of kids' started coming down, but I'm feel antique since 'grand kids' of kids' have started showing up." Albert told the Chronicle, "I think thirty years is plenty long enough for a person to stay with anything. I vividly remember taking over the place back in 1978. Sam Khoury and I were going over some of the basics when he decided it was time for lunch. I remember his zipping up the steps and cutting across the street like he was in his teens. He was far from being a spring chicken even back then. As we were crossing the street what looked like an old man tooted the horn and yelled hello to Sam. I asked him who he was. He said, 'I can't remember his name, but he's a good kid! He used to come down to the pool hall just about every day!'"

"I made up my mind -- right then and there -- that making the pool hall a life-long venture was not for me. I never thought I'd last thirty years. Sam quit after twenty-five, and I thought that was outrageous. Would I do it over again? You bet! I have met many very good people through my business. I constantly hear how terrible the kids are in Ironwood. I can only say that the problems I've had could be counted on one hand. We have very good kids in this area. Many of the kids that used to frequent the place make a point to look me up when they are in town. Through the years the pool hall has entertained future doctors; lawyers; chemists; scientists; entertainers; engineers -- you name it! We've even had a politician or two -- you need to take the bad with the good."

"I know in my heart that the pool hall kept many good kids out of trouble. I've worked with many kids that became very respectable players. Pool's an easy game -- anyone can master it if they follow some simple instructions and pay attention to the basics. Will I miss the pool hall? I haven't played pool in almost three years. I won't miss playing, but I will miss running tournaments and teaching players to become better."

When asked what he plans to do with the business, Albert told the Chronicle, "There are a few people interested in renting the place, and I would very much like to rent it out to the right person. It's an easy business to run, and it can be very profitable if run correctly. It takes time and effort, but that's true of anything you want to become successful with. It's a turn-key operation. The only problem I will have renting it out is deciding who is the best candidate for the job. Like I say, I have already been approached on renting out the place."

According to Albert the business will be rented with everything a person needs to open the doors. There are four regulation 9 foot Brunswick Gold Crown Pool Tables and one 10 foot Brunswick Gold Crown Snooker Table in place. "Gold Crown's are the Cadillac of pool tables. They're the most sought after tables in the industry."

There are also two seven foot coin-op tables on site. The business with be rented with all of the equipment and furnishings included. Tables; chairs; stools; lights; televisions; cash registers; sinks; computerized digital sound system; commercial pizza oven; self-contained Auto-Fryer; Clark Broilers; freezers; refrigerators; shelving; billiard supplies and equipment; sofas; casual chairs; blackboards; cue stick maintenance equipment; cleaning equipment; central air conditioning; games and game-boards; and even inventory will be supplied to the tenant.

"It's a business that is ready to open!" Albert said, "Whoever takes it over will only have to worry about turning the key and tending to customers. It's truly a golden opportunity for whoever rents the place. When I took over the business, I had to buy all new tables, furnishings, lighting and equipment. Sam had sold the business before he sold the building. Starting from scratch is a real job. Taking over the pool hall will require no major up-front expenses or much elbow grease. If I were feeling better and was able to continue to run the place, I probably would. It's time for me to pass the torch on to someone younger and more in touch with today's kids."

For the time being, Albert will continue writing for the Chronicle, but he plans on phasing himself out of the writing process as new writers are hired.

"I enjoy the Chronicle, but I'm getting really sick of attending mindless City meetings. There are times I feel like I"m in the Bill Murray movie Ground Hog's Day. I feel like each new meeting is a re-run of the last one." Referring to the City leaders Albert continued, "How do these people order lunch? Sometimes it seems as if making a decision is a bad thing. I've been in business most of my life. If I over-thought things like the City tends to do... I would not have opened the pool hall... I wouldn't have opened by funding company; I would have never sold a magazine; and the Chronicle would still be a dream. After watching the Daily Globe taint the last City Commission election -- putting their candidates in a good light, while doing their best to discredit those they didn't endorse -- I decided to create an online newspaper. Immediately after the election, I conned Steve Frank to go into partnership with me on the venture. We sat down, at the most -- three times -- to discuss details like a format; content; a name; ideology; etc. By December we launched a test page, and by January the Chronicle was fully operational."

"I don't have the patience for indecision. I just don't operate that way. It's one thing to be cautious, but there such a thing as being too cautious. If you sit and dwell on all of the bad things that might happen, you'll never experience the good things that go with the success you achieve by being spontaneous. Many times people lose out on opportunities because they tend to seek guarantees. While the cautious analyse the situation to death, the spontaneous grasps the opportunity and rolls with it."

"The Chronicle is not where I want it to be, right now. We need more writers. We need salespeople. We need to cover sports and more human interest stories. I feel that retiring from the pool hall will give me more time to focus on the Chronicle. Before the year ends, I intend on stepping down from two other business ventures I'm involved in as well. Because I am spending so much time writing, coding, creating graphics, and selling ads, etc., I feel the Chronicle is not progressing the way I would like it to be. I intended on launching our 'Internet radio' station by this time. Unfortunately, I have not found the time to complete that project. I am anxious to launch the Chronicle's Internet Radio Station. My plans are to include talk radio programs; news, sports, and weather; and a wide variety of music and other entertainment. Most of the groundwork is complete, but the project needs tweaking and fine tuning."