BCA Members Speak Out

SURVIVING COVID-19: BCA MEMBERS SPEAK OUT

Our BCA members are a formidable bunch who have lived through recessions, natural disasters and other devastating events, but the COVID-19 pandemic was something no one saw coming.

But the industry is strong, with a lot of great, savvy people at the helm of the retail stores and manufacturing companies, who do what it takes to survive. During the pandemic, many have found that there’s been an uptick in consumers looking for home entertainment, and many have discovered ways to stay open and service customers.

Whether it’s by appointments, curbside pickup, expanding into online ordering or running social distance protocols in the stores, retailers are still doing business. And as restrictions start to be lifted around the country, some stores are just opening up and hope to find that same success.

By BCA Expo Staff

Here are some stories from BCA members about what they’ve experienced.

ROYAL BILLIARD & RECREATION

Audra DelConte, owner of Royal Billiard & Recreation in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, notes that the store took big measures to ensure customers knew that even though the doors were shut, they were still there to help.

“I spent four days on Instagram and doing Google Ads and putting signs on the door, so that was our biggest step,” she says. “I transferred the calls to my cell, was online looking at emails and integrated software on our website so people could instantly text us. I did everything I could to make us accessible during this time.”

Royal Billiard & Recreation did close some sales remotely and eventually opened the store for private shopping by appointment. While closed, the store was offering deals of up to 30 percent off.

“We found people were looking to get out of the house and find some place quiet and safe to shop, or even browse,” DelConte says.

In mid-June, the store opened, though it’s reduced hours and taken steps to have customers social distance. All employees are wearing masks, there’s a sneeze guard at the counter and other safeguards have been installed.

KORNERPOCKET BILLIARDZ, INC.

Kornerpocket Billiardz, Inc. in Woodinville, Washington, never closed, even after the stay-at-home order went into effect in the state.

Kornerpocket Billiardz, Inc.

Leon’s Billiards & More

Stefanie Howard, owner of the store, notes she read through all the fine lines and found a way to still continue business.

“We applied with the state to be considered an ‘essential’ business since we offer moving services and the products we sell help keep people sane while being quarantined,” she says. “We have been accepting customers by private appointment and implemented a ‘Release of Liability’ form that customers sign before we come to their house and install anything.”

The ROL states that Kornerpocket Billiardz employees will use PPE (masks and gloves) and that the customer must give the technicians plenty of space to install their product in their home.

“We have two crews that work five days a week and when they aren’t in the field, they help in the store,” Howard says. “We had one tech take some time off as he was concerned about the virus but he has been back to work for the last few weeks.”

The store has had several online orders but most of the sales are done through email and phone – which is how it was done even before the pandemic.

“Essentially, it’s been business as usual with a few new procedures in place,” Howard says. “Our technicians have always been a cut above as we enforce strict standards to keep our high-end reputation. We are not ready to go out of business yet and will fight to the end.”

LEON’S BILLIARDS & MORE

Leon’s Billiards & More in Lexford, Pennsylvania was closed from March 16 to May 15, so the store lost two months of sales plus its annual Home & Garden 10-day show was cut by two days due to low attendance caused by those fearful of the coronavirus.

“That was a big hit to us as we get a lot of revenue in March from that show – it’s normally close to holiday numbers,” says Mike Leon, owner of the billiard supply store. “Having no income for two months was a huge hit as the rent, insurance, truck payments and utilities still had to be paid. I was very lucky to have a great company like The C.L. Bailey Company defer some of my payments that were due. They went the extra mile helping many dealers.”

During the downtime, Leon would come into the store every few days and check voice mails and call customers, booking jobs for when he would re-open. He also sold a few items by e-mail and phone.

“We finally reopened on May 15 and business was very brisk,” Leon says. “The number of customers that came in was not great, but most people who came in bought. We sold 17 pool tables in two weeks of business in May, plus many other items and had service work.”

CAPITOL BILLIARDS

Back in January, Anthony Costanzo, owner of Capitol Billiards and Billiards Bar & Bistro in North Providence, Rhode Island, was talking to his wife about possibly closing the place down for the summer and reopening in the fall, never expecting something like the pandemic to come along and almost fulfill his prophecy. “We are a mature business, but finding new employees has always been a problem in the summer so I looked at how much would it cost us and what the results would be,” he says. “As I get older and hopefully wiser, I accept a lot of what happens as just part of business life and move along. My belief is that for now, God and the government want us to take that break. Hopefully they want and need us back by August.”

With the exception of several tables purchased before COVID-19, Capitol Billiards will remain closed until the entire operation from bar to in-home delivery is deemed safe by the governor.

“We may either declare independence and open in mid-July or will wait until we get authority to fully open by the state and then open in the fall, but we will not do a partial opening with just food and no available seating at the bar,” Costanzo says.

BILLIARD GALLERY

Ricky Rivlin opened Billiard Gallery in 2004 and the Phoenix, Arizona-based store has been supplying pool tables and game room equipment for 16 years, so he wasn’t about to shut down when he thought customers might need him the most.

“I never closed,” he says. “It’s only me in the shop most times, so I stayed open so peope could still come in and buy what they needed.”

When the state of Arizona shut down on April 1, naturally, business was very slow. Rivlin did find more people calling in for orders, but for about two weeks, it was as slow as he ever experienced.

About April 13, as the stay-at-home restrictions started to be lifted, business picked up and the store has seen high demand for pool tables and home entertainment items.

“The big items are selling very, very well,” Rivlin says.