BCA Insider - New Year New Trends Edition - 2021

BCA New Year Issue | February 1, 2021

HOT TRENDS

THAT CAN HELP YOU BUILD ON YOUR HOLIDAY SALES

SEVEN RESOLUTIONS

FOR THE NEW YEAR ALL RETAILERS SHOULD BE MAKING SETTING UP AN

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Anthony Stoeckert

Hot Trends That Can Help You Build on Your Holiday Sales

06 Anthony Stoeckert

Seven Resolutions for the New Year All Retailers Should be Making

15 Charles S. Donnavan

Setting Up an Instagram Store

36 2 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2021

IN THIS ISSUE 22 28 44 50

Gleaning Some Information from NSGA’s Sports Participation Research

By Keith Loria Member Profile: Franklin Billiard Company

By Anthony Stoeckert Marketing in a Post-COVID World

By Keith Loria Our Muse, Walter Tevis

By Jason A. Moss

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Artie Booker Charles S. Donnavan Jason Moss Anthony Stoeckert

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VICE-CHAIRMAN Brian Igielski, GLD Products

SECRETARY Philippe Singer, The Predator Group

OPENING LETTER In our 2020 intro letter, we talked about how things had changed and evolved over the last 10 years. Little did we know that the biggest change in our lifetimes was right around the corner.

2020 started out with enthusiasm and feelings that we were going to be roaring into the new decade with new member programs and services, a healthy and stable Expo and more professional and junior events than ever before. Well, here we are a year later and what a difference a year can make. Now, we collectively look for the new year to help get us back to where we were.

As 2021 dawns on us and we see paths to the end of the crisis that has beset us, the prospect of a fresh start where everyone actually gets back TOGETHER AGAIN at the 2021 BCA Expo and BEF Junior National Championships in Las Vegas the last week of July is now more exciting than it has ever been. There are great opportunities ahead for our industry and our sport even after all that we have recently experienced, and the Billiard Congress of America’s dedication to supporting our members while continuing to promote this great game has remained steady.

In this “New Year, New Trends” edition of the BCA Insider we take an in-depth look at relevant topics of the day, such as: hot trends that can build on holiday sales; seven resolutions retailers should be making now; the NSGA’s current sports participation report; how to set up an Instagram store; and how to market in a post-COVID world.

Now is the time for us to reset ourselves and move cautiously into the new roaring twenties (2.0). While the dust begins to settle from the last holiday season, please take time to send in your BCA annual dues if you haven’t already done so. Your commitment to the Billiard Congress of America allows us to continue to support our members, promote billiards and home leisure in general, and support the efforts to develop tomorrow’s players and customers. We are all in it together!

Here’s to a great 2021!

TREASURER Brian Rosselli, Olhausen Mfg

BOARD MEMBERS Shane Bouchard, Maine Home Recreation Debbie Corvey, Boynton Beach Billiards Ed Liddawi, Sandcastle Billiards Chance Pack, Champion Shuffleboard Stephanie Schmidt, A. E. Schmidt Co. BCA Insider is published by Billiard Congress of America © 2021 bcainsider.com

4 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2021

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By Anthony A typical year in retail begins with a post-holiday season marked by fairly slow sales in January and February, mainly due to people having spent a lot of money in the weeks leading up to Christmas. But, 2020 was far from a typical year, and 2021 promises to be just as different.

be starting vaccination at the beginning of the year, all homebound activities will still be going strong throughout the year.”

While the world anxiously awaits the wide distribution of the COVID-19 vaccinations and a return to normal life, the hard reality is that we may be waiting until late summer, before we move on to the next “new normal.” That means billiard and home game room retailers have an opportunity to build on their holiday sales momentum in the new year.

“It is expected that during the vaccination process the change back to what used to be normal is going to be gradual and people will choose to remain at home and be as safe as possible for as long as they can,” Flanagan says. “Until everyone is vaccinated, it is expected that people will take a position of caution before going back to normal. Home cinemas, streaming services, gaming, etc. will benefit from this gradual development and continue to have strong sales in home leisure products since people will still be consuming more than they used to.”

“2021 is still going to be heavily influenced by COVID-19,” says Joe Flanagan, a small business owner who isn’t expecting things to return to normal quickly. “Even though some countries will 6 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2021

He adds that games families can play together, like pool, pingpong and shuffleboard, will remain in demand.

RENDS

ON YOUR HOLIDAY SALES

Stoeckert The continuing effects of COVID-19 is also expected to result in trends that have the potential to be beneficial to billiard and game room retailers.

A HOME RENOVATION BOON Allan Kerr of Renco Home Improvements explains that the pandemic has led to many homeowners renovating their basements so that they can enjoy activities at home that they previously had to venture outside to experience. These include adding cinema-like theaters, bars, exercise spaces, and, of course, pool tables and other game room tables to their homes.

“People are investing in renovating their homes to accommodate more leisure activities,” Kerr says. “The money saved

from restaurants, gyms, bars, cinemas, etc. is going back into renovating homes. We are already fully booked for 2021 with a variety of renovations, and the calls keep coming. From a home contractor perspective, a permanent change in the way homeowners use their homes for leisure is underway.”

He adds that the change to normal living is going to be gradual.

“But depending on living environment and location, faster changes to ‘back to normal living’ may happen,” Kerr explains. “For example, urban condo-owners and renters are limited in what they can enjoy and do at home. Vaccines and opening of stores, cinemas, gyms, etc. will pull this group back quickly. While suburb and rural people may feel more comfortable living, socializing, working and exercising in their own homes – plus saving money.”

BCAINSIDER.COM | 7

YEAR-END ENTERTAINMENT

BE SMART ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA

There are other reasons as to why home leisure retailers can expect 2021 to be prosperous, as the popularity of pool tables and other table games isn’t expected to slow down when COVID-19 is finally behind us. In addition to wanting to go out and do things, most people are looking forward to gathering with friends and families for birthdays, holidays and other celebrations.

Creating an active presence on popular social media outlets like Instagram and Facebook is an essential component to doing business in the 21st century. More and more, these platforms are becoming the primary way that businesses keep everyone aware of what they have to offer and maintain relationships with their customers.

“Entertaining at home is becoming the new norm,” Kerr says.

“Homeowners with room to spare are investing in upgrading their living space to accommodate more entertaining. Billiard and home leisure retailers should begin to feel this uptick as homeowners transform previously unused living space into entertainment dens, complete with billiards, cinemas and exercise rooms.”

Sara Mandeed of Best of Our Home, says a lot of people are going to be “hyper-social” in the post-pandemic world, which also could encourage robust sales of games for the home.

“I see trends with people being more inviting to their friends with great entertaining spaces,” she says. “You may see a new trend in advertising for billiard pool table stores as well and I think people will look for pool table stores to help them create more living space for them that can be used to entertain.”

With these trends setting the stage for a busy year in the billiard retail business, here are some tips that can help you make this a very profitable year.

8 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2021

“As we turn into a more digital landscape, increasing customer engagement needs to be part of every billiard retail marketing strategy,” says Daniel Snow, CEO and founder of The Snow Agency. “Forming a strong social media fan base will help you advertise any discounts you may give throughout the year. Being highly engaged in social media also drives more sales as people will come to your social media pages and buy products directly from you instead of going into a physical store.

“There is a huge marketing opportunity when it comes to home entertainment during the pandemic, and for building a social media following where you can create content that promotes family game nights with billiards or content that would resonate with your audience to increase sales.”

John Linden, a Los Angeles-based designer, adds that in order to get people to pay attention to your posts, you need to offer content people actually want to see.

“Do not spam your customers with sales, and you should explore subtle methods of advertising,” he suggests. “You do not

“

BILLIARDS IS A GAME THAT IS PLAYED WITH FRIENDS…”

want to be that company that is frustrating me because I gave you my email when I bought two cue sticks. Instead, take an informative and engaging approach.”

Effective content he recommends includes sharing videos.

These videos can teach trick shots, offer design and decorating tips for game rooms, teach people how to take proper care of their equipment, and explore the history of the game.

“In the end, you advertise one nice product you are selling as a recommendation,” Linden says. “This type of content will secure your customers, draw in people to your page, make them open your emails, visit your web site, and buy more game room merchandise. The point is that you should not always be obvious that you want to only sell to them.”

STAY IN THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT Christmas is obviously the biggest holiday of the year in terms of retail sales, but there are lots of other occasions that can help draw people to your store.

Remember, people aren’t spending as much money as they normally do on vacations, going out for dinner, or buying tickets for sporting events, theater, concerts, and even the movies. That means there’s money to spend on other things.

Many pool players are also sports fans, and the NFL playoffs, leading up to the Super Bowl on February 7, is an ideal time to boost your sales. Send the message through social media about how a pool table or other game is a great way to enhance game day with family and friends. If your store sells darts, promote them as a fun and affordable option for the family.

Then there’s Valentine’s Day. Anyone who has a sweetheart who plays pool will be interested in buying lighting, a cue, a rack, chalk, or new balls as a gift.

March is National Women’s History Month, so you can hold specials for women, March 6 is National Frozen Food Day, and you can give out ice cream sandwiches to customers, and then there’s Popcorn Lovers Day on March 11, when you can give out a bag of popcorn to anyone who spends a certain amount in the store.

The third Thursday of each quarter is Get to Know Your Customers Day, which makes January 21 the first one of 2021. Take that day to ask your customers what they’re looking for from your store, what services they’d like to see, and what products they want to buy. It’s also a great day to reach out to customers through email and social media to follow up with them and make sure they’re happy with their purchase and remind them that you are there to sell them more games and accessories.

10 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2021

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PLAY YOUR (GIFT) CARDS RIGHT Promoting gift cards is a great way to encourage customers to walk into your store. If people are shopping for a relative or friend who plays pool and is having trouble selecting the right gift for them – for example, they want to buy a cue but don’t know which one – a gift card is a terrific option.

And best for you, it brings the gift card’s receiver into your store to discover everything you have to offer. Then, there’s a good chance the person will spend a few bucks beyond the gift card’s value to get something they really want. Let’s say, a customer comes in with a $100 gift card, and the cue they really want costs $150, they’re likely to take on the attitude that they can get the $150 cue for $50.

Linden also suggests offering bonuses to customers who make referrals for your business.

“Billiards is a game that is played with friends, and that makes it very likely that a pool player has other pool playing friends,” Linden says. “You can take advantage of your customers’ circle of friends by giving them a small percentage discount on their next purchase if they recommend new customers to you. You can also offer the person referred to you a discount.”

PROMOTE ACCESSORIES Anyone who was lucky enough to wake up Christmas Morning to find a pool table under their tree (or, more realistically, set up in their den or game room) is sure to be overwhelmed with excitement and envisioning the family playing together while also looking forward to the day they can invite friends over for a day of fun. And that excitement offers you an opportunity to promote accessories.

“People who buy billiard tables are going to need racks, table cleaners, gloves, chalk, and bridge sticks,” Linden says. “It is also your duty to remind them to purchase these accessories when they do not think of buying them.”

VERSATILITY IN MARKETING Marketing strategies are important, but they aren’t an exact science. That’s why Sally Rong, CEO of Rellery, suggests forming several marketing strategies that you will have at your disposal when needed.

“2021 will assuredly still hold a lot of surprises for us when it comes to what we’ll see in the retail environment,” Rong says. “Therefore, it will be more important than ever to have a few different marketing strategies ready to go, so that you can easily pivot when one isn’t providing the results that you’d hoped for during these uncertain times. Keep in mind that visibility will be key, so be sure to network, plan outreach campaigns and implement innovative email marketing ideas.”

And then, if things go as expected and we’ve all moved on from COVID-19 by the late summer, it will be time to prepare for the 2021 holiday season!

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SEVEN RESOLUTIONS FOR THE NEW YEAR ALL RETAILERS SHOULD BE MAKING

By Anthony Stoeckert Welcome to 2021! And now that we’ve rung in the New Year and 2020 is finally in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to make some resolutions.

We’re not talking about the usual promises – like eating more vegetables and going to the gym – that are abandoned well before Valentine’s Day. These resolutions for people in the billiard and home recreation retail industry are designed to encourage you to adopt some habits that can help keep your cash register ringing all year long.

The next 12 months promise to be interesting, to say the least. The year will start off a lot like 2020 ended – with people spending most of their time in their homes because of COVID-19 – but it seems that we can look forward to the day when things return to normal sometime this year.

So, with all that in mind, here are some resolutions you can make that can lead to a prosperous 2021.

1. COMMIT TO MARKETING Thanks to modern technology, effective marketing is at your fingertips. All it takes is a little bit of technological know-how to embark on an effective marketing strategy.

One key step in this area is to create a sense of urgency. As marketing expert Abby Hau notes, holiday sales work because people are anxious to take advantage of deals and because Christmas marks a shopping deadline that has to be met.

“The reason that holiday sales are so effective is that people know that the deep discounts won’t last, and that sense of missing out on the savings drives them all to buy more than they typically would have,” Hau says. “You don’t necessarily have to give out discounts to create a sense of urgency, however.

One thing you can do is add limited-edition products, or limited-edition product bundles, to your lineup.”

Events like Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, etc. help drive sales, and there’s no reason to wait for some nationwide promotion to give your store a boost. Team up with the local Chamber of Commerce or other businesses in your area to establish a special day, or weekend, that promotes your local business community and offers a fun theme.

For example, some communities host Chocolate Days, usually in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, where businesses offer chocolate treats to shoppers. Another good option is to host a summer block party when the warm weather arrives.

“To adapt to the new retail culture of buying. Not as many people are coming into your store due to the pandemic so have a greater web and social media presence.”

- Mike Leon Leon’s Billiards & More

16 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2021

2. BECOME MORE SOCIAL If your billiard store doesn’t have a presence on social media, it’s time to establish one. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are three essential platforms that you should join right away.

And if you already have social media accounts but don’t post to them regularly, it’s time to start getting in the habit of adding content to these platforms often.

“These are totally free marketing channels that can bring you big results if you put in the time and effort,” Hau says. “The truth is that repetition absolutely does sell. Follow up with your customers after they make a purchase.

Send them emails asking if they have any questions, prompting them to leave a review, or offering a coupon for a return visit. Anything you can do to keep your name in front of them increases the chance that they will be back.”

Another way to draw attention to your business is to become a YouTube star.

A recent study reported that YouTube has more than 1.9 billion users each month, that eight out of 10 people ages 18 to 49 watch it in an average month, and that 90 percent of Americans ages 18 to 24 use it.

Those are astonishing numbers, and there is nothing stopping you from becoming part of the YouTube community. Think of all the fun billiard tricks you can film. If you’re not savvy about making videos, chances are a young employee in your store is. If you’re hiring people, you can even make experience with social media and video requirements for the job. Another option is to ask friends to help with videos.

David Tolby, founder of the boutique marketing firm, Pathfinder Alliance, says a key to YouTube success is making videos that are short.

“Doing so provides companies the ability to reach customers with a complete message in a way that does not allow short attention spans to disrupt the message,” he says. “In fact, brief content is also on the rise for many online publishers who are facing the acronym of TLDR, which translates to ‘too long, didn’t read.’” For businesses wanting to reach customers via video, the challenge is to hook viewers with engagingly brief videos. People who eschew this trend might end up spending a lot of money producing content that is so long that viewers will never watch.”

“Concentrating more on social media posts and Google Ad Words.

It costs more of my time than money. But I need to force myself to invest in both.”

- Michael Small Seasonal Specialty Stores

3. FOCUS ON E-COMMERCE MARKETING If you spend any time on social media, you no doubt have seen an endless supply of posts on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about how happy people were to see 2020 come to an end. But tossing out our old calendars won’t magically change things overnight. Indeed, even though people are starting to get vaccinated for COVID-19, the most optimistic projections have life returning to normal sometime in the summer.

That means people will still be spending lots of their time indoors, which can help billiard retailers. It also means you need to focus on e-commerce marketing in order to let customers know what you have to offer.

In 2021, retailers in every category and industry need to stay nimble. When it comes to marketing, you need to know your messages, and know how to communicate those messages on the right channels.

That involves establishing messaging and to include that messaging in all content. By having a key, core message as a guide, your team can stay flexible and build content that matches that message, but which can adapt to the greater global context.

“Inventory control is our top priority.

We plan on dissolving stagnant and slow-moving products.”

- Albert Trujillo Fort Worth Billiard Supply Co. BCAINSIDER.COM | 17

4. AT YOUR CUSTOMERS’ SERVICE Truly dedicating your business to serving customers, as opposed to doing only what is obligated, is an excellent step to take this year.

“Keep innovating our product offering.

Make what we offer already better, or find new products that complement our range and fill any gaps in what we offer already. Look at using licensing to add additional products and to innovate in new areas. Despite all the difficulties in 2020, the new year will still bring a host of opportunities to innovate and excite your customers. You just need to look for them.”

- Andy Beresford Home Leisure Direct 18 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2021

Starting personal relationships with customers on social media is a great idea and starts simply by connecting with them. For example, after installing a pool table, ask for permission to take some pictures of the table, and be sure to showcase the entire game room as well. Then post the photos on your social media and tag the customer. The next step is to follow their accounts, and anytime they post a picture of family and friends playing a game of pool on their table, give it a “like” and write a response expressing how happy you are that they’re enjoying their game and that you’re always available if they have any issues with the table or want to buy accessories.

Hau notes that good customer service starts with a passionate and knowledgeable sales staff. And making sure the right people are working for you involves a process that requires a lot of attention, starting with the interview process.

“Empower your sales associates to interact with your customers – let them put your customers first,” she says. “Set the expectation that customers come first, always.”

5. FOR YOUR REVIEW… These days, everyone is a critic, and they all have places where they can share their opinions about businesses and retail stores,Yelp being a prime example.

If someone goes to your store, enjoys the experience, and writes a positive review, that leads to more sales.

Online reviews simply are how positive word of mouth spreads in the 21st century, and if you want to increase the number of reviews your store gets, all you have to do is ask for them.

“Customer reviews are like gold when it comes to retail. The more testimonials you have about your products, the more products you’ll sell,” says Ian Sells, a retail and e-commerce expert and the CEO and founder of RebateKey. “The top habit a retailer can form in 2021 is to consistently ask for customer reviews.You should build a process that asks every customer for a review of your products. Even if you only ask one customer for a review every day, you’ll be amazed at the compounding effect it will have over the year.”

6. TAKE A SMART APPROACH TO SALES Conventional wisdom holds that few things are more effective at giving a business a bump than a promotion that offers shoppers a great deal, but Chris Laan, a retail marketing expert, says his primary tip for retailers is to hold off on major sales until the pandemic is behind us. He further explains that consumers are looking for what he calls “buy-it-for-life” quality, and that doesn’t just mean selling well-designed, well-built products.

“While consumers remain price conscious, we’ve also redefined what we want and need,” he says. “This is particularly important for home items, as the housebound social distancing experiment won’t be coming to a complete end anytime soon. It’s still a bit too early to predict when we’ll see demand bring an uptick in supply. But until the sales return, focus your efforts on detail rather than discounts.”

Another way to increase sales is to give customers the option of using smart speaker shopping. While it’s unlikely that anyone is going to buy a pool table by asking Alexa to send one, they will use this technology to order items like chalk, ping-pong balls, dart tips, etc.

“Amazon Echo and Google Home smart speakers have become key devices for many online shoppers, primarily as we all consume more extra time at home through the crisis,” says Shiv Gupta, CEO of the digital marketing agency, Incrementors. “Around 20 percent of smart speaker keepers use them for purchasing activities, such as ordering goods, managing product analysis, or tracking shipments. This figure is expected to increase to 52 percent within the following four years.

7. IMPROVE YOUR DISPLAYS

“Our top business resolution for 2021 is to continue to serve our awesome customers and friends like we have been for 32 years – and keep on having fun.”

- Don & Judy Kucera Cedar Rapids Billiards

Billiard and home recreation stores still need to focus on walk-in customers, especially when it comes to pool tables and other games, which are significant investments. Customers will want to look at tables, try them out, and ask questions face-to-face.

That makes attractive and effective displays essential to showcasing the products you sell in the best possible light.

“Allow us to state the obvious: people won’t buy unappealing products, which is why having strong in-store visuals is key,” Hau says. “Make your displays multidimensional by varying their visual elements. Make them useful or interactive. Help people see your products in action. Create displays that show your products in use or allow shoppers to try them out.”

The start of a new year marks a time when we can be optimistic about the future and make decisions that can increase sales and make customers very happy. Making – and more importantly keeping – these resolutions is a great first step to a successful 2021.

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GLEANING SOME INFORMATION FROM NSGA’S SPORTS PARTICIPATION RESEARCH

By Keith Loria

The National Sporting Goods Association has released its annual study looking at the latest data measuring the number of people seven years of age or older who participated in different sports and recreational activities.

As always, billiards was one of the sports represented in the study, and retailers can utilize the information to learn a bit more about who is playing the game and which customers they should be marketing to and reaching out to more.

The NSGA study measures the annual number of participants in each sport/ activity, the frequency of participation (number of days of participation in 2019), total days of participation, and the average and median (mid-point) number of days of participation.

Information is collected on gender, age and presence of children age 18 or under in the household, as well as factors such as education, household income and ethnicity.

The study’s results are based on approximately 34,000 individuals who are ages 7 and older.

In order to ensure returns were representative of the U.S., the data was weighted to represent the demographic composition of the U.S. based on the following characteristics: state of residence, household income, and population density.

Looking at billiard participation, the numbers showed that in 2019, there 22 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2021

were 21 million billiard players in the U.S. Of those, 13.3 were male and 7.4 million female, with the latter’s 34 percent the lowest total it’s been in a decade. That shows retailers need to do more to get women interested in the sport and more effort should be made to market to them. Additionally, manufacturers should start crafting more of their products with women in mind.

When looking at frequency of participation, 10.7 percent of all players were classified as “frequent,” meaning they played 30 or more days throughout the year. Another 52.4 percent were considered “occasional” participants, meaning they played 5-29 days. The remaining 36.9 percent were infrequent participants, which meant they played only 2-4 days in total throughout the year.

One of the ways to increase participation in the sport is to turn those infrequent players and occasional players into frequent players. Retailers can run promotions on items for new players to get them interested in playing more, and pool halls can offer special theme nights to get infrequent players in. For instance, one pool hall held a singles night where everyone would switch tables after every game and meet a fellow single, so it was like speed dating using pool as the backdrop. This brought in new players and infused the idea that playing pool is a great date.

When looking at age, the NSGA study revealed that that those who fell within the 18-24 age group participated in billiards the most. This segment was

21 MILLION PLAYERS

13.3 MALE 7.4 FEMALE

“

Retailers need to do more to get women interested in the sport.”

nearly 10 times more likely to participate in pool than the average population.

10.7% PLAY

Those falling into the ages 25-34 and 35-44 range tied for the next largest percentages, which is a good sign for the sport as it shows millennials are still excited about the game. Unfortunately, the numbers for those ages 12-17 and 7-11 are low, so more needs to be done to attract kids to the game.

OCCASIONALLY

Another interesting find of the study was that participation was most developed among households with annual incomes between $15,000 and $34,000, yet households that make over $150,000 annually weren’t too far behind, showing that it doesn’t matter how much someone makes, the game is enjoyed by all.

INFREQUENTLY

Regionally, participation was most developed within the West North Central region, followed by Mountain and East North Central.

FREQUENTLY

52.4% PLAY 36.9% PLAY

Over the past seven years, the number of people participating in billiards has remained pretty steady, hovering around the 21 million mark.

While it’s expected that numbers for 2020 will have increased due to the amount of people playing more pool at home due to quarantines brought on

by COVID-19, it’s important that retailers do what they can to keep people interested in the years ahead.

Pool and billiards is an enjoyable sport that can be played by entire families from any socio-economic background or from any part of the country, and retailers should consider how to reach out to each of these segments and bring more people back to the game.

If you would like a copy of the full 2020 NSGA billiard participation report, please contact the BCA.

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24 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2021

A STORE WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH

Jeff and Darla Preiss

By Anthony Stoeckert It takes a lot to create a successful business, and one thing that has made Franklin Billiard Company stand out and build a dedicated customer base – one that continues to grow – is its commitment to providing each person who walks into the store with the finest service possible and helping every customer determine what home recreation product is best for them.

“Each story and each person’s needs are totally different than the next,” says Jeff Preiss, who along with his wife, Darla, owns the store, located in Pacific, Missouri, about 30 miles from St. Louis. “There are similarities but they’re not identical. Our com28 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2021

mitment is that we meet their expectations, and if we don’t, let us know why and we’ll fix it.”

Among Jeff’s many responsibilities is deliveries, which means he interacts with just about every one of Franklin Billiard Company’s customers.

“Whenever I deliver, I explain everything I can about the table, it’s not just about dropping it off and putting it together,” he says. “I usually explain why I do things that I do. They get a card that has my cell number on it, and I’m extremely meticulous about what I put together.”

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS THAT LAST Darla says the store’s approach is rooted in honesty and serving each customer’s needs. For example, when talking about pool table cloth, she will explain the various kinds that are available, and how different cloths play differently.

But she doesn’t push the most expensive offerings because she knows a lot of people are on a budget and will do just fine with other brands.

“There are entry points and price points, and we try to serve all of those price points as much as we can because everyone should be able to get what they want,” Darla says.

It’s a way of doing business that has not only satisfied customers for three decades, but also has them telling their friends and relatives about the store.

“Our business is a lot of referrals,” Darla says. “This year, we had a lot of people who we sold tables to who are downsizing. Let’s say they’re in their 60s or 70s, and they’re downsizing their house – their table is going to their children and their children become customers of ours. That’s just one example, but a lot of our business is based on referrals.”

HIS OWN BOSS The story of Franklin Billiard Company begins in the 1980s, when Jeff left college and took a job as a mechanic setting up tables for A.E. Schmidt.

After a round of layoffs, he went back

to school and sold electronics for a department store. He also recovered tables, and bought, restored and sold tables on the side to make some extra money. As more competition came from big electronics stores, business at the department store went down, and he decided to open his own business.

“At first, at least for a year or so, I was just doing some service work until I could set up a building to retail out of,” he says. “At that point and time, I decided I wasn’t going to work for anybody else; I would self-employ myself because I was tired of working for someone else.”

Never a pool player himself, Jeff was drawn to the mechanical aspects of putting tables together.

“Even with electronics, it still involves putting things together,” he explains. “I had been working on tables for about 10 years in one way or another, so I had a background that provided me a knowledge base. I couldn’t sell electronics because of the big box stores and I already had a pretty good back-

ground for working on pool tables. I just took the retail side of things that I knew and applied those to the billiard industry, as far as marketing, merchandising, and dealing with customers. It was just a different product, but it was a product that I had knowledge of. As far as being able to assist customers who are interested in pool, that’s the direction that I enjoy.”

SETTING UP SHOP He started by working out of his house – buying and selling lower-priced tables and restoring used pool tables.

“And I was doing service work, so I was doing moves, re-covers, those types of things,” Jeff says. “The only thing I sold was cloth because I didn’t have a retail location. Once I opened up a store, then things changed. Basically, I transitioned from doing just service work to retailing new tables.”

In 1991, Jeff opened the store’s location at 500 N. Monroe St., and from the start BCAINSIDER.COM | 29

he has applied certain principles to doing business that have paid off.

“I’m fairly frugal, I don’t use lines of credit for anything, so basically if I can’t pay for something, I’m not going to buy something if it’s inventory, or even if it’s a new van,” he says. “I own the building, and I’ve usually been very conservative on anything that we purchase. That goes against a lot of business models, as far as being able to expand, but it’s worked for me. I’ve never had to lay awake at night trying to figure out how to come up with money for something that I have sitting in the store that I haven’t been able to sell.”

Another savvy move was becoming a dealer for Playmaster, the factory for which was about an hour away from the store. That meant Jeff didn’t have to invest in a lot of inventory, aside from what was on display.

“I would go down once a week and pick up four or five tables,” Jeff says. “This was the early 1990s or so, and things were booming pretty fast, it was hard to keep stuff in stock a lot of times.”

The business grew and the retail end of the operation became a bigger percentage of business than service work. And Jeff was very busy, to put it mildly.

“I couldn’t deliver anything until I closed, plus I was open seven days a week for a while,” he remembers.

“I didn’t have any days off, and that was probably for about a year, which tends to burn you out. But eventually, I hired someone to run the store for me. I still do all my own service work, so I usually have someone who runs the store, which allows me to go out and set things up.”

THEY’VE GOT GAMES Today, Franklin Billiard Company is a destination for all kinds of games in addition to pool, including bubble hockey, shuffleboard, ping-pong, and air hockey.

30 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2021

“Shuffleboard tables over the last few years have increased tremendously as far as selling them,” Jeff says. “I used to never sell shuffleboard tables – pool tables are still the biggest percentage of what I sell, but shuffleboard tables have grown exponentially.”

Darts have also become a key category for Franklin Billiard Company, with many league players making it their place to buy dartboards and high-quality tungsten darts in both soft-and steeltip versions.

“As far as people who come in on the most regular basis, it’s probably darts,” Jeff says. “There really isn’t anybody in the St. Louis area that has as much of a darts supply and there are a lot of darts leagues out there. It’s a high markup, and there’s no servicing, so darts do really well.”

And after all these years, Jeff still delivers and installs every table, with the help of a staffer, as opposed to assigning deliveries to employees or subcontracting the work. The store also recovers, re-cushions, and moves tables.

A VARIETY OF OPTIONS

“It’s not the customer who’s spending a lot of money that I’m relying on, it’s people who want to spend $4,000 to $5,000, that’s what’s keeping me open,” he says.

A BUSY 2020 The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a very busy year for Franklin Billiard Company. Working days of up to 14 hours have become a regular occurrence as Jeff and Darla have been answering lots of service calls for people who want to use their tables as they spend lots and lots of time at home.

“No one wants to leave their house, or they’re stuck in their house and they’re looking for things to do,” Jeff says. “I know the swimming pool industry in this area is out two years before you can get a swimming pool installed, that’s how backed up they are. Since this started, we’ve been out for two months on our schedule, I have stuff scheduled for two months out and I haven’t been able to catch up.”

Another issue in the COVID-19 era is a lack of inventory because so many people are buying tables and games.

Darla and Jeff pride themselves on offering a range of price points for the products they sell.

“Right now, the issue isn’t trying to find a customer, the issue is trying to find something to sell to the customer,” he says.

“Mid-range tables are kind of what we depend on,” Jeff says. “I haven’t had this happen in a while, but from time to time I would get somebody who would come in and say they wanted to open a pool hall, which can be a $20,000 sale, or someone comes in and is looking for something high end. But I found that most of that stuff doesn’t actually occur. A lot of people talk but they don’t make the purchase. Most of what we make profit on are mid-range Olhausen tables.”

Jeff has a talent for restoring used tables and has made some antique models look brand new. He says he doesn’t often go searching for used tables to buy, and that it’s usually people contacting him that leads to him buying a table. And of course, he applies Franklin Billiard Company’s policy of honesty as he explains to sellers what his cost will be in terms of labor and materials when he brings new life to an old table.

Jeff notes that the store sells up to 20 midrange tables for every person who wants to spend tens of thousands on a table.

“If a customer calls up and they want to sell me a table they have, I usually suggest that they sell it on the internet,

either through Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist,” Jeff says. “I’ll give them a suggestion for what I think they can get for it and then I give them a price that I offer if they still want to sell it to me. And I find that a lot of customers don’t want to mess with it, so even if they can get $400 or $500 more selling it themselves, they decide to sell it to me instead.”

He adds that there was a point where he was getting three or four calls daily from people looking to sell tables.

“If I tried to buy every table somebody tried to sell me, I’d run out of space very quickly,” he says.

CELEBRATING A MILESTONE Darla was in the corporate world until 2018, when the company she worked for was sold. She then joined Franklin Billiard Company full time, leading sales and promoting the store on social media. She also makes sure that each and every customer knows how appreciated they are.

“I’m adamant about sending thankyou notes to people who purchase tables,” Darla says. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a used table or a new table, I thank them for their purchase, because they could have gone to somebody else.

And these are handwritten notes, they’re personalized to them and their table and their situation.”

The store also supports its community by donating cues, dart boards and other items to charity auctions for local churches and advocacy groups that support abused children.

All of that hard work combined with Darla and Jeff Preiss’ dedication to their customers, has led them to 2021, which marks Franklin Billiard Company’s 30th anniversary, and one of the many ways Jeff and Darla balance BCAINSIDER.COM | 31

32 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2021

each other out is that Jeff isn’t the kind of person who sets long-term goals and notes those kind of achievements, while Darla is.

“It’s a milestone, a lot of people don’t make it to five,” Darla says. “Thirty years ago, when we decided to do this, we had friends who said, ‘Are you guys crazy?’ We had just had a child and

bought a house, and we said, ‘We’re just going to do it.’”

They’ve had their share of challenges, such as the construction of a wall on Interstate 44 that blocked the view of the store off the highway, the housing crisis, and now, COVID-19, but they are still in business. In fact, business is as robust as it’s ever been.

“And we’re still surviving, that’s something to be proud of,” Darla says.

“Especially now, there are lots of people who don’t have income or jobs, so we’re blessed – even though things are pretty crazy.”

BCAINSIDER.COM | 33

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SETTING UP AN

INSTAGRAM STORE

By Charles S. Donnavan Online audiences are used to having ads and content thrown at them from every direction and a busy social media feed starts to look like an endless blur of fragmented stories. Fortunately, you can cut through this haze of content with visuals that tell a story in an instant and find success utilizing a dedicated Instagram store, referred to as an Instagram for Business platform.

Plus, Instagram is an ideal platform for billiard and home leisure retailers as it is photo-centric and allows you to post plenty of pictures of your store’s tables and merchandise, along with photos of your customers’ game rooms. If an eagerly awaited new product has finally arrived and is on your shelves, a nice picture of it is sure to entice people to make a visit to your store.

According to recent data by the online platform giant, more than 200 million people visit at least one Instagram business per day, and 60 percent of all users have said they discovered a new product or business on Instagram.

People come to Instagram to be inspired and discover things they care about, and that includes content from brands and businesses, so it’s practically a no-brainer for anyone involved in the billiard industry to create their own Instagram for Business page.

36 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2021

After all, customers need to see your value proposition before they explore it further. The good news is people who follow your content are more receptive to a call-to-action. In fact, 75 percent of users take action, such as visiting a site, shopping, or searching online, after liking a post on Instagram.

Given the amount of time millennials and gen Z’ers spend on Instagram these days – with more than 1 billion active users – not having an Instagram store setup means missing out on a lot of potential leads.

Learning how to set up Instagram for Business is easy, especially if you’re already using Facebook, which many billiard retailers and manufacturers are.

From a business standpoint, Instagram is simpler and less time-consuming than other sites.You can use visual micro-stories to find out what entertains your audience and quickly grow a following.

A few benefits of creating your store include making shopping easier for your target audience, having a more direct approach to marketing products, getting the right products in front of people who intend to make a purchase, and finding new customers who are interested in learning more about the sport of billiards and the products you sell.

The billiard niche can be very casual and glamorous, perfect for the Instagram crowd. Shoot great photos with a fun-loving perspective. You can entertain people’s queries through the platform or direct them to your official customer service channels. Turn on shopping, engage with your customers and tag other businesses, and you should be well on your way to being a top retailer on Instagram.

First off, you need an Instagram business account in order to benefit from the e-commerce features of the platform. You need to supply Instagram with the proper documentation and links to your business and actual shop to convert to a business account.Then, you can upload your product catalog.This works best with a high-quality content plan that can be launched toward your target market on the platform. Connectivity is key.

There’s a certain synergy between social media accounts and your website. Instagram shops get details from Facebook shops.

Make sure you have the latest version of the Instagram app on your phone to ensure you have the Instagram shopping feature.

Here is a guide on how to set up your own Instagram Business account so your customers can find your Instagram store.

In the next edition of BCA Insider we will provide steps on how to enhance your Instagram store with direct Instagram Shopping.

BCAINSIDER.COM | 37

1. COMPLETE THE PROFILE SETUP To finish your profile, enter an email, phone number, and address for your business. You have to fill in at least one of these contact fields to proceed.

Some information will be auto-filled if it already appears on your Facebook page. Click “done,” and go to your profile. A new graph icon should appear at the top of the Instagram app. This is your Insights page, where you can keep track of promotions and engagement stats. At any time, you can go back to the profile page and switch back to a personal account.

2. CREATE A NEW BUSINESS PAGE If you haven’t already created a Facebook business page, you can do this at the same time. When you get the option to choose a page, select “create one” at the bottom of the screen. Set a title for your page, and choose the category that best describes your business. For billiard retailers, “sports” or “local business” will probably work best.

3. EDIT YOUR PROFILE Go back to your profile page, and click “edit your profile.” Here, you can add a photo, bio, and website link. If you switched from a personal account, consider changing the photo, name, and username to reflect your business. Using your brand’s logo and business name makes it easier for customers to find you on Instagram. You can create a logo in minutes if you don’t have a design yet.

The bio field is an opportunity to include some branded language, links, or hashtags in your profile.

4. INVITE CONTACTS TO FOLLOW YOU Take advantage of any work you’ve done to build contacts online. In the settings menu, use the “Invite Facebook friends” option to send a notification to your entire Facebook network, which hopefully will include plenty of past customers you have done business with.You can use the “Invite friends” option to access contacts from other networks, such as Gmail, LinkedIn, Twitter, or Yahoo. The more followers you have, the more it gives your business social media credibility.

38 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2021

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5. FILL IN YOUR GALLERY Start adding photos to your gallery. Some effective options include pictures of pool tables and accessories you sell. Also remember to show off your store and showroom. If you decorate for Valentine’s Day, snap a few photos and post them. Take pictures of your store’s exterior in the morning or during a sunset and post them when you open and close your store. Another great option is to ask customers if they have pictures of their tables and of them playing pool with their family and friends that you can post. The best thing about Instagram is its ability to reinvent old photos by adding filters. Users love the authenticity of the platform, so you don’t need pro skills to tell great stories. Select the kind of products you feel will match the essence of your store. Create a custom landing page that includes your message.

6. BUILD ANTICIPATION AND OFFER EXCLUSIVITY Keeping your customers interested is an essential part of any marketing campaign. Reward your loyal followers with exclusive content and special deals on billiard products. Let them be the first to know about new products, services, or events. Create teaser photos that build anticipation or satisfy curiosity for any new products or events happening at the store. This kind of preview makes your followers feel special and keeps them coming back for more insider information.

7. ANALYZE YOUR SUCCESS AND BUILD ON IT Without taking a step back and analyzing what worked and what didn’t, marketing becomes a guessing game. The truth is, you can read all the articles in the world about the best practices and publishing times, but you will only find out what works for your clients through testing and measuring results.

8. COLLABORATE AND @MENTION OTHERS Instagram is one of the strongest social media channels for highlighting collaborators and sharing customer success stories. Even if you don’t officially partner with a non-profit organization, you can give to charity or do a fundraiser a couple of times a year. It’s all good as long as the cause aligns with your brand values and mission. Take into account that not everyone is monitoring hashtags on social media, so tagging an account is usually a better choice if you want to get noticed.

Instagram may seem intimidating at first, but the short, visual posts make it easy to learn fast and connect frequently with little effort. The most beneficial component of an Instagram store is the frictionless purchasing experience the customer has. A billiard business can inspire and encourage its target audience toward purchasing billiard equipment, and then prevent any regression in their purchasing journey by offering the purchase seamlessly.

40 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2021

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MARKETING IN A

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By Keith Loria Months of social distancing and extended store closures have created a noticeable shift in consumer behaviors. As a result, many billiard retail businesses are struggling and need to adjust and optimize their marketing efforts to this new economic landscape.

Peter Welch, a marketing specialist in Washington, D.C., says your top strategy should be to focus on the customers you already have.

“If your business is struggling to bring in new customers, use this time to focus on the ones you already have or who are still with you despite the challenges,” he says. “Create services and ad campaigns to target their new needs. If you sold them a table, focus on accessories and things that could enhance their game room or man cave.”

Not that you want to give up on trying to attract new business. It’s obviously important to bring in new customers 44 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2021

for your store to be successful. With doors starting to reopen, a great way to get people interested in coming in is by offering exclusive sales promotions or deals, which you can announce and advertise on your social media platforms.

“These kinds of offers will help bring in new customers while also getting old ones interested in coming back,” Welch says. “Discounts, freebies, and similar saving options could be the incentive customers need to invest in you.”

Speaking of social media, Facebook ads are an affordable way for billiard businesses to connect with local customers.

“These can help you showcase any changes you have made to your store or any COVID-19-exclusive discounts or promotions you might be offering,” Welch says. “Online ads have always been engaging, affordable, and well targeted, but now more than ever before, they offer you the ability to truly scale

your business. With Facebook’s granular audience-targeting capabilities, you can reach customers based on gender, location, hobbies and interests, marital status, profession, and the list goes on.”

Try new social media platforms as well.

People are not spending all of their time on just Instagram and Facebook, but migrating to others such as YouTube, Snapchat and Twitter. Be active on as many platforms as possible. The good thing is you don’t have to put a lot of effort into creating content, especially for the individual platform, just redistribute content.

Once you see where the best results are coming from, double your efforts on these sites.

Stephanie Riel, owner of RielDeal Marketing, says it’s important to build a community that respects and trusts you and your store.

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“This has grown in importance through 2020 due to the pandemic where people have been inundated with information,” she says. “People have moved towards shopping within their communities and interacting with conversations more than they are sales pitches. It is far more important now to start a conversation and get involved in local community groups and local threads through social media sites like Twitter at the moment, as opposed to pushing out cold marketing messages when people have faced a particularly difficult year.”

When you do post these messages, keep them short and simple.

“Society has had an entire year of information thrown at them day after day, hour after hour – now is the time to really strip back any of your marketing and make it easily accessible, entertaining and enjoyable,” Riel says. “Let people have some space to relax, keep it casual, avoid the hard sell and they will be more likely to interact with your marketing as a form of escapism.”

THINK DIGITAL For retailers who have an online presence, or are considering doing so in 2021, focus more of your marketing on this segment as people are still wary about going out. Think about it, people are now purchasing cars and homes on-

46 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2021

line, without ever seeing them in-person, so selling a billiard table or some other game room furniture in this way should be easier than ever.

your advertising tech stack is and how the entirety of the measurements over the entirety of your missions – paid media, occasions, online media – work.”

“Think of how your business is creating a digital experience to provide your potential customers value, without needing to be in-store,” Riel says. “If COVID has shown us anything, it’s that the way consumers shop has accelerated to online/digital experiences, rather than in-store.”

Another suggestion Keever makes is to take personalization and commitment to the next level by coordinating the different touch focuses that your clients may use to cooperate with your business.

Retailers going this route should embrace video in their marketing.

“Video is a powerful communication tool. With many preferring to shop online instead of visiting a storefront, video is a great tool for you to showcase your new inventory and options in a safe way,” Riel says. “Leverage social media and your website to showcase product features and benefits with video to help you communicate product features and benefits to the audience.”

Scott Keever, founder and CEO of a digital marketing agency, notes the fate of marketing for a post-COVID world relies somewhat on having your computerized advertising housed all together.

“Advanced necessities will move drastically in the new truth of a pandemic-conceivable world,” he says. “You will have to profoundly comprehend what

BRINGING PEOPLE BACK For those who are maintaining a traditional retail brick-and-mortar presence, the marketing focus should be to communicate how you are keeping your customers safe.

“Use tools like social media, your email marketing campaigns and website to provide information on COVID protocols and the measures you are taking to ensure the safety of your patrons who visit in-store,” Riel says. “It’s important to communicate any updates and changes to hours, too.”

Laurie Gelb, a Seattle marketing researcher, strategist and content developer, sees consumers making a gradual transition from cocooning to shopping regularly in stores again.

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Here are some marketing angles to bring people back once things start to get back to normal:

1

Implement top tier cleanliness and sanitary requirements and promote on social media with beautiful and savvy content. This will instill confidence in people who want to go out to your billiard store.

“It will not be smooth, there will be stops, starts and outbreaks, and in addition to vaccine supply concerns, many people will be hanging back from vaccination pending cultural shifts and peer reviews,” she says. “Moreover, masks are needed at least a couple of months past someone’s first injection, and we don’t yet know if asymptomatic transmission will be possible post-vaccination.”

Thus, a marketing through line will be important. By reaching out to customers who want to improve their game and create fun activities for the home, you will find more people buying from your store.

“Core messaging can reflect that continued caution allows for perfecting your game at home, while the aspiration is ultimately heading out, safely, to a bar or pool hall where you can amaze and shark your friends/pool buddies with how much you’ve improved,” Gelb says. “With so many jobs lost and business revenues down, mindful spending will be the theme for the foreseeable 48 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2021

future. Customers will want to feel they are spending smart and investing in lifestyle.”

She suggests teaming with other local businesses who you can create a package around. For example, teaming with a local billiard expert who can offer Zoom lessons to customers who buy cues or other products from your store, or a pool hall that will offer discounts to anyone who comes in to play with equipment purchased at your shop.

Don’t give up on your usual marketing measures either. If you found success with email campaigns, direct mail or just advertising on local TV, radio or the press, stick to those as well and remind people you’re still here for their billiard needs.

Eventually, things will get back to almost normal and customers will be back in the stores, so you just need to keep your retail store top of mind while they are away.

2

Instagram and Facebook live stream billiard nights and events for people who want to stay home but want something to do. This can help grow your social reach and followers, thus creating more interest in the sport and your retail store.

3

Bring the games and business outside to the parking lot (where it’s not freezing of course) and promote on social media with great visual campaign.

4 5

Add a charity component or fundraiser to get people thinking about your store and the good you do for the community.

Run a giveaway and contest. To enter, people need to prove they’ve had the COVID-19 vaccine and shop inperson at the store.

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OUR MUSE, WALTER TEVIS

By Jason A. Moss

In the hallowed halls of competitive, individual, indoor sports, the name Walter Tevis should be engraved and canonized in more than just the BCA Hall of Fame.

Mr. Tevis, who died 36 years ago, was an American novelist and short story writer. And while his corpus was limited with just six novels, the adaptations of half of those novels into movies have had a profound cultural and economic impact on the sports he described.

Mr. Tevis first became famous in 1961 when his novel, The Hustler, published two years prior, became the basis for the award-winning film of the same name.

The movie The Hustler not only amassed glorious critical reviews, but also resuscitated the billiard industry. Interest and participation in the sport skyrocketed.

Allegedly, the number of pool rooms shot up from 4,000 to 19,000 in just five years; organized billiards boomed; and television sports first began to cover straight pool matches.

That kind of impact was unprecedented, but it turned out not to be unique.

Fast-forward a quarter century and Mr. Tevis’ sixth novel, The Color of Money, a sequel to The Hustler, was adapted into a movie of the same name by director Martin Scorsese in 1986. And, once again, the billiard industry got its jumpstart, albeit not at the same exponential level. Sales of pool tables and cue sticks rose. According to global research firm AC Nielsen, the number of billiard players increased from 30 million to 35 million, and the sport attracted a more upscale demographic.

However, it was Mr. Tevis’ posthumous third act – the adaptation of his 1983 novel The Queen’s Gambit into a 50 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2021

seven-episode miniseries of the same name on Netflix in 2020 – that broke all the records. This time, it was not for billiards, but for another sport that is more sedentary, more dilatory, and more cerebral. That sport was chess.

Queen’s Gambit, ensured the creators avoided pitfalls of past films, including unrealistic movements and blatant transgressions, such as boards oriented incorrectly. Real matches were often the basis for those in the series.

Sixty-two million households watched The Queen’s Gambit in its first 28 days, making it Netflix’s most-watched limited series ever. Google search queries for “how to play chess” hit a nine-year all-time high. Inquiries for “chess set” increased 250 percent on eBay. U.S. sales of chess sets increased 125 percent. New players on Chess.com increased five-fold. Unsurprisingly, Tevis’ novel is now a New York Times bestseller…37 years after its initial publication!

Tension was created, precisely by investing in the nuances of the game, rather than skipping to the flash (the equivalent of the deplorable overreliance on trick shots in billiard films).

And, the characters, from the protagonist Beth Harmon to the supporting cast to the Russian nemeses, were complex, not two-dimensional cut-outs. Of course, it also helped that The Queen’s Gambit was about seven hours in length and released during a pandemic.

Certainly, The Queen’s Gambit is not the first film about chess. The game has attracted moviegoers since Robert Paul created A Chess Dispute in 1903. Over the past century, prominent directors and actors have attached their names to chess films, from Ingmar Bergman (The Seventh Seal) and Catherine Deneuve (The Chess Game) to Samuel L. Jackson (Fresh) and Ben Kingsley (Searching for Bobby Fischer).

Yet, none of those movies remotely had an impact on the industry as comparable to The Queen’s Gambit. Why did this show about an orphaned girl who becomes one of the top chess players in the world, despite her addiction to pills and alcohol, reach No. 1 on Netflix in 63 countries?

One reason is the series’ respect for the sport of chess. Former world champion Garry Kasparov, a consultant to The

I’m thrilled by the success of The Queen’s Gambit, but I can’t help wishing Mr. Tevis’ hat trick had culminated with one more adrenaline shot to the billiard industry. Since The Color of Money, billiards has not fared well on the silver screen, and its popularity among younger players is waning.

The Queen’s Gambit proves you don’t need an A-list actor, an exorbitant budget, a screenplay based on a best seller, or a prolonged marketing campaign to create high-quality viewing.

Most importantly, you don’t need to dumb down the sport or reduce it to stereotypes and caricatures. If we can avoid these lazy cinematic tropes in future billiard films, that’s a gambit worth taking.

Jason Moss is author of “8 Ball on the Silver Screen” (www.billiardsmovies.com), a blog dedicated to the portrayal of billiards in film and television.

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THE BREAK AND RUN PREMIER JUNIOR INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM OFFERS: ā Free coaching/instruction to youth nationwide. ā On-going, individualized instruction tailored to junior players at all ages and skill levels. ā Structured instruction at no cost to junior players who wish to play competitively.

ā Support to local coaches and instructors of players who are playing, or wish to play, at a competitive level. ā Training materials, regular feedback and assessments of participant progress. ā Regular instruction in person or via video exchange, such as Facetime or Skype interaction.

PBIA instructors associated with this program do so as a service to the PBIA and in furtherment of the sport. They receive no compensation for their participation. Each instructor has gone through extensive training and has a verified background check to participate.

If you are a junior player interested in this program, please email questions to rob@pbia-instructor.com.

TOGETHER

AGAIN

JULY 28-30, 2021 SOUTH POINT HOTEL, CASINO & CONVENTION CENTER LAS VEGAS

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