“ I DEFINITELY WANT TO PASS IT ON TO THE KIDS … I WANT IT TO LAST FOREVER.

we definitely had to educate ourselves. We’re selling tons of cues, our clients who come in for those know what they want and they know what they’re talking about. We had to invest in pool cue lathes and things like that to amplify that part of the business.”

A Stellar Reputation

Henderson is so renowned throughout the billiard industry that companies often reach out to him for feedback on products. For example, a company may have a new product, but its team doesn’t like the way it goes together, so they will send him pictures of the product and ask him for his opinions.

“That’s part of the reason he has such a good relationship with these companies,” Brice says.

Henderson’s relationship with Brunswick also includes his designing a table for the company, called the Henderson. He also sits on Brunswick’s DAC Board.

“That’s a pretty important position for me, because we help decide what the new product lines are going to be for the next year, or what renderings we want to go with,” he says. “It’s a pretty big deal because there are 300-plus dealers and they pick just eight to sit on the Board. It’s definitely a privilege for me.”

Overcoming Challenges

The story of Prestige Billiards is one of perseverance. Over the years, Henderson and Brice have dealt with a recession, a pandemic, and now, an era of tremendous inflation. But their expertise has helped them to succeed. Henderson said one challenge he faces these days is the difficulty with keeping employees on board. He said that when Prestige Billiards posts job listings, they get few applicants, even though they are offering an hourly wage of $18.

“You think someone would call, but it’s like crickets,” he says. “We can’t really take on more work and that’s been a bummer, too, because customers we’ve sold tables to, who need service, we can’t get to them in time and they call somebody else.”

Arizona And Beyond

In addition to establishing a successful business in Arizona, Henderson and Brice have also made a name for themselves in the community by donating games for an annual contest held by local radio station 98KUPD. They also make personal donations to various causes in their community.

And Prestige Billiards’ reach expands beyond the areas of Scottsdale and Mesa.

“With our online presence, we definitely grab everywhere in Arizona, and we also have customers outside Arizona,” Brice says. “With the internet, we’re able to capture sales across the country, and that’s been like having multiple stores. Sometimes our online sales top our stores 10 to 1.”

As for future plans, Henderson said that while it wasn’t his goal, Prestige Billiards is dominating Arizona, and that he would like to build on that.

“We definitely want to keep that position,” he says. “If we can get a couple of more stores, I think we’ll have Arizona locked down for a while.”

And while Prestige Billiards is Henderson’s creation and is not a business that has been passed on from generation to generation, he would like it to become that, as he hopes that one day, he and Brice’s kids, Collin, Jace, Kevin, and Presley, one day run Prestige Billiards.

“I definitely want to pass it on to the kids and make it an heirloom,” he says. “I want it to last forever.”