CREATING A COUPLE CAVE

By Keith Loria

Ever since the pandemic reared its ugly head, there’s been a rise in man caves and she sheds, as people spent almost all their time at home and needed a place to relax and clear their heads as they enjoyed some alone time.

But another sort of game room became popular during this time – the couple cave – a place where a man, woman and even the kids could go to have fun, whether by playing pool, shuffleboard, or pinball, or enjoying a home theater system with luxury seating.

While the traditional man cave used to be an oasis filled with things that just the man of the relationship would typically enjoy, and she sheds were the same thing but for women, there are now more rooms designed to be an oasis for both people together. There is less of a divide between what the man or woman wants, rather they create a space full of the comfort and items that the couple specifically enjoys together.

“There’s definitely a growing interest in creating spaces for couples and families,” says Steven Roeder of Blatt Billiards. “The pandemic has certainly caused an uptick in demand for these spaces as more people have been spending time at home with family and friends instead of going out.”

Family bonding time is becoming more personal and intimate, so creating spaces for expression within the home is building better relationships and encouraging interest in activities that can turn into hobbies and passions. Getting everyone’s input when you have a family may mean studying the interests that can be incorporated into a seamless theme for a cave.

Rachel Schmidt, purchasing manager for A.E. Schmidt Billiards in St. Louis, Missouri, believes these sort of couple caves are growing in popularity because more people are working from home now and they want a space that is separate from their home office to relax and recharge.

“The key for the perfect cave is allowing both sides to have input of what goes into the space,” she says. “If one person is set on having a pool table in the space, let the other person pick out the design and finishing options.”

Taylor Christie of Warwick, Rhode Island-based D&L Billiards, notes more families are looking to do things at home rather than be out and about, so there’s an opportunity to create entertainment spaces at home that would in the past be something people could leave the house to do.

“I think pocket billiards has begun to evolve into a family game again as it was years ago, leading to more interest in a specific space for family recreation,” Christie says. “Now that the pool table is becoming a centerpiece of living spaces, and more conveniently located in the home for more use, style and function have become more important than ever. Quality build and unique table designs are more popular and in demand than ever before.”

Chris Shanklin, owner of Chesapeake Billiards in Parkville, Maryland, has never had a female customer ask about her she shed, but does get a lot of women purchasing tables for their husbands’ man caves, and can see the trend of more couple’s caves coming about.

“Since the pandemic started, we have seen a tremendous increase in families looking to stay home or finding a game that doesn't involve a TV screen,” he says. “Everyone is home, or is able to work from home, so they see the need to use their space at home for entertainment.

Filling It Up

Even though people have gotten back to a more normal life, there still seems to be fewer and fewer places for people to get together in public spaces, and thus crafting a space for everyone to come together at home has become more popular.

While a man cave may include a lot of sports collectibles and movie posters, the couple caves are more about the games inside than the decorations and collectables. Pinball machines, pool tables, basketball shooting games and shuffleboard tables have become increasingly popular over the years.

“When creating a cave for couples it’s important to make sure there are aspects that cater to both partners’ interests as well as things they have mutual interest in,” Roeder says.

When choosing activities to incorporate into a couple’s cave, it’s important to get everyone’s take on the topic and add their favorite parts to the cave.

“If you dedicate the cave to movies, create a shelf with everyone’s faves and let everyone get a chance to watch their favorite movie with their favorite people,” Roeder says. “Couple bonding can be boosted the old-fashioned way with board games and card games; the other option is going full digital and purchasing gaming consoles such as Xbox with VR or two-player mechanisms.”

He recommends one of Blatt Billiards’ Dresden Board Game Tables as being a great addition for any cave.

“Everyone loves board games, and there are plenty of two-player board games for couples to enjoy together,” Roeder says. “It’s important to have comfortable seating and relaxing lighting. Ideally you want a space that is as stress-free as possible.”

Homer Brown, owner of Birmingham, Alabama-based BumperNets, notes table tennis is a great sport for couples and families and is a perfect game for couple caves. The store also carries collegiate signage and dart boards that are popular for these sort of spaces in the home.

“Setting up a dart section is a great idea for the game room,” he says. “We are seeing a lot of ladies coming in and buying darts. They come in different colors and shafts and there are high-end and inexpensive models, and we even offer lessons.”

At D&L Billiards, Simonis cloth has been more popular than ever, even for just recreational use, mostly due to the desire to have the “pool hall” quality playing experience right at home.

For instance, at Blatt Billiards, the store focuses on how playing board games can bring families together.

“Our board game table can double as a dining table, so it is a natural fit in many homes and solves a big problem for families lacking in space,” Roeder says.

Another tip Brown offers is if someone is buying something – say an arcade game or pinball machine – he suggests they buy two (old and new) so that both can play at the same time.

Don’t market in ways that are specifically masculine or feminine. Instead, keep your marketing neutral or combine masculine/feminine phrasing.

“Since Simonis has blossomed in popularity, so has the need for a quality Belgian ball,” Christie says. “The combination of high-quality cloth and a superior phenolic ball makes for an exceptional playing experience.”

Shanklin has noticed that when men and women compromise, the sale happens faster and they both are happier by the end of the transaction, so the products he recommends are things both are interested in.

Schmidt feels the best gaming equipment for couples is something that multiple people could be playing at once and suggests a pool table and conversion top so you get more than one option without taking up a ton of space.

“We normally suggest accessories like cues to couples, which has to do with the customizable appeal to an item,” she says. “Each person is different on the type of cue they like, so this way they can customize the weight and color to their preference.”

Marketing Matters

Retailers should be thinking of ways to market items for couple caves so that both men and women are interested in what they are seeing.

“A lot of the ladies are the decision makers and the ones who come in and buy,” Brown says. “Getting them involved is really important.”

It’s all about compromise when marketing to couples.

“There are so many times we have customers say their partner will let them have a pool table, but they don’t want it to look like a traditional pool table,” she says. “This is where marketing the product as highly customizable helps a lot. Also, marketing your product as something everyone in the family can play and enjoy is a great idea, too.”

Being a sport where all levels can play, and a way to transform an unused space into an entertaining part of the home, D&L Billiards always highlights that a pool table is the perfect addition for any sort of couple cave through social media and other means.

The idea of the couple cave is only going to get stronger so billiard retailers should strike while the iron is hot and get people thinking about the best ways to make these rooms the most exciting ones in the home.