Todd Monk can shoot some stick. He's sort of the Fast Eddie of Pleasure Island, you might say. The Orange Beach, Ala., man has made his way across the Southeast — from Austin, Texas to Pensacola — developing his billiards game over the years. Now, Monk has taken his love of billiards and opened up Billiards Outlet at Tanger Outlet in Foley, Ala.
Steven Driver was beaming at the array of cues on a recent weekend afternoon.
"This is a pretty cool shop for Foley. Pool isn't as big in Pensacola and this area as it is in say, Mobile, where there are a couple of major pool halls," said Driver, an avid pool player who can be found at a pool table on any given night practicing his stroke. "I think this store is going to help bring serious pool and the players to the area."
Billiards Outlet was the vision of Monk, who has a large showroom at Tanger Outlet, and opened in late 2010. The showroom features several pool tables, pool cues, balls, chalk and even some whimsical paintings of scenes with billiards themes. Monk is trying to bring pool to Baldwin County not through a bar, but in a legitimate pool hall where players can compete on full-size, professional tables in a clean environment.
"A lot of movies like 'The Color of Money' give pool a back alley kind feel and can be seen as shady to some. People around here don't say, 'hey, let's go play pool, unless they're at a bar.' I'd like to bring pool here like it is in other parts of the country: where it's clean and it's all about pool," Monk said. "I hope to start that with this showroom. Then, I've got other plans to bring pool to the area."
Part of his plan is to open a professional pool hall in Foley with leagues, competitions, and tournaments where skilled players and novices at all ages can enjoy the sport that does well in the Northeast and other parts of the country. Monk hopes to open in the next month or so.
The shop itself stocks all the major names in billiards, including Joss, Brunswick, and Joe Porper tools. Now, be warned that the pool cues will set you back, but the sticks are the best of the best. Expect to pay from $200 to as high as $2,500 for a collectors stick. Billiards Outlet and Monk's vision of bringing serious billiards to the region is a good start to a sport that only now can be enjoyed at your local bar, so look out Fast Eddie Felson!
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