Wilcox was a regular, and he and DeSantis are friends. "It's one of the nicest pool halls in town – not because it's the biggest, but because it's more of a true pool hall where they have a nice, perfectly-sized tournament," he said. "It's nice people. Owner Brian DeSantis said his business is currently closed and is struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic.īefore the pandemic began, Kolby's Corner Pocket Billiards was Dan Wilcox's favorite pool hall in the Tempe area. "I know it's a dire situation, people are getting sick," DeSantis said. "But if the government wants to shut things down again, why not shut down everything? Why let certain businesses be open and leave others out to dry?" Fighting for Kolby'sĬustomers play pool at Kolby's Corner Pocket Billiards. He said he doesn't understand why some businesses have to close while others are able to continue operating. "There's no activity on Mill Avenue, and it was just the busiest time of the year out here." "You drive around, and it's depressing," he said. In his building, five businesses are currently shut down, including a gym and a yoga studio. I get a little emotional about it."ĭeSantis also feels for other small business owners. "I worked here 10 years and this place has never closed for a full day. "I don’t get to defer the sales we lost," he said. Still, in the course of six months, he said, his business has lost about $120,000 in revenue. "After working for minimum wage for two years to pay this place off, I'm in more debt than when I started," he said.ĭeSantis considered applying for the payroll protection loan program, but he said he has few employees and they could make more money going on unemployment than the program would provide.ĭeSantis said his landlord has offered to defer the rent he owes and he has been working with the utility companies to manage payments. He was making payments every month.īut now, his bank account is in the negative, and DeSantis is balancing the loan with $7,000 per month in rent and other business expenses. If it weren't for the pandemic, DeSantis said his loan would already be paid off. In the process, he took out a $150,000 loan, which he is still repaying. In 2018, DeSantis took full ownership of the business. “I like the culture of it," DeSantis said. "I spend hours at work all day, but it’s not like work – I’m hanging out with people I’ve known for 10 years, hanging out at the pool hall all day. He said he "fell in love" with the place, which was founded in the late 1980s and has changed hands multiple times over the years. He worked his way up, and eventually scraped together enough money to become a partner in the business with one of its owners. "The owner said, 'You want to start cooking?' and my training was basically there’s the grill, there’s the menu, start cooking."Įver since, DeSantis has worked at the pool hall. "I'd help out a little bit and then somebody quit on a big tournament day," DeSantis said. He was a broke college student at Maricopa Community College, and he offered to vacuum pool tables in exchange for free playing time.Įventually, a kitchen employee quit. From free table time to ownerĭeSantis first stepped foot into Kolby's Corner Pocket Billiards in 2008. "I went from things are doing alright to being shut down in March," he said. "And things just died for us.”įor more stories that matter, subscribe to. But the guys at the (Department of Liquor) said a pool hall is a bar, no matter what, so we can’t be open.”Īs DeSantis waits to reopen for a second time, his bills are piling up and he is becoming increasingly worried about the future of his business. "Our pool time is our primary business," DeSantis said. "We’re selling pool time. Doug Ducey ordered all bars, gyms and theaters to close, putting the pool hall, which serves wine and beer under a series 7 liquor license, in an uncertain position.ĭeSantis said he contacted the Department of Liquor for guidance after he found out about Ducey's executive order. The business reopened in May, and for a few weeks operated with measures in place to encourage social distancing. When COVID-19 cases first began appearing in Arizona, DeSantis shut down his pool hall. “I was so far into it, there was no option for it to fail," DeSantis said. "I worked every day, and finally things were taking off.”
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