If These Tables Could Talk: Boston Billiard Emporium

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The showroom at Boston Billiard Emporium

走进 Boston Billiard Emporium is like stepping back in time. Inside the Somerville showroom, which has been in business since 1972, is a far-reaching lair comprised of antique 和 used tables, 复制品, new billiard tables 和 accessories. 

Owner Stephen Kelly is doing his part to keep the lost art alive. He started working for Boston Billiard Emporium in high school in 1975, when he was hired to haul tables out of a poolroom in the Combat Zone, 和 carry 300-pound slates, with the help of a few others, 去商店. 

Owner Stephen Kelly of Boston Billiard Emporium

Owner Stephen Kelly

Kelly bought the company in 1979 和 changed the business trajectory, turning his attention to restoring antique tables 和 refinishing used ones. He has made a career of coaxing the intricate inlays, 喷码, 和 rich wood detailing from these prized tables 和 returning them to their original luster. 

While “the market for antique tables is depressed right now,凯利说。, they are more than deserving of attention—和 respect. These tables—from the likes of Brunswick, The John N. Reiger Company Boston 和 J.E. 来了 & Co. Boston—are impeccably built, with quality you don't see today. “You could buy a table from 1860 和, 一旦恢复, it is going to last another 160 years,凯利说。. Kelly 和 his restoration staff don’t just scratch the surface. Theirs is painstaking work that unfolds over months, where they remove dirt 和 years of unwanted layers that hide the original finish, 和, 通常, exquisite design detailing.

Restored tables at Boston Billiard Emporium

During these unprecedented times, when people are turning to their own homes for recreation, Boston Billiard Emporium has been selling a lot of new tables, 和 repairing used ones. An immaculate shop in the back of the establishment has tables in various stages of repair. “If something is broken, like a rail or a piece of a table leg, we’ll make the piece ourselves,凯利说。, “和 we’ll be sensitive to the species of wood (from maple 和 ash to mahogany 和 walnut) 和 the structure.” Boston Billiard Emporium will also fixes cloths, rails, silk 和 cording, pockets 和 more.

Billiard table restoration at Boston Billiard Emporium

Kelly has a wealth of knowledge, 和 is happy to share his passion for the game 和 its wares. His wisdom spans the ages. 在我们访问期间, he showed us a mace (the cue-stick’s predecessor) that hails from the late 1700s, 和 informed us that homeowners today can transform their billiard table into a dining table if they’re short on living space. We were even schooled on the differences between 直池, 台球, 池 or Pocket Billiards 和 斯诺克. Head in to discover Boston Billiard Emporium for yourself—it is a one-of-kind business 和 a New Engl和 gem. 

名字里有什么? 
There are different games 和 different tables for cue sports…. 

直池—“This is the main pool game you can play,凯利说。, “where you rack up the 15 balls 和 shoot any ball you want.” You get a point for any ball you put in. If you’re a professional player 和 can control the cue ball, you can make quite a run. “Willie Mosconi holds the world record for putting in 526 balls without missing,” notes Kelly.

台球—“This game is what most people think of as billiards,凯利说。, 和 uses a cloth-covered table with no pockets. The balls have to “carom” (meaning to strike or to glance) off the rails 和 one another to score points.

池—This is an American game that uses pockets, aptly called Pocket Billiards. “Pocket billiard tables are what most people would call pool tables,凯利说。.

斯诺克-在加拿大很流行, Engl和 和 Irel和, 斯诺克 uses a larger table at 6 X 12 feet 和 has smaller balls 和 pockets than what we see here in the U.S. 

 Boston Billiard Emporium, located at 343 Medford St., in Somerville, is primarily open by appointment, call 617-702-4074 or visit bostonbilliards.网 了解更多.

Photography by Warren Patterson