Rochelle Stephens racks billiard balls in a triangle, stands at the corner of the pool table, and takes aim with her cue stick. With a solid crack, she sends the cue ball toward the center of the pool table and colors break out in all different directions. Feb. 25 was her first time playing pool at Cue Ball, a new pool hall on Ocean Avenue in Lompoc.
Since owner Clifford Kiser opened the hall in late November 2014, its popularity has grown among Lompoc’s youth and billiard players. Three months later, he’s holding tournaments for players visiting from other counties. On Feb. 22, Kiser held the grand opening for his new business with an 8-ball tournament that lasted all night.
Kiser moved to Lompoc with his mother from Salem, Ore., in May 2014. It was the small-town life that attracted him the most. But he noticed a lack of recreational activities for local youth to participate in. He said Cue Ball helps keeps kids out of trouble.
“Since the theater closed down, it’s really the only thing as recreation goes around here except for skateboarding, bike riding, and soccer,” Kiser said.
Cue Ball’s not Kiser’s first enterprise; he’s owned several businesses, including a janitorial business he ran for 35 years. Now he’s attracting pool sharks from around southern California. Kiser said a couple of players from Anaheim came up to shoot a few balls, and told him the place was “dirt cheap.” Kiser said the prices are definitely intended it to be that way.
After arriving in Lompoc, he took a motorcycle up to Pismo Beach with a friend to shoot some pool at a local place. Two hours of pool and two beers later, Kiser ended up shelling out more than $50.
“I couldn’t believe the exorbitant prices!” Kiser said, also noting that pool halls are hard to come by in the area, which also played into his decision to open Cue Ball. “It was a great ride over there but I couldn’t believe it was 50 miles to play pool.”
Cue Ball holds eight, 8-foot long regulation Tiburon tables. Kiser also has a wide selection of pool accessories and cue sticks. An Internet jukebox, a snack bar, and a beer cooler are at the ready, and the deals are plentiful.
Kiser offers host to free pool on Tuesday afternoons between 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. for kids ages 14 to 17. On Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m., if you buy two beers, you get to play for free. Regular pool play ranges from $5 per hour to $11 per hour, depending on how many people are playing.
Kiser also plays host to regular league play on Tuesday evenings and said his pool hall already has two teams that compete across the Central Coast. Don’t know how to play, but want to learn? Kiser offers free lessons for novices.
So far, Lompoc’s been good to Kiser and he thinks the Cue Ball pool hall will be sticking around for awhile.
“I think it’ll do great,” he said. “I already have an established clientele. Once that happens, you have your foot in the door.”
Cue Ball is located at 816 E. Ocean Ave. in Lompoc. For more information on table rates, call 250-6181, visit the website cueball-lompoc.com, or follow Cue Ball on Twitter @Cueball_Lompoc.
Biz Highlights
Now Santa Barbara County customers with United Healthcare can pay their medical bills with their smart phones. The nation’s largest health company launched Health4Me, a free mobile app that’s available for anyone with an iPhone or Android smart phones. The app will also enable customers to manage their claims, monitor medical expenses and track physical activity. The app is available for free in the iTunes and Google Play stores online.
Staff Writer David Minsky wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, email, or mail.
This article appears in Mar 5-12, 2015.