The Home Billiards Room Series Number 1 - The Barber Shop

There are many, many billiard taverns and halls in history that are unique in their decor, and have a history in their very stones of the people who played in them.  However, the intrigue of a billiard room is not limited to the places out on Main Street, and for many players, creating their own billiard rooms based on their lives, experiences, and tastes carries just as much art and history as the places of yesteryear.

In a new series of articles and profiles, we will look at players who have created home billiard rooms that in many cases, stand out as shrines to the players themselves, and to the great diversity of the game of pool.

Frank Almanza - The Barber

Frank hails from Upland, Ca, and has lived in the Southern California region most of his life... minus a few years in San Francisco.  In Frank's earlier days he would travel all around the country, playing some of the great players of the time.  As he has settled down from that life in the fast lane, Frank still enjoys playing locally, and on occasion, will travel to out of state events.

Frank is going to give us a view of his home billiard room here in his own words.

My name is Frank Almanza and I have been playing pool for about 55 years. I was a barber in the very early 1960's but found that I could make more money playing pool on my days off then I could make all week barbering. The nickname "Frank the Barber" was put on me and it has stuck for all these years. I have traveled all around the country and mostly undercover, I played most of the top players of that time and have become good friends with many of them.

The theme in my room was set by the Brunswick Centennial table that was introduced in 1945 for their 100 years in business. It was in the area of art deco, showcasing a lot of chrome and polished aluminum. I tried to put all original items in my room whenever I could. A custom overhead light was built to match the table. I built a drawer on the table for accessories with a polished metal front to blend with the polished aluminum skirts of the table.

One corner of my room has pictures of my favorite player Willie Mosconi, lit up by an antique chrome wall sconce and a barber chair from that time period. Also on that wall I have a digital score keeper that I specifically designed and built for straight pool, my favorite game, but can be used to score any other game. It uses either manual or remote control operation. The housing for the score keeper is metal with chrome to match its surroundings.

Another wall is a tribute to The Hustler and The Color of Money. One picture was specially made to blend two scenes from each movie going from color to black and white with me coming into the room with cue in hand. Also in this corner I have a cocktail table built with what I believe to be a set of large elephant balls, a cue ball and large rack. They are set under a lit glass top. That corner is highlighted with a barber pole also from that time period.

Anther corner of the room has a replica of a Rock-ola bubbler juke box that plays cd's, along with unique one of a kind satellite speakers. This corner also has a working pay telephone and a neon clock from that era.

The room has a fireplace filled with glass rocks to filter the flame and give gentle warmth on cool days. Above the fireplace is an original Artisan House sculpture titled The Hustle, made in cast metal.

Also in the room there is an upright ash tray from the 1930's that I converted into a cue rack. It is chrome with lights coming through onyx like glass. On both side of the cue rack are two spectator chairs from the 1930's.

So you see the theme is a mixture of art deco and barbering.

Frank Almanza has been involved in the game of billiards for nearly 50 years and has won many titles in his career including the Pacific Coast Championship and has also captained two teams to the McDermott National Eight Ball Championship in the early nineties.

These days outside of playing the game, the Barber is a mentor and gives his insight and experience to many through billiard forums and the occasional blogs.  He also is a consultant for a billiard company called:  Pool Cue Warehouse

Frank Almanza is one of the great players and characters in the game of billiards that lives the transition between players of the past and present.  We wish to thank The Barber for his time and support in this series on Home Billiard Rooms, and hope for continued success in all his future endeavors in the sport and in his life.