Large new pool hall, bar to open near Ninth and Iowa; national jewelry store chain opening store in south Lawrence

There’s a new business opening in Lawrence where I can resume my imitations of Minnesota Fats, and no — put your bibs away — it is not a grand all-you-can eat buffet. Instead, it is a grand pool hall.

A pair of Lawrence businessmen are opening Empire Bar & Billiards near Ninth and Iowa streets. Chad Landis and his business partner, Cody Henry, have signed a lease for the space that previously was home to The Pool Room.

Landis and Henry were longtime managers at Lawrence’s other long-standing pool hall, Astros, which is near Sixth and Kasold.

“We will try to be a little bit more upscale than the previous room,” Landis said. “We’ll have lots of craft beers and high-end bourbons and whiskeys.”

Landis estimated the establishment will carry about 40 import and craft beers, plus a large selection of bourbons, ryes and whiskeys.

There also will be plenty of pool. Landis has been one of the chief organizers of pool leagues and tournaments in the city for years. He said Empire will feature 16 coin-operated tables that will play for 50 cents a game, and one nine-foot table that can be rented by the hour. Plans call for eight-ball and nine-ball leagues, and tournaments on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

“We want to walk that fine line between running a real pool hall and being a bar where anybody can come in and feel comfortable,” Landis said.

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Landis and Henry have spent the last several weeks cleaning and renovating the former Pool Room space. The space is one of the larger bars in town at about 10,000 square feet. Landis said Empire currently is not using the large back room of the business, but may consider using it for banquet or event space. The business also isn’t yet using the kitchen that came with the space, although Landis said the business hopes to expand into the food business at some point.

Landis was a manager at Astros for about 15 years, and Henry worked at the pool hall for about seven years. Landis said he decided he wanted to have his own establishment, and the opportunity arose after The Pool Room went out of business after about 25 years in operation.

For those of you who don’t remember where The Pool Room was, it was right behind The Merc. (I once tried to do an imitation of Douglas County Slim by taking my Merc-bought organic carrots and kale and running a few racks of nine-ball at The Pool Room, but that didn’t go so well.) For those of you who like actual addresses, the business is at 925 Iowa St., Suite P.

Landis said the business hopes to have a soft opening today.

In other news and notes from around town:

• Whenever I try to imitate Minnesota Fats at a pool hall, one of two things usually happens: 1. I win some money, come home late, and then must go to a jewelry store and spend a good amount of money. 2. I lose some money, come home late and then must go to a jewelry store and spend a great amount of money.

Well, good news, there’s a new jewelry store opening on south Iowa Street. Signs are advertising that Kay Jewelers will open in the space previously occupied by RadioShack at 3221 Iowa St. That’s the strip center right in front of SuperTarget.

Kay currently doesn’t operate a store in Lawrence, but the national chain has us surrounded. The company has locations in the Legends, Oak Park Mall, The Plaza, Zona Rosa, Westridge Mall in Topeka and a couple other locations in the Kansas City metro area.

According to its web site, Kay Jewelers has about 900 stores across the country, and is part of the larger Signet Jewelers, which bills itself as the largest specialty retail jeweler in the world.

No word yet on when the store may open, but renovation work appears to be underway.