As a residential home building contractor and carpenter, Walter Kelley of Hallsville, Texas fell in love with the game as a teenager and started doing minor cue repair work around 1985. While his cue repair business grew, Walter opened Ace High Billiards in 1987—a retailer of supplies and accessories to support his local community of players and leagues. By 2008, Ace High Billiards added a virtual storefront and now has a complete online catalog of offerings. After doing repa

Every player would agree that pool needs all the help it can get. From manufacturers to retailers, from leagues to professional players—everyone talks, few take action. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Emily Duddy, WPBA’s 2010 Rookie of the Year and an enthusiastic ambassador for our sport. She frequents tournaments and events as much as she’s on social media promoting and supporting her sponsors. Keep your eye out for more to come from Emily Duddy!” Q: Where are y

Meet John Tidd. It is always inspiring to hear the successes where opportunity meets hard work. In an industry where it is commonly heard and feared for the lack of interest and growth, John Tidd of Crown Billiard Supply, found such an opportunity. His story is not unlike yours or mine—the colorful balls rolling and bouncing from one end to another, that unique sound of cue hitting cue ball and of course the satisfaction of pocketing balls—envelops you and you fall in love.

If you frequent the national and regional league scene and the annual Super Billiards Expo, there’s a cue repair vendor that is highly regarded as one of the best in the business—Joe Blackburn. At these events, Joe is never too far from his work companion, Steve Lomax of Lomax Custom Cues. The duo has garnered high respect from both players and fellow cue makers alike. Steve’s story is not too unfamiliar but a success story nonetheless: Devout player has his cue retipped at a