Community
26 November, 2023
Last break for Billiard Empire after 40 years of play
AFTER 40 years crafting the highest quality billiards tables for pubs, hotels, amateur and professional players across Australia, Tom and Cheryl Bouchier, the owners of Billiards Empire, are closing their doors.
The largest billiards table manufacturer in the Far North, Billiard Empire will open for the last time on Friday, December 1.
“We arrived at this venue in Bungalow on December 1, 1990, and exactly 33 years later we’re closing our doors,” Mrs Bouchier said.
“I reached my 75th birthday and I realised it was time to rest,” Mr Bouchier said.
The Bouchiers acquired Billiard Empire in 1984 and turned it from a wholesale retail business into the biggest custom designer and manufacturer of billiard tables in the region, delivering their product across the country.
“I bought myself a job and had to learn everything about it and I’ve loved every minute of it,” Mr Bouchier said.
“We started as a manufacturer wholesaler and retailer but back in the 90s wholesale didn’t make much money for you, so we got out of wholesale completely.
“We moved to our new shop and started building every table here, with the best quality materials, and started doing deliveries all around.
“Our policy is we’ll always send anything anywhere, even out to PNG.”
Mr Bouchier said despite the struggles, Billiard Empire had remained an extremely successful venture and one that he kept close to his heart.
“We announced we were closing our doors three months ago and we’ve taken probably 45 orders for tables since, we can’t keep up with the demand,” he said.
“One of the best memories we have is sponsoring the 2001 Australian Pool Players Association (APPA) national titles in Smithfield, we supplied 10 tables.
“I’ve loved everything about it, working with the timbers and dealing with the people, we’ve had some bad moments too, but I enjoyed it all.”
As one of Cairns’ most memorable businesses, standing the test of time even through the global pandemic, the Bouchiers thanked the Cairns community and gave some sound advice to anyone looking to take over the billiards industry in the region.
“Some of our biggest clients who have relied on us over the years have said, ‘This is great, it’s time’,” Mr Bouchier said.
“I would say to whoever decides to take over to be prepared to work hard and put long hours in, the rewards are there, but you’ll have to work hard.
“We thank you very much for being so supportive over the years, we have some wonderful friends out there, the community’s been great to us, and we’ll miss them.”
Despite 40 years in the billiards business the Bouchiers still laugh when they say they haven’t mastered the art of pool.
“I get easily beaten,” Mr Bouchier said.
“And I can’t play at all,” she said.
