There's a story behind every table at Rack & Roll Billiards Hall and Museum.
Every billiards table has a story, and David Merring wants to tell you all of them.
There's the one he said he got from Ron Travisano, who was an inspiration for the show "Mad Men" and on whose table Tom Cruise supposedly learned to shoot pool. Or how about the one that is identical to Mark Twain's own? Or the one Merring said he purchased directly from the Brooks Brothers mansion in New York?
You can play on them all.
The 59-year-old Merring, a resident of Budd Lake, N.J., opened Rack & Roll Billiards Hall and Museum in Washington Township figuring a set of unique, historical tables -- some of which he said date back to the 1800s -- would be the biggest draw, something different from standard halls where every table is identical in design and play.
"In setting up this place, I broke all the rules," he said.
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Each of the 21 tables, ranging between 7 and 10 feet long, each have different felts, slates and other features. Merring tells visitors to the hall, located at 432 Route 31 South in the Warren County community, to try each one to see what they prefer.
Amanda Colbeth, of Union Township, said she saw the months-old establishment while driving by a few weeks ago and immediately stopped. It's the variety inside, she said, that has kept her coming back.
In addition to private rooms, the hall also offers darts, ping pong, quoits and table-top hockey. To get through next summer -- traditionally a difficult time for billiards halls, Merring said -- he plans to set up an ice cream parlor, as well.
"I wanted something that stands out from the competition," he said.
RACK & ROLL BILLIARDS HALL AND MUSEUM
Where: 432 Route 31 South, Washington Township, Warren County.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., and later on Fridays and Saturdays.
Rates: $6 per person per hour or $25 per person per day. $100 monthly membership available.
More info: www.rackandrollbilliards.net
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.