 "Photo: The Olympian")
The Tolentino family has finally found a home in Bremerton for their dream pool hall featuring tournament-style tables, a full food menu and flat-screen TVs all around, and it’s called Stixx & Stones Billiards.
After two ventures in Tacoma that didn’t pan out because of building inspection issues, co-owner Marvin Tolentino said they stumbled upon the former Classic Billiards pool hall on Wheaton Way.
“My dad has wanted to open a hall for awhile,” Tolentino said.
Mamerto “Junior” Tolentino has played in pool halls nationwide including regional and local tournaments before he retired while he was in the army, his son said.
“He’s been an avid pool player most of his life,” Marvin Tolentino said.
Junior Tolentino now runs the weekly tournaments at Stixx and Stones, as well as doing pool cue repairs in the in-house pro shop. His wife Hely Tolentino helps out on the weekends, bringing a bit of home cooking and a warm smile that brightens the place even more, while his two sons, Marvin and Marlon, take care of employee development, training and day-to-day operations.
“It’s a family owned and operated business,” Marvin Tolentino said.
The new hall, which opened in May, is the fourth pool hall to operate in the building since the late 1980s. It features 15 tables, eight of which are Brunswick Gold tables, the industry gold standard for quality tables.
“We have the best pool tables this side of the bridge,” Marvin Tolentino said.
One of Stixx and Stones’ regular patrons said the quality of the tables is one of the reasons why he drives from Poulsbo to play.
Al Stadtler said he plays at the hall a few times a week instead of at the bar that is two minutes from his house because the tables are better taken care of and the atmosphere is better.
“If you go to a bar you gotta put up with drunks all the time,” Stadtler said. “There’s a lot of good players here.”
The weekly tournaments also help draw players in, like former Olympic College student Jobert Fajardo, who won a pool tournament hosted by the college in 2004.
“I’ve placed a few times,” Fajardo said about his participation in the tournaments. He said he’s even won a few hundred dollars.
At their 9-Ball for the New Year Tournament, 45 players came from all over the Northwest to compete, including 9-Ball World Champions Don Wirtaman and Dan Lewy.
The winner walked away with $900.
“It was crazy,” Grace Lim, who works at the hall, said about the tournament. “I’ve lived in Kitsap County for 16 years and I’ve never seen people congregate like that.”
Marvin Tolentino said the 9-Ball Spring Tournament is set for March 27 and 28. He said they are planning another major tournament in celebration of their one-year anniversary on Memorial Day weekend.
Meanwhile, the family continues to develop their menu, including adding fried Oreos and Rocky Mountain Oysters. Marlon Tolentino said they plan on showing pay per view events, including Ultimate Fighting Championship matches.
Marvin Tolentino said they are working on adding a full bar that will include both local and national micro brews on tap. But, their aim is to be a family friendly environment.
“We have Thursday college night,” Marvin Tolentino said. OC students can get $2 off of their table time and a variety of food and drink discounts.
“This would be a great place for students to come and study”, Marvin Tolentino said,
“While I was a student in college, I never liked studying at home, here at Stixx & Stones, we have ample tables, free Wi-Fi, and great food for students to snack on”
“I love it,” employee Stephen Pasternak said about the new pool hall. “When it’s busy I take care of the customers. When it’s not, I play pool.”
Pasternak said he has only been playing pool since the hall opened, but has improved significantly since then.
“There’s just a bunch of great people that come here and play pool,” Pasternak said.
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