When you walk into Wausau’s new pool hall, the Rec Room, don’t expect the smoke-hazed, seedy vibes of an old-school parlor from a Martin Scorsese movie. Instead, the Third Avenue pool joint presents a clean, classy atmosphere suited equally to novices and date-night couples as it is to regulars and pool sharks.
“We wanted to create a space for everybody, not just the regular pool player, but also neighborhood people and people wanting to come in and just have a date night or a night out with friends,” said Molly Bergman, who owns and operates the Rec Room with her husband, Scott.
The name is meant to evoke the cozy, secluded rooms in houses where kids and adults could hang out and play all kinds of games with one another. It’s that type of place where Scott was first introduced to pool.
“I always played pool at my friends’ houses when I was a kid,” he said. “It seemed like every person’s house besides my parents had a pool table.”
You won’t see any quarters stacked on the Rec Room’s eight Diamond pool tables (including two pro-size 9-foot tables), indicating another group calls dibs on the next game. Parties rent their table starting at $8 an hour for one player (up to $16 for four), which is prorated, so you can stop at any time and get a fair deal.
“It’s very intimidating for a lot of people that want to play pool to go into a bar and play, put your quarters up and challenge a table,” Scott said. “This way anybody can come in and play at their own pace.”
The Rec Room also has a full bar and a lineup of TVs showing all kinds of sporting events. They also have a food menu, mostly consisting of pub fare.
“If you want to just come sit at the bar and watch the game and socialize, you sure can,” Scott said. “You don’t have to be a pool player to come here.”
But it’s not just a great place for a diverse clientele to hang out, it’s a dream 20 years in the making for the Bergmans.
“Scott and I have always played pool for a very long time and that’s actually how we met — playing pool in Minnesota,” Molly said. “[Opening a pool hall] is just something that we’ve always wanted to do. We’ve been thinking about it for a long time, trying to decide where we’d want to do it.”
When the building came up for sale a few years ago, the Bergmans knew it was a good fit for their dream business. The location was originally built as a Christian bookstore, which operated for many years. The Bergmans spent 13 months gutting and renovating the building with plenty of help from friends and family in addition to hiring contractors.
“Everyone did amazing work and we couldn’t be more grateful for that,” Molly said.
So far the Rec Room has been welcomed by Wausau residents as the area’s only dedicated pool hall. Neighborhood residents in particular, the Bergmans said, have been supportive — so much so that they started opening at noon for retired individuals who wanted to come in and play in the afternoon.
“We’re getting non-pool players into a pool hall — which is my goal,” Scott said. “Along with repeat people, like neighborhood people that are coming in regularly just to play for an hour.”
The expanded hours are a boon for some, as nights can get busy at the Rec Room, which hosts weekly tournaments on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, along with reduced rental rates on Tuesdays. As winter weather drives more folks indoors, the Bergmans plan to expand pool and dart leagues during the coming months.
“I think in a year if we continue to have positive feedback, make it a safe and friendly environment for everybody, then we have accomplished our goal for sure,” Molly said.
The Rec Room, located at 811 N. Third Ave. in Wausau, is open noon to midnight Tuesday through Sunday (with extended hours to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday). To keep up with announcements and events, follow the Rec Room on Facebook.
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