New billiards halls coming to Sterling Heights

STERLING HEIGHTS — Sterling Heights is no longer behind the eight ball when it comes to pool parlors.

Two new billiards businesses are set to open this year, turning the city into a destination for casual shooters and skilled cue-wielders alike.

On March 11, the Sterling Heights Planning Commission OK’d a special land use permit for Diamond House Billiards to operate at the southeast corner of Van Dyke Avenue and 18 Mile Road. Plans call for 25 pool tables and limited food and beverage service.

Owner Salam Hameed said he’s looking to provide “a unique entertainment option for Sterling Heights residents.”

“Our goal is to create a modern billiards facility focused on recreation league play and a safe social environment for the community,” Hameed told planning commissioners. “The primary activity will be billiards with a mix of 9-foot tables, 7-foot tables and two full-size snooker tables. Families and younger players will be welcome until 9 p.m., after which the facility will primarily serve adult players and league play.

We are trying to create one of the nicest billiards facilities in the region with a clean, welcoming atmosphere where people can enjoy the game in a professional and well-managed environment.”

Diamond House Billiards is expected to open within six months. Other businesses in the Van Dyke Commons shopping plaza include Mackenzie Tavern, Firefly Burger, Sheba Restaurant, Dollar General and the Paul Mitchell cosmetology and beauty school.

Attorney Phil Ruggeri, who represents both Hammed and the plaza’s landlord, said the pool hall “will bring a lot of business and recreational activity here in Sterling Heights.”

Ruggeri showed photographs of the proposed interior and described “a nice exotic look and very rich appeal.”

“Nice colorful pool tables and nice ambiance,” he said. “I think it will welcome a lot of people. We are excited.”

Responding to a question from Planning Commissioner Brandy Wright, Hameed, who owns a Sterling Heights-based trucking company, said this is his first foray into the billiards business. A native of Baghdad, Iraq, Hameed said he came to the U.S. in 2014 and had served with the U.S. military overseas.

Elsewhere in the city, Masters Billiards is nearing its debut at 34762 Van Dyke, just south of 15 Mile Road.

Partners Majd Azzawi and Saif Saffoo are touting a high-end experience with pricey custom tables, kitchen and bar, plenty of televisions and “exotic” snacks from around the world.

“Compared to other pool halls we’re kind of small, but we have everything high-end,” Saffoo said. “So players, when they come here, they will play on something professional. They will have food, drinks and play on the highest-quality tables.”

Masters Billiards is the duo’s first joint business venture and incorporates individual aspects of their personas. For example, Saffoo was a professional touring snooker player, and that version of the game will have a special emphasis, including lessons and league play. Azzawi, meanwhile, is a professional fighter and Masters will have a boxing arcade game.

Both men were raised locally and each now lives in Shelby Township. The partners have been readying their space for months, refashioning and expanding a former hookah lounge into an upscale entertainment facility that will cater to casual and serious pool players alike. The venue will have a mix of 9-foot and 7-foot pool tables along with four snooker tables.

Masters Billiards will be open seven days a week. Hours are 11 a.m. to midnight, Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 2 p.m. to midnight on Sunday.

Although pool parlors once had less-than-stellar reputations — picture cigar smoke-filled rooms with hustlers and gamblers — modern venues strive for mass appeal. Azzawi said anyone who’s never set foot in billiards hall will feel welcome at Masters.

“It’s a fun game,” he said. “There’s food, drinks — it’s going to be a friendly environment. So even if you’re not familiar with the game, come learn.”