Mad Hatter Billiards offers oasis at the pool table

FAIRFIELD – In the summer of 2021, Fairfield residents said goodbye to a cherished restaurant, while at the same time being excited for the birth of a brand new business in its place.

Sharon Stinogel owned the café called Ila on North Main Street. She ran the business for 8.5 years, but in 2021 decided it was time for a change. Restaurants had become very difficult to staff, and Stinogel had always wanted to open a poll hall anyway, which is what the building had been years ago. That summer, she closed Ila, remodeled the space, and turned it into Mad Hatter Billiards, a poll hall with five Diamond pool tables.

“The transition has gone pretty smoothly,” Stinogel said. “My goal was to simplify the daily operations, and for the most part that's happened. With the current staffing issues being experienced everywhere, a business needing less staff to run properly has been a blessing. So many folks have told us they were devastated that Ila closed. We are still making food here though, and when they hear that, it makes them happy. Bringing the Pool Hall back and restoring its place in the town has made everyone happy. Friends can come out and play a game, enjoy a meal and relax.”

Stinogel said she remodeled so much of the building that it’s hard to keep track of all the changes, but among the major ones were replacing the floor, removing the drop ceiling to restore the tin ceiling, fresh paint, rewiring the entire building and installing new lighting. The heating and air conditioning was reworked, and the old bar in the building was remade.

“Rodney Fulton brought it back to life for us, lifting the back bar, adding trim and putting the shine back on it,” Stinogel said.

The five pool tables are cleaned and cared for on a daily basis. The pool balls are polished in a Diamond Ball Cleaner. The business has hosted eight pool tournaments thus far in its first year, and they’ve featured 8-ball, 9-ball, Scotch doubles and women’s only events.

“We also have smaller tournaments on Saturday evenings,” Stinogel said. “Everyone is welcome to join.”

Mad Hatter Billiards opened in 2021 just in time for the arrival of the Women’s Professional Billiard Association’s tournament, hosted across the street at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center.

“The WPBA women, their trainers, and all the people at the tournament came over,” Stinogel said. “They ate and drank and played pool with our local pool players. It was wonderful getting to know them.”

Kelly Fisher, the No. 1 ranked WPBA player in the world, even donated a pool cue to a benefit tournament that the business hosted.

“We are looking forward to seeing them again this fall,” Stinogel said.

Stinogel said she’s working on building the company’s website so it can showcase Mad Hatter’s merchandise, menu, calendar of events and mission statement. She’s started to sell Jacoby pool cues and other merchandise, too.

“We are trying to spike interest in the sport by talking with teachers and community leaders about starting a school Billiards Club,” Stinogel said. “Hopefully, this will lead into a junior league for Fairfield and the surrounding towns. We have the Fairfield Co-Ed league here and BCA Sanction leagues, but we also leave some nights open for everyone to come out and experience Mad Hatter Billiards.”

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com