Would you buy a brand new Table for £1000?

[williamyards]

Firstly thank you for accepting me into your forum. It is without a doubt the best source of Bar Billiards knowledge available on the internet. I look forward to contributing over the coming years.

My first post
To avoid setting a record for the longest first post, I'm going to keep this brief(ish) and then reply to my own post with some backstory and addition info. 

I have designed a Bar Billiards table that aims to maintain an authentic playing experience, at a significantly more accessible cost.

And I’d love to get your thoughts on the idea. 

All aspects of the playing area are regulation. The rails are solid wood. The cushions and fabric are serviceable. Manufactured in England.
My aim is to achieve a retail price of less than £1000. Which I believe is achievable. 

I'm convinced that Bar Billiards is one of the best ever gaming and social experiences. My hope is that by providing a more accessible entry point to table ownership, I can do my part in popularising it.  As currently, buying a £2000 vintage table and then having to restore it, is somewhat prohibitive. 
I'm not pretending this is 100% a noble mission in the name of Bar Billiards. I am obviously viewing this as a business venture. 

The design is complete, I'm building the proof of concept. I'm currently working with manufacturers and suppliers.

My Questions to you and this forum!

Do you believe there is a market for a sub £1000 table? Would you buy one? If so what would your minimum requirements be?

[williamyards]

Back story:
Since discovering Bar Billiards a few years ago. My friends and I have concluded it is an unrivaled gaming and social experience. We continue to be baffled why BB tables are not more common in pubs around the UK.
Similarly I’m convinced that a BB table is an excellent option for many homes. Everyone wants a pool table, but doesn’t have room for one… Boom, Bar billiards.
Obviously I’m preaching to the quire here. So I’ll move on.


As a qualified and experienced Design Engineer/ DIY addict, when I want something that I can’t afford, I build it (and spend twice the money in the process).
Well this time, that something was a Bar Billiards table.

But I’d like to go a step further and start manufacturing them. I have the knowledge and motivation to build an excellent product. This forum has, and hopefully will continue to, provide me with the details and history to make sure the design is faithful to the traditional BB tables.

I’m holding off sharing images or details of my design just yet. As I want to focus the conversation on the idea. And not get bogged down in the details.


There are still some things I need to finalise. So you will see me popping up in various places around the forum asking questions.


Finally I want to emphasise that whilst I would love to pursue this as a business. It’s born of a love of the game, the fun I’ve had playing it and a genuine desire to see Bar Billiards grow in popularity.
I’d hate for this to be dismissed as profiteering.

I welcome your thoughts and opinions.
Thank you!