We hit the bullseye with this episode this week! Al visits Neil Migalski, General Manager at AVO Gameroom. They talk about the rich history and unique charm of this beloved Winnipeg establishment founded in April 1963 by three brothers, and how it has evolved into a community staple known for its pool supplies, dart equipment, poker accessories, and more.
We hit the bullseye with this episode this week! Al visits Neil Migalski, General Manager at AVO Gameroom. They talk about the rich history and unique charm of this beloved Winnipeg establishment founded in April 1963 by three brothers, and how it has evolved into a community staple known for its pool supplies, dart equipment, poker accessories, and more.
Neil shares his passion and vision for keeping this family-friendly hub at the forefront of recreational gaming.
You can learn more about AVO Gameroom at avogameroom.com.
Allan: [00:00:00] Hello everyone, I'm Al Grego and this is the Yes We Are Open podcast.
My Winnipeg trip continues, and this afternoon I got a chance to play a little tourist. I visited the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, the first national museum ever to be located outside Ottawa. It had a really cool exhibit called Beyond the Beat, Music of Resistance and Change. I got a kick out of seeing the collection of artifacts and hearing the music from such artists as Bruce Coburn, Jimi Hendrix, Elton John, Public Enemy.
But the highlight of the exhibit was the entire portion dedicated to Rage Against the Machine, including their original red touring van.
After the museum, I visited the Forks, touted Winnipeg's foremost destination. At the intersection of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers, the Forks have been a meeting place for over 6, 000 years. A place of trade by the indigenous, European fur traders, Scottish settlers, railway pioneers, and tens of thousands of immigrants. Today, [00:01:00] the Forks is a place where you can eat, drink, work, shop, play, and stay. Definitely geared towards hosting visitors to the city.
While there, I took a riverboat tour of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers and learned about Winnipeg's rich history. It was a warm and sunny day, perfect for that kind of activity.
Once I was done with playing tourist, it was back to work for me. I made my way from Winnipeg's city center west towards the airport, to an area called St. James Industrial. This area features several blocks of commercial space, including manufacturing, Warehousing and logistics perfectly situated near the airport and the Trans Canada Highway. You could argue. It's today's version of the Forks.
I'm driving north along Ferry Road the airport to my immediate left I approached my destination on my right and the subject of this week's story AVO game room.
Now this week's story is gonna be a little different from others. I'm not interviewing the founders of the business as the business has changed ownership a few times since it was founded in 1963.
It was founded by three brothers, Aubrey, Vern, and Orville Helloffs, hence the AVO in AVO Game [00:02:00] Room. The current owners of AVO Game Room are Joel and Tracy Cutts.
Neil: Hey, how are ya?
Allan: Good, how are ya? Neal?
That's Neal. He's the general manager of AVO Game Room. He shows me around the store. The storefront is a large room with racks of all sorts of home gaming paraphernalia. Starting with darts and dart accessories. Neil's partial to this area.
Neil: This is what drove me in.
I'm a dart player. Maybe somewhat of a fanatic.
Allan: Once we get past the Dart Zone, Neil shows me all the other games they service. Poker, Table Tennis, Cornhole, Crokinole, Shuffleboard, and of course a pool table, with a wall of pool cues beside it. There are many dozens of cues of different types, sizes, designs, and so on.
Neil: You can do all kinds of stuff to the cues to make them sort of your own. You can change the weights in them.
Allan: Then through a doorway to another room where I see a workbench on one side, and opposite that, even more pool cues, cue bags, and balls.
Neil: And then we get to this room, and this is our showroom for our tables.
Allan: Through another doorway is a large showroom with [00:03:00] various pool and snooker tables, table tennis, bubble hockey, foosball, poker table, and shuffleboard. It's literally a fantasy game room.
Neil takes me through one last door to the back service area where Carlos is working. We'll meet him later.
After my tour, Neil and I returned to the front of the store and set up at one of the displayed pub tables for our interview.
Neil: I'm Neil Migelski and I'm the general manager of Aval Game Room.
Allan: I noticed when I first came in, right next door there's an AVO Marine. Does that have anything to do with the three brothers?
Neil: Yeah, it did at one point. I think the brothers held on to that end of the business and then they sold off this end of the business.
I don't believe they still own it, the Marine side of things, but we're right beside each other. It's a harmonious type of relationship. We share a name and we share the back, the area, not the warehouse area, but like the parking, they're pulling in boats. We're pulling in pool tables. I think Brunswick has something to do with Marine equipment and stuff like that too, if I'm not mistaken.
Allan: Neil is not mistaken about Brunswick. The 180 year old company started off making carriages in [00:04:00] 1845, but the founder, J. M. Brunswick, became fascinated with billiards and began manufacturing billiard tables.
It didn't stop there. They'd go on to manufacture toilet seats, phonographs, records, refrigerators, and yes, they also manufactured boats. Today, the Brunswick Corporation is worth $5.53 billion and home to more than 60 industry leading brands.
Neil: That would be sort of why I think they would maybe consider doing both once you start working with a big company and seeing all their offerings while pool table is not going to fit in a marine store, but You're working with that company and you see potential there maybe.
Allan: So obviously you weren't here when it first opened, but can you maybe talk about AVO's position in the community, like as far as competitors and stuff?
Neil: There's not many real competitors around and I think it's, there's a couple of reasons. It's a very specialized niche [00:05:00] kind of market, but on top of that, there's a lot of knowledge that needs to go into a business like this.
You know, anybody with a million dollars can open a pool store, but can they make it successful? If you're not a pool player and you don't know what they want, you're just bringing in all this stuff to bring it in. Chances are you're not going to be able to keep up with the business. Yeah. You need the expertise.
You need the expertise. And you have to love it. It's one of those things. Like when it comes to darts and equipment, I love the game. So it's not work for me to research the products. It's not work for me to try them out and stuff like that. It's not boring. I can play darts as long as my leg will hold me up.
And same thing with pool. Like when you're into pool, you're into pool. You're going to get a break cue. You're going to get a jump cue. You're going to get your regular cue. You're going to have a specific kind of tip that you want. You're going to have some other maintenance products in your pool bag.
And it's up to a store like us to anticipate the needs of the customer and have all the stuff here for them. So they don't have to go online because everybody knows you can go online and buy dart equipment. But it's another thing when you can come in, speak to someone who [00:06:00] knows a little bit about it, get set up, have a few throws on the board.
Oh, these aren't for me. Okay, great. Let's try another set. Do you like that? Wait. And sort of customize the experience for the customer. And the same falls along in the pool lines too. If you want to try this cue out, go ahead. We have a table here set up ready for you and away you go.
Carlos: Hi, my name is Carlos and at present time I consider the service manager here at Able Game Room.
Allan: You've been here how long?
Carlos: 30 plus years.
Allan: All right. And you started as like a repair guy?
Carlos: Yeah, repair guy. And I was following direction from a different gentleman who was working here and I was trying to learn as much as I could, then he decided to leave.
And then it was like, Oh my God, what do I do now? Right.
Allan: It's not something you go to school for.
Carlos: Well, there is a course which I went on after about a year here, which really helped me because there's so much to take in. I was in Brunswick in Bristol, Wisconsin, and they walk you through everything.
Allan: Oh, so you went down to like Brunswick headquarters.
Carlos: Yeah. And back [00:07:00] then you had to be certified by them. Otherwise putting a pool table together, like brand new, the warranty would be void.
Allan: Interesting.
Neil: We haven't always been the only pool store. There was a Dufferin pool and that's where Joel came from. Joel came from Dufferin pool. At some point Dufferin went under and then Joel came over here. I think there was an offer to purchase at that time and they worked something out. And then eventually Joel took over and is now the sole owner. Not sole because his wife is involved too, but they're the sole owners of the company.
Allan: and when was that roughly?
Neil: That was about 15 years ago.
Allan: So for the last 15 years, Joel and his wife Tracy have been the owners.
Neil: That's correct.
Allan: Now, in the almost 35 years you've been here, what would you say has been the heyday of AVO Billiards?
Carlos: Back in the 90s, that's when it was heyday. You know, every corner wanted to have a pool hall, everybody wanted to play pool, stuff like that. I think, uh, the movie Color of Money, uh, you know, triggered all that. And ever since then, it's been just kind of like steady.
Neil: So [00:08:00] Kevin, amazing guy here. He's an inventor. He's very creative. He's our main technician that's out in the field. Nobody can fix a table faster or better than Kevin can. Kevin is made of corded steel. He could lift a pool table with his back.
Kevin: Kevin Hoag, been installing tables since I was 12 years old, so about 38 years now. Been in the business.
Allan: How long have you been here?
Kevin: Just over 20, 22 years now.
Allan: Okay, so you started in about 2002 then? Yep. I asked Carlos this and, but I mean, you may have a different answer. Like, what would you say was the heyday of, of AVO in terms of business?
Kevin: I'd say Carlos would know better, but for pool in general, 80s, uh, up until 2000, pool was just booming in the industry.
Allan: 20 years or between the 80s and the new millenium.
Kevin: Prior to that, there's over 60 pool halls in the city. Unfortunately now it's around 20. So it's, the market's not quite what it used to be as far as, you know, commercial people being out there playing.
Allan: But still, that's a pretty good heyday.
Kevin: It is. Yes. Yep.
Allan: And I mean, AVO was one of the only games in town in terms of not just selling [00:09:00] equipment, but also servicing and.
Kevin: Pretty much. Yeah. The other company prior was another company called Dufferin Game Rooms. They're the biggest company in Canada. And I was with them for a number of years prior to coming here.
Allan: Okay.
Kevin: But as far as quality stuff, the Dufferin had quite a few products for entry level. Yeah. As far as Brunswick, AVO here, all quality, like high end stuff, paying a little bit more, except for quality, right?
Allan: So you'd say AVO was the leader?
Kevin: They were, yeah, 100%.
Allan: You're kind of the only game in town now. So to speak, so, uh, you've got the industry knowledge and expertise, obviously. So you're well positioned in the area, right?
Neil: Not only in the local area, but all across Manitoba. A little bit of Saskatchewan when we work with other businesses in Saskatchewan, we service Thunder Bay. Yeah, because there's not much in Thunder Bay in terms of this type of business either. I know there's a couple of people who dabble, but nobody who goes all in. So if we sell a pool table in Thunder Bay, we actually have a guy out in Thunder Bay that'll do the work for us. So yeah, we will cover all that area.
Allan: So you guys, cover the gamut of gaming. We've met Carlos. You do repairs. You [00:10:00] do deliveries. Am I missing any products or services here that you offer?
Neil: I don't think you're missing anything, really. That's pretty much it. It's quite a bit of stuff.
Allan: Now, I asked Carlos this, but I mean, you may know of a different answer. What would have been the heyday, you think, for AVO Billiards?
Neil: Well, Carlos says the 90s, Carlos doesn't lie. So the 90s was, was probably the heyday. But with that said, being a newer person to the business, I don't think the heyday is quite over yet. I think it's starting again.
Allan: You think so?
Neil: I do. The amount of players in this city alone, it's incredible. I can't believe how many people come in here every day. You figure you got them all covered and then another one walks in.
Tyler: My name is Tyler James and I'm the head sales guy, I guess you could say.
Allan: Okay, how long have you been working here?
Tyler: Almost three years.
Allan: What's your favorite part?
Tyler: It's hard to explain, but I really like the people. So it's always fun having like people come in and we talk about, you know, pool and darts or whatever. And then you just, you know, sell them what they need. And it's a great story, right?
Neil: People get into these hobbies. And they really dive in and they're not the most expensive hobbies. [00:11:00] Like I'll spend $200 on a set of darts and somebody will be like, whoa, that's crazy.
But you know what? I don't ride a snowmobile.
Allan: Yeah.
Neil: And, and a snowmobile day trip is $200. You're paying gas, you're paying food and clothing and you know, all the extra stuff that goes with it. So when people get into this stuff, they really kind of dive in because you can afford a pool tip. Even if the most expensive one is about 50 bucks.
Allan: So as hobbies go, it's not, it's not the most. Yeah.
Neil: Yeah, if you want to take the hobby to the next level, then it always costs a little bit more money. If you want a pool table in your basement, yeah, okay, now we're looking at thousands, but you know what? You get a pool table, guess how long it lasts for? Longer than you do. You know what I mean? So I don't think the heyday is particularly over. I do think it's evolving.
We have a world champion from Manitoba. World championship pool team. It's a team of five. I believe it's led by Sean Monkman. I know just from the dart world of things, the popularity of darts, it's an Absolutely exciting game [00:12:00] when you know what's going on, then it's exciting. And basically it's a countdown race, right?
Now that there's a lot less alcohol being sort of the fuel for the sport, cause it's a pub sport, right? So it was looked down upon a lot. A lot of the players were heavier set and out of shape looking guys. So it made the sport look almost silly. But now you got athletes, the former rugby player, Gerwin Price. He's built like a tank. And he's amazing and, you know, people love him, people hate him, you know, he's one of those guys. And then you got the new kid I was telling you about, Luke Littler. He's 17 years old. He's made more money than everyone in this room, uh, doubled over in, you know, six, eight months, right?
He's won a bunch of big tournaments, millions of pounds, sponsorship, all kinds of stuff. So when you see the younger guys and the younger people getting into it and you get a phenom, then things start happening. Like where was Nike before Michael Jordan, right?
Allan: I mean you have Ted Lasso throwing barbecue sauce.
Neil: That's right LOL!
Allan: Up next, Able Game Room has been a fixture in Winnipeg for over 60 years. In that time there has to have been some [00:13:00] struggle, right? Stay tuned to find out.
You're listening to yes, we are open. AVO game room has been providing quality gaming products and service in Winnipeg for over six decades. That's a long time for any business. So it would have been the greatest struggles? It's hard to say without speaking with the original owners, but the current team running it has many decades of experience between them. So let's see what they have to say.
So, I mean, let's talk about struggle for a second. You're probably the one most qualified to talk about this in the 22 years you've been here. If I were to ask you, has there ever been a time where the business has been under a lot of stress or, you know, we're struggling, can you think of anything?
Kevin: In the 20 years I've been here, I haven't seen that. It's been a pretty good situation as far as, you know, for Winnipeg, with the commercial market being down, uh, you know, the city's growing so many new areas being built. So that's kept the market for us going pretty good.
Allan: You find that there's a struggle competing with, Computer games and with other
Kevin: that's, you know, when you're going back to earlier, when you're saying, you know, if there was a little bit of struggle, once the kids nowadays, they're not into pool or [00:14:00] anymore, they're playing more of the video games. So that did hurt a bit of the markets, like our selling points when you're really selling a lot of tables, busiest point, we do three to four tables a day. Now we do about two to three tables. We're still busy, but, uh, In the heart of it, uh, we were working a lot of hours in the evenings too. Now it's just straight from, you know, nine to five.
Allan: Do you find that maybe there's a change there? Maybe it's coming back a bit?
Kevin: A little bit, yeah. With Winnipeg growing and a lot of bigger homes being built, there's room for pool tables in basements. And I find parents want to get their kids away from video games, so a pool table is a great, you know, idea.
Allan: What would you say in the last 35 years has been the biggest struggle this company has gone through?
Carlos: Oh, that's a tough question for me to answer. I'm not really sure. But, uh, whatever the challenges throughout the day, we always seem to find a way to figure it out by the end of the day, you know what I'm saying? There could be challenges, could be, you know, might take us a day, day and a half, but, uh, in the end, uh, we figure it out.
Neil: The thing is, I don't think there has been a struggle. I think it's been always a good business. [00:15:00] There's probably slower times, and those slower times actually fall in the summer for us. Like, that's why you haven't seen anyone in here right now. So, Is because people are like tying it up now for the fall, tying up their cabins or getting their last trip to the beach in or whatever.
And a lot of people aren't staying inside, but when fall hits and I, I've already seen the pre rush from now until Christmas, we're just going to be busy. We won't have time for this kind of an interview in a month or so. Uh, cause all the leagues start up, all the dart league start up and all the pool league start up and everything like that.
I just actually got through one of the harder things in my career here so far is shipping off pool cues to China. So like how do you
Allan: shipping them from here to China?
Neil: from here to China. They came from China,
Allan: Oh oK so shipping them back.
Neil: but becasue the demand and the dollar, they're going to get more money selling to the North American market makes some of the queues that we have desirable to them because they can't get it there, even though it's made there.
So, but going through all that with the. [00:16:00] CBSA and everything like that. It was a real challenge. But that's where we can go with this. Like it doesn't have to just be in Winnipeg and, and 10 kilometer radius. Right. We'll ship anywhere.
Allan: A lot of businesses talk about the pandemic has been a big struggle.
Kevin: Mm-Hmm. .
Allan: But I've also heard the opposite where if you're in home improvements or Yeah. You know, home entertainment, you actually were booming during the pandemic. What would you say was, was that the case?
Kevin: I would say that'd be true. 'cause a lot of people weren't traveling anymore, so they wanted stuff to do in the home. Yeah. And that became, you know, an option for us to. Were you able to keep working throughout the pandemic?
Carlos: Yeah, I think it did for a certain point. But the restrictions got worse and worse, or tighter and tighter. Uh, where we couldn't even go to, uh, deliver a pool table.
Allan: Well, talk maybe a little bit about how inflation's affected the business. Because, I mean, even though it is
Neil: Oh yeah, no, no, I've seen it. I've seen it even in my short time here. Um, Something that used to cost 70 bucks is now 110, you know, and it's the same exact thing. And [00:17:00] it's just the manufacturing costs more, the materials costs more than the shipping costs more.
Like we can't deny that the cost of shipping right now is through the roof. So that's going to bring up everything for everyone. So yeah, have we heard, I've heard a few customers complaining, Oh, this is expensive now. Well, you know what? So are Kiwis.
Kiwis used to be 33 cents. In 2020, Kiwis were 33 cents in summer of 2020, they went up to 50 or 80 cents. And now they're holding that 99 cents a Kiwi. So, cause that's what we're dealing with.
Allan: Triple the price.
Neil: When I think about like the darts community in this city, I don't think there is one until you show up to a league night, right? You see a hundred people in one place and you know that same night at many other places in the city the same league is running and there's more players there and more players here and more players there so I think because of the culture of it it's very unassuming and same with pool like there are so many pool players in the city it's not that obvious until you go to an event so.
Tyler: When I started here it would have been June of I think 22. At that [00:18:00] time, it was like pretty much everyone was kind of coming out of all the, you know, pandemic restrictions and things like that. And then the following spring, right? You had all the inflation kind of like kick in and stuff like that. So watching all the prices jump up was a tough watch, you know, and same. And I think that even that Christmas season, Was also very slow. It was tough, but we just, you know, stayed focused on the service aspect and you know, we were doing a lot of service and stuff, but now it seems like everything's on an upward trajectory, right? Like
Allan: bounce back since the pre pandemic.
Tyler: Absolutely. And I don't know how close most people are paying attention to like the inflation trends, but as it's starting to cool down in America and Canada, it feels like, you know, we're getting more traffic, but of course we're in the summer months right now. You know, after the long weekend, the September long weekend, which is coming up, we should get back right into the regular swing of things. And I expect it to be a pretty exciting fall into the Christmas season.
Allan: Coming up after the break, we find out what the future holds for AVO Game Room.
Welcome back to Yes, We Are Open. By the sounds of it, AVO Game Room has had a pretty charmed existence for the [00:19:00] past several decades. And don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's a result of a lot of hard work and great leadership. Joel and Tracy Cutts have assembled a strong expert team and brought Neil Migalski on to lead it.
But we all know that change is inevitable. And despite the success of the business, I got to sense that change in this case may be tied to Neil. So what does the future hold? Let's find out.
Let's talk about the future because I feel like you're the newest hire here. So it sounds like you're going to have a lot to do with the direction the business is going. So what would you like to see the business do?
Neil: I'd like to see our company get a little bit more futuristic with the way that it looks inside the shop. We're going to change up the shop so that when you walk in, it's It's a little bit more 2024, but without taking away the 1963 charm. And I think that's where we have to find the balance, you know, and maybe like, I'm going to throw some counters back here.
I'm going to get a, what they call an Aki for [00:20:00] darts, which is a raised platform. It's like sort of a professional thing and just make sure that when somebody walks in here, they're like, Whoa, this place has changed. But for the good, you know, that kind of thing,
Carlos: I really don't know. I'm hoping that it'll just continues on. It's kind of funny, uh, years ago, we kind of joke around, you know, okay, we sold so many this year. Everybody's got one now. We can close our doors, right? But it seems to be that there's always something going on. Sure. Somebody's buying or selling or moving or needs a new cloth. There's always something going on.
Kevin: I guess just make it a little bit more modern, you know, because it's pretty much stayed the same since probably the early sixties. So some things we could change in here. I think the product, we try and keep up to date with the products. So There's a few other ideas coming, you know, to fruition that might happen soon that might bring a little bit more business, I'm hoping.
Tyler: Right now, I'm pretty much happy with the way things are going, like any sort of improvements that could help with like pushing sales and getting just, you know, more action in the store is always what we're trying to do. It's pretty much just to keep your ear to the ground and just pay attention to what people are [00:21:00] talking about and just do your best to, you know, serve them as their needs come up.
Allan: Any designs on either expansion or other locations or anything like that?
Neil: I would definitely love to expand. The first market I would like to do is Thunder Bay. We could actually do another store in town. We're kind of far out here by the airport. I think if we had one closer to some of the dart bars and the pool venues in another part of the city, I think that would be very helpful for us because If it's a matter of ordering it online or driving 25 minutes through traffic to get here, some people might choose the online ordering. And if they shop online, I'd love for them to shop from here, right? Instead of going on Amazon or wherever to get some random stuff, at least we're here to service you if something goes wrong.
Kevin: It's just a great, you know, family entertainment and over the years, you know, doing relations customers, they've always told me one of the best investments they've made is a pool table, especially when they have kids that are teenagers, they know where they are, their friends come over, gets them off the video games and gets them in the home and they're safe.
Carlos: So I think they'll still be in need.
Allan: And you'll just be happy [00:22:00] to work here as long as they need you?
Carlos: Almost, yeah.
Allan: You're not, you're not close to retirement, are you?
Carlos: I don't, I don't feel like it, but,
Allan: You look too young.
Carlos: Yeah. Well. Not that young, right Neil?
Neil: I can't help it.
Carlos: LOL! I Obviously like to work because otherwise I wouldn't be here this long.
Allan: Now, a little birdie told me, a little birdie named Neil, that you might be a professional wrestler in your spare time. What's your name?
Tyler: Well, yeah, that's what I do. It's got like, it used to be a pretty big deal, but it's more like a part time gig now. So I'll do maybe like four wrestling matches a month or so. And
Allan: That's 4 more than me.
Tyler: Yeah LOL!, it's a pretty good schedule. I, you know, the, the, the guys who've been really good with like giving me, you know, opportunities to leave the store for a couple of days and go and pursue that. But, you know, I'm almost 45 and I'm in the twilight years of my career, but let's see how far I can really take it. I think I got another 10 in me, but. Back to the original question. It's Toxic Tyler James.
Allan: So, looking at what, you know, AVO Game Room is basically the number one place in town, how does that make you feel?
Neil: Oh, I feel proud. I'm happy to work here. I'm happy [00:23:00] to take my management to the next level and take an existing business and try to make it better, try to make it as good as it can be.
I think Joel and Tracy have done a fantastic job of running this business. I'd look for things online and I'd be like, I bet they won't have it. And sure enough, I show up and they got it. So they know what's going on. And you can't keep a business running for 15 years without having a passion for it.
Allan: Right.
Neil: But yeah, they've done a very good job of maintaining it, keeping up to the times and all that kind of stuff. But I think Joel's ready to semi retire and again, that's why I'm here because I'm going to have an option to buy at some point. Yeah. And that's what I'm looking to do. So I don't see anything but good things for this in the future.
Nothing here is bad for you, right? You know what I mean? It's all positive stuff and I think we can have a good go at it. It's a good, healthy family style business. My daughters can come visit me at work, but they can have a game of pool. If they want, they can hang out for a little bit. It's family friendly. It's yeah, it's a really good business.
Allan: Thank you for your time.
Neil: Yeah, yeah, no problem. Thank you, man.
Allan: If I were to ask Toxic Tyler James [00:24:00] to cut a promo for AVO game, could you do it?
Tyler: Well, a lot of people like to talk about, you know, how great this story is and how great that story is, but a lot of those people haven't set foot in AVO game room. And when they come in here and they come in and they meet Toxic Tyler James and they meet lethargic Neil. They'll realize that they came to the right store because we know what we're doing here. Those other people don't know what they're doing. They might be good. I'm sure they're good at what they do, but we're the best. So when you come down to 619 Ferry Road in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, you know that we're going to take care of you just right. And you're going to be happy when you leave.
Allan: That was perfect! I love it.
Okay, guys, is AVO Game Room open?
All: Yes, we're open!
Neil: That was pretty good.
Carlos: One take! Beautiful!
Allan: That's the story of AVO Game Room.
When you think about billiards or darts, the word teamwork probably doesn't immediately jump to mind. Most of the games featured at AVO Game Room are individual or one on one type games, with some exceptions. But after my visit with AVO, teamwork was the first word that came to mind.
It's [00:25:00] unfortunate that I didn't get a chance to meet the owners of the business, Joel or Tracy Cutts. I had a great time visiting with their team. They're a fun cast of characters, and you can tell they've got each other's backs. They're very deferential to each other and their expertise. That speaks volumes about the team that has been assembled, and the owners who assembled that team.
Now, I'd better get out of here. Toxic Tyler James is giving me the stink eye. I think he wants to put me in a figure four.
Yes We Were Open is a Moneris podcast production. I'd like to thank Neil, Carlos, Kevin, and Tyler for taking the time to share their story.
You can learn more about AVO game room at avogameroom.com. Follow them on Facebook or Instagram @AVOgameroom.
For more information about this podcast. Visit our site. yesweareopenpodcast.Com. If you'd like to support us, rate us on Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're a Canadian small business owner or know of one with an interesting story of perseverance to tell, I'd love to help tell it. You can contact me at podcast@moneris.com.
Tune in next week for another story of small [00:26:00] business struggle and survival on the Yes, We Are Open podcast.
I'm Al Grego. Thank you for listening.