Hoping to capitalize on the more than 9,000 members of area billiard leagues — not to mention billiard players statewide — Stewart and Susan Higdon of West Salem and their partner Jeff Huber of La Crosse plan to open a new business in the building at 153 S. Leonard Street in West Salem. The building, which used to be home to the Coulee News, has most recently been used by West Salem Antiques for storage.

Under the corporate name of SSJH, LLC, the Higdons and Huber bought the building about a month ago. The establishment will be called Breakers and will be an eatery as well as a retail outlet for billiard supplies and custom-made stained glass.

Tentatively scheduled to open in late February, the eatery part of Breakers will offer steaks and sandwiches for carryout, catering and eat-in lunches seven days a week, with dinners served on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights to start with.

Stewart Higdon, 50, said he’ll also be selling everything from pool cues and pool clothing to pool tables. “We’ll have over 40 different lines of pool cues,” Higdon said. “We’ve got a 1904 Warwick table. Very rare.”

He said he’ll also sell pool tables that are priced anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000.

“We want to see how much more business we can bring into downtown West Salem,” Higdon said. “None of the (area) establishments tap into the pool players. It’s a niche. (Pool playing establishments) no longer have the stigma of dark smoke-filled rooms.”

The second retail outlet will be for sales of custom-made stained-glass creations with sports themes like the Packers, West Salem High School Panthers, pool playing and other themes.

Higdon said he and his wife grew up in West Salem and want to do what they can to bring more business to downtown.

“To show our deep commitment to the village of West Salem,” Higdon said, “we’re doing extensive brickwork in front and extensively renovating the inside. We’ve got custom brickwork out front. We’re turning one of the ugliest buildings in town to one of the most attractive.”

He said they’ve put in more than 2,000 bricks just on the front, with more to go.

Higdon was surprised when he first entered the building when contemplating buying it. “When I went in to look at it, it hadn’t changed from when I was a kid. My friend in school was Danny Griswold, whose father ran the Countryman publishing company. I can remember going down there as a teenager. It hadn’t changed at all.”

The eatery will encompass 1,500 square feet, and there are plans in the works for adding another 3,420 square feet.

“We’re also planning to put on an upper three-season deck, about 1,200 square feet,” Higdon said. “That won’t happen until the spring.”

According to Higdon, the plan is for a screened-in deck that will look out over the town, but not the alley.

The opening will be just after the first-ever pool tournament in West Salem. “We’ve got a 64-man tournament the weekend of Feb. 9 at Krome’s, Hunter’s Last Chance and Crazy Horse saloons,” Higdon said.

Higdon hopes to attract a large clientele from around the region. “We hope to attract large billiard tournaments. My friend is a five-time city champion; my wife is a state champion,” he said. “Billiards playing is very important to us and we’ll have weekends where we can bring 300-400 people into town. The more traffic we get downtown, the better it is for everyone.”

Higdon said they are applying for a license to sell alcohol. According to village administrator Teresa Schnitzler, the company will have to pay for a one-time $10,000 reserve license as well as an annual Class B license, which right now is $450 per year. That license application is scheduled to be heard by the village board on Jan. 3.

“We’re doing whatever the village wants us to do,” Higdon said. “My wife and I have put virtually everything we own into this. We feel it’ll be successful. It might not make us rich, but it’ll bring us something to retire on. We’ve wanted to do this sort of thing for 15 years. My wife and I decided this is the right time and the right place.”

Higdon and his wife, Susan, 44, live in West Salem and have four daughters, one enrolled in Viterbo University and three in West Salem schools. Susan will continue her job at the corporate offices of Kwik Trip and will not have a direct impact on the day-to-day business.