The Rack Is a Santa Barbara Pool Hall for All

It’s close to midnight on a warm, spring Saturday, and The Rack is bustling. Voices chatter and billiards balls smack over an upbeat Latin pop song. Meagan Soloff, owner and general manager of the downtown pool hall, leans against the bar and surveys the room, beaming. “I’m so proud of what we’ve done here,” she says.

Soloff and co-owners Jon Bruenning and Evan Henderson took over the space from Don Q Family Billiard Center after the legacy establishment closed in August. After a whirlwind few weeks of renovations, the building, located on the 1100 block of Chapala, opened as The Rack in early October. 

The new pool hall boasts nine pool tables, which the new owners painstakingly refelted, as well as a jukebox and a bar stocked with beer and non-alcoholic beverages. The walls were repainted and the lighting was changed, giving the space a bright, fresh look. 

Since opening, it’s built a devoted base of regulars. Some show up in large groups, some practice solo; some are high schoolers, some retirees; some compete on a national level, some first picked up a pool cue last month. “It’s a very, very diverse group and it really does reflect the makeup of Santa Barbara,” said Soloff. At The Rack, they’ve grown into a vibrant community. 

At one table, a group of friends are approaching their sixth straight hour of play.  

“It’s really easy to say, ‘One more game,’” says Aquivo Lowen-Diaz. 

Nate Simpson nods in agreement. “That’s kind of the running joke.” 

Lowen-Diaz, Simpson, and their friend Sawyer Campbell think their collective record for a continuous stretch of pool is somewhere past seven hours. But Simpson, who used to work at Don Q, has the other two beat — he recalls one day spent in a marathon pool session lasting from noon to two in the morning. It was him who got Lowen-Diaz and Campbell hooked on pool, which is not just a game or a sport, but an art, he says. 

The trio is here every week. “It’s 100 percent a stress relief,” says Simpson. “When we’re having a bad day at work or things are just not going well, it’s like, ‘Yo, let’s just meet up, play some pool.’ We get to chat about it, but also leave it behind.”

Soloff doesn’t typically stick around this late; she works the day shift. But tonight, she’s supervising as a film crew of Santa Barbara City College students trickles in. Once the place closes at 1 a.m., they’ll record their short film, The Branches, into the early hours of morning. Set in a pool hall, the story was directly inspired by director Naia Bennitt’s experiences at The Rack.

“I love the vibes. Every time I’ve been in here, everyone’s having a good time,” says producer Bella Scura. “I feel like the energy in here, no matter how your day is going, will bring your energy up.”

At another table, a group of young men line up shots with intense focus. They’re former teammates, football buddies who graduated from San Marcos High School last year. Though none of them played pool before The Rack opened, the space has quickly become a favorite hangout spot. 

“We play, and then we just talk about life, you know?” says Daniel, who works at a nearby hotel. 

Tonight, they’re keeping things relaxed, although they don’t stray away from the occasional gamble. Daniel recalls a botched play from the previous week — his friend Diego, playing doubles with him, sank the white ball in with his final shot and lost them $80. But both teenagers cite their recent defeat as a favorite memory at The Rack; competition is fun, but for them, the central appeal of pool is social.

“I just love the people,” Daniel says. “We try and care for each other.”

This interpersonal element is deeply important to Soloff. She’s played pool since her teenage years, and as she bounced from place to place in adolescence and early adulthood, it was her constant. She understands intimately how the sport can create new friendships and deepen existing ones. 

“It always gave me some place to go,” Soloff said. “You look for places to commune, you look for places to feel comfortable, you look for places to fit in, and for me, it’s always been pool.”

Facilitating community has been Soloff’s priority from the get-go. She’s focused on making things as inclusive as possible — creating, as The Rack’s slogan declares, “A Pool Hall for All.” That means decentering alcohol, in contrast to many of Santa Barbara’s nightlife establishments, and welcoming customers of all ages.

“A pool hall is a totally different animal than a bar,” Soloff says. “A pool hall is for pool. In the daytime, it’s like a community center. There’s beer, but that’s not the goal of this environment.”

It’s something Daniel and his friends appreciate. “There’s a lot of people that go out, and I get that it’s fun, but we try and find another sort of fun that doesn’t always have to involve drinking,” he says.

Soloff also wants to ensure the space is comfortable for girls and women, who frequently face harassment and unwanted attention in the traditionally male-dominated world of pool. Bennitt and Scura attest that she’s been successful. “Meagan has cultivated an environment that makes women feel safe,” says Scura.

All told, Soloff and her co-owners are thrilled with the enthusiasm The Rack has received. They’re hosting a belated grand opening this Saturday, March 21, from noon to close, where they’ll be raffling off prizes, selling limited edition tees, and celebrating. Proceeds from the T-shirt sales will be donated to the Immigrant Legal Defense Center. 

“Support your local spots, support your friends, support your community!” Simpson says.