Starship Billiards to close, Starship Gaming will remain open

By Michelle Ownbey

[
          {
            "name": "Ad - Rectangle - 2 pack - Inline - Content",
            "component": "15011647",
            "insertPoint": "5th",
            "startingPoint": 4,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "3"
          }
        ]

A local landmark is changing its business model with the announcement that Starship Billiards Parlor will come to an end as of April 30.

Longtime friends Dave Shanle and Chuck Harris opened Starship Billiards and Enterprise Grill, 2301 Stevenson Dr., in 1991. After more than three decades as a pool hall, that side of the business will cease operations at the end of this month.

click to enlarge

Starship Billiards to close, Starship Gaming will remain open

PHOTO BY MICHELLE OWNBEY

Starship Billiards Parlor will close as of April 30, but Starship Gaming will remain open.

A post on the business' Facebook page read: “This is a difficult, but necessary decision due to personal and business reasons” and thanked “our dedicated pool players and leagues who have supported us” during the past 30-plus years.

The post also noted that Starship Gaming will remain open. The business was one of the first in the area to apply for a gaming license when legal video gambling terminals began to be installed in Sangamon County in November 2012.

In addition, Shanle confirmed to SBJ that Starship Gaming will continue serving food and drinks with the same menu that is currently offered.