Phil Windham, right, wife Janice and son Ashley greet a crowd Thursday at the grand opening of CBC Cleveland, the third location for Chattanooga Billiard Club.CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Chattanooga Billiard Club opened a Cleveland location Thursday on Inman Street.
CBC Cleveland opens to First Street Square, the city's new park.
Owner Phil Windham said he has been looking for a location in the Five Points area of Cleveland since 2005.
After a dinner at Catch, a new seafood restaurant on Inman Street, Windham said he saw the "for lease" sign. The restaurant, bar and billiard club here represents a $500,000 investment and creates 25 jobs, Windham said.
"I wanted to be here because I know Cleveland is positioned for growth," Phil Windham said. "Even in terrible economic times, we are excited about being here."
His son Ashley will manage the Cleveland location, he said. Windham manages the downtown Chattanooga CBC. His wife, Janice, leads the East CBC.
CBC Cleveland has a lunch and dinner menu.
"Burgers are our flagship item," Phil Windham said. Billiards is about 12 percent of the business, he said.
Having First Street Square adjacent to CBC Cleveland is important, he said, because it offers parking.
That's what his new neighbor, Nancy Casson, co-owner of the gift shop Red Ribbon with her husband, Flavus, also said Thursday.
Nancy Casson said they also wanted to be at Five Points when they opened in 2005. She was a member of the board when The Museum Center at Five Points was organized just across the street from the new businesses.
Sharon Marr, MainStreet Cleveland executive director, said First Street Square, just off Inman Street, opened in July 2010. It has been the catalyst for reviving Five Points, a goal here for many years, she said.
In January, five new stores opened simultaneously with a multiple grand opening.
"Economic development is always the goal for projects like First Street Square," Marr said Thursday as the weekly Five Points Market was taking place. "Until now parking was very limited and there was no easy access for pedestrians."