Thank You, Solids & Stripes - Our First Home, Our Forever Family

Today’s update is a tough one to write. Solids & Stripes Billiards at 175 Blanding Blvd has been a second home for so many pool players. For the First Coast APA, it was one of the first places we ever played back in 1998. That room helped launch a league and a community. We laughed there, learned there, won and lost there, ate too many snacks there, and argued over who really had “ball in hand” there. It’s family, plain and simple.

As Solids & Stripes closes this chapter at its current location, we want to say this loud and clear: thank you. Family-owned since 1991, they gave Orange Park a true player’s room—13 tables, pinball ringing in the background, games on 10 screens, a craft beer bar, and a comfort menu that hit the spot after a long night on the felt. They created a place where new players took their first league shot and veterans taught the next generation what good sportsmanship looks like. We’re proud to have been part of that story.

Now, the path forward:

- Teams first. We’re already working to place every team in a new home location so your schedules stay intact and the season keeps rolling.

- Travel division opportunity. This shift opens the door to a travel division across other local venues. More rooms, more friends, more chances to grow the game and welcome new players who’ve never tried APA before.

- Updates coming. Captains, keep an eye on your phone; we’ll contact you directly with host-site options and any schedule tweaks. Players, feel free to message us if you want to be proactive about a preferred home bar.

Change is hard, but this community is tougher. We’ll carry Solids & Stripes with us, the memories, the friendships, the nerve-rattling hill-hill matches, and the “just one more” rack nights. And when a new home for Solids emerges, you better believe we’ll be first in line to chalk up and break.

To our friends and partners at Solids: we see you, we appreciate you, and we’ve got your back. We’ll keep everyone posted on next steps and ways to support.