The Dilworth Billiards building is about to go back on the market

Owner Eric Sprouse said he’s hoping the 2,800 square foot shell will attract a small company like an architecture or IT firm. He said he won’t be recruiting another wine shop, and even though he thinks a coffee shop would kill it in this location, he doesn’t think that’s in the cards.

Dilworth Billiards had been a staple of the neighborhood since the late 1970s, back when it wasn’t quite so nice and quaint. Sprouse sold beer to Dilworth as the area grew up and sold vintage billiard tables and memorabilia to the elite across the city and would-be competitors who wouldn’t last.

He decided to retire at the end of April after 35 years and sold most of the vintage pool tables he had in inventory. He still lives upstairs.

Sprouse first leased the downstairs part of the building this spring to two business partners with plans to create Cured, a wine, cheese, charcuterie and craft beer shop. Neighbors were thrilled. With luxury condos sprouting all over the surrounding blocks, the location is ideal for a social gathering spot. And the courtyard out back might just be the best in the city.

But Cured wasn’t to be. Sprouse said the two business partners had a personal falling out, and returned the keys several months before they were slated to open. Neither of the two responded to a request for comment.

Now Sprouse is upfitting the shell of the building to make it Class A office space and plans to have it back on the market in 30 to 60 days. A demolition permit has already been secured, and building permits are in the works.

“It looks like a million dollars in there,” Sprouse said. “This is an unbelievable spot, and it hasn’t been on the market in 35 years.”