Meet The Cuemaker
Jim Pierce By MICHELLE HUGHES Social Media Specialist Biggelbachs.com
Focused on playability? We’ve got you covered. A cue maker that describes himself as a pool player first. This month’s “Meet the Cue Maker” features Jim Pierce of Pierce Custom Cues.
J
im Pierce, 50 resides in American Falls, Idaho with his girlfriend Amy and their two Shih Tzus Lula and Jazzy. Although presently in Idaho, most of his childhood up until he was a young adult was spent in the Modesto, California area. It was there Jim was first introduced to the game of pool by his aunt in the early 80’s. She had a 9-foot Gold Crown table at home and he remembers the strug-
gle of being 10 years old and having to stand on a stool to reach for shots. Although pool made appearances in his life as a young adult, it wasn’t until his early 20’s that pool really held Jim’s interest. Instead, he was pushing the limit with other extreme sports. By age 10, Jim was devoted to BMX riding but later transitioned to competitive skateboarding at age 15. He continued skateboarding until he was challenged to make the jump to snowboarding at age 19. Having obtained sponsorship in both, he found more passion in snowboarding and made a full transition by age 22. After numerous competitions along with becoming a representative for Sasquatch Snowboards, it was an unfortunate knee injury in 1996 that ended his boarding career. During the snowboarding off season, Jim maintained employment at his mother’s interior design business. His work involved building custom window treatments and installation. This is where he developed his extensive wood working skills. Upscale window treatment and design continued to be Jim’s main profession until 2008 and continues to be part of his side projects to this day. Although he was still heavily involved in snowboarding along with his work in window treatments, it was in the early 90’s when Jim started getting back into the world of pool. Between
10 | Billiards Buzz • March 2022
snowboarding seasons, he found a local Modesto pool room where he met well-known pool player Nick Cano. It was Nick who taught him how to play. At the time, Jim was in his early 20’s, living at home with his mother and staying out all night shooting pool. That’s when his mom finally shared their family ties about his great uncle; both world champion and BCA Hall of Famer Jimmy Caras. This only added fire to his passion for the game and the next step was focusing on the equipment. While he was on a trip to Boise, he stopped at a shop owned by Mike Givens of Michelangelo Custom Cues. He had only gone in to have a tip replaced but after practicing with it on the showroom table, Mike offered him a sponsorship. He took the opportunity to ask Mike if he could help build his next cue. He was told to pick his woods and began creating a design. Together they finished that cue in about 7 months and Jim knew right then his desire to add cue maker to his list of professions. Jim acquired a used lathe from Craigslist and began spending night and day building cues in his garage. Although his primary means of income was on the decline due to his new passion, it led to a new sustainability when the crash of 2008 hit. People
