ATTENTION Illinois Darters! You're Losing The King of Darts

Yes, Chicago darters, you are losing a fantastic store by the end of this year. What's worse is that none of you is doing anything about it.

I used to be somewhat active in the dart-playing world here in suburban Chicago. I would go to a regular, open blind-draw tournament or two as well as spending a little bit of time in a league. Darts is a great game and if you get serious about playing you find that good suppliers of darts and darts supplies are few and far between. I'm sure that the Internet has helped make it possible for darters to find their supplies, but few things can replace the appeal of a classic bricks & mortar storefront and a knowledgeable owner.

The King of Darts in Streamwood, Illinois is exactly the kind of store I'm talking about. I only discovered the place this week. I went there to buy April a good set of soft tip darts of her own for our anniversary (which is today, by the way). We've started playing again and I've got plans to get the board back up on the wall in the apartment. Within seconds of being inside the place I got that same "kid in a candy store" feeling I used to get back when I played darts on a regular basis. It's the same feeling I get when I'm a great cigar store, the Mustard Museum, or any other fantastic store catering to one of my silly passions. OK, I also get that feeling at the Admiral Theatre, but let's not sully this important post.


This store was THE place to find darts, dart boards, and supplies of all kinds. Jim Kroll, the owner was not only a friendly and likeable guy, but he knew damn near everything there was to know about the sport & his products. He was very generous with his time and suffered this fool gladly as I asked far too many questions about the current line of darts available.

It turns out that he knows so much about his business because he's been running the store for the last SIXTEEN YEARS. That's a long time for any business, much less a specialty store such as his. Business is strong and the store obviously does well. Lord knows how long the store would continue to succeed were it not for one little problem.

Jim is retiring and moving on at the end of the year.

Now I'm not a regular customer. As I mentioned, I only just discovered the place. What makes me mention the store at all is the fact that he's been hoping & trying to sell the business to no avail. No takers, no investors, no entrepreneurs wanting to carry on where Jim leaves off, no start-up businessmen hoping to change or start a new career for themselves. Most notably, no darts enthusiasts willing to take over the place or even pass the word on to someone who might keep the place alive.

I know that an investment like this requires money and money is something that most folks, myself included, just don't have in abundance. Being one who is spending his life trying to work in a field that makes me happy (as well as a guy who used to be a retail god), I can see the appeal of trying to take over a store like this one. Really, isn't THAT the American dream; to take your hobby and find a way to make a living from it?

Surely, there must be someone out there, a darter, looking to own his own business, dreaming of having a shop of his own and being his own boss. If I had even a little bit of cash as collateral I'd give it some serious thought. Maybe a group of friends, all darts players, would be interested in pooling their resources and taking the place over.

I know it is silly to care about a place I've only shopped at once. However, I plan on being there many times between now and the day it closes and I'm hopeful that someone out there will read this and realize that their favorite store doesn't have to go away. I'm hopeful that spreading the word in this manner will do SOMETHING to help the guy find a buyer. Check this place out. It would be a real shame to lose a high-quality specialty retailer like this one.

Incidentally, if you are a darts player, you really should check out The Passionate Darter. This is a very informative site that helps promote the game of darts well. It seems to be a little more Illinois-centric, so that has lots of appeal to me. Much of the information there applies to all darts players and the site is clean and informative. Plus, I rather shamelessly stole these images of the store and the owner from there and I feel just awful about it. I'll get over it, but you know...Just check them out.