Codsall Darts specialist shop feeling the buzz of the Luke Littler effect.

Express & Star

A shop in Codsall, Wolverhampton can cater for all your pool/ snooker cue needs and more importantly your darting needs too. We called in on a bust saturday to see what it was all about.

Transcript

00:00Here at Q and Dark World in Cotswold and who've we got?

00:04My name's Murray and this is Jenny.

00:06Hello guys, so this is your shop?

00:08Yes it is.

00:09How long have you been here?

00:11So, going after you.

00:13About 18 months.

00:1418 months, yeah yeah.

00:15And what were you up to before this?

00:17So before this we used to run a snooker hall.

00:20Oh yeah, where was that then?

00:21So that was in Tamworth.

00:22Okay, yeah yeah.

00:23So a bit of a different world now.

00:25Yes.

00:27What's your kind of sport yourself then?

00:29Are you a pure pool snooker man or a darts man, which is your...?

00:32Bit of all three.

00:33Yeah, yeah.

00:34I used to play darts at a high level when I was a child myself.

00:36Yeah, yeah.

00:37I play snooker now in the Staffordshire and West Midlands League on a Thursday night.

00:41Cool.

00:42And I play pool to a reasonably high standard if you play for the county.

00:45Nice one.

00:46Jenny, what about you?

00:47Are you kind of a snooker, pool, darts?

00:50Which are your best at?

00:52Probably a bit more pool, darts now and again.

00:55Yeah, yeah.

00:56Well, we've got a board here, the Luke Littler board.

00:59I mean he's done it last night, 17 years old, crazy isn't it really?

01:04Are you noticing a change in terms of the popularity of the sport?

01:09It's been massive.

01:11Luke Littler, for children especially and kids into sport, he's a really good ambassador.

01:16Yeah.

01:17We've noticed a massive increase and kids actually coming in lower.

01:22Average age of darts was probably 12 and 13 before Luke Littler.

01:27He's now getting children in from 8 years old coming into star darts.

01:31Wow, that's crazy isn't it really?

01:33And I guess the beauty is, in the same way that the men and the women compete at top level,

01:39you can play with your dad, your mum, you can all get involved can't you?

01:44I mean we've found that as well, that we're getting a lot of people coming in buying home set ups

01:48to play in the garage, in the homes and conservatories etc.

01:52We sell dart stands as well so you don't have to mark the wall.

01:56But we're now getting people coming in and buying sets like the Luke Littler set.

02:00Whether you're getting a dart board, two sets of darts in there, reasonable price, £7 which is nice.

02:07Doesn't cost a lot and you can have hours and hours and hours of fun with it.

02:11Well yeah, it's a good bit of family fun isn't it?

02:13Because a lot of us, myself included, are losing our kids to the games console upstairs

02:17and we're looking for something at times where we can say,

02:21come on, put that joystick down, that controller, let's all do something as a family

02:26and that brings you all together for a bit of fun again.

02:29What's special about your shop then? Tell us what you do here.

02:32I mean we can see you do a hell of a lot of pool cues, snooker cues, ranging from all prices I'm guessing.

02:38So we're really a one stop shop for anything related to cue sports or darts.

02:43The good thing about us is all our staff are specialists in their field.

02:47So we've got a couple of young lads, Ollie and Seth today, who are exceptional dart players

02:51and very, very knowledgeable. They can actually bring somebody in and our USP is they can come in as a complete beginner.

02:58We can then try before you buy on absolutely any product in store

03:02and you know you can leave with something that will suit your purposes.

03:05Instead of doing what most people do and buy stuff blind online and it doesn't work for them,

03:12we will take time with each individual customer and make sure they leave with something that's suited to them.

03:18So you've got the board there so people can come in and have a try and that, so they can try different darts.

03:23A dart is not just a dart is it? I mean what do the price ranges start from and to?

03:29So a child set starts from £8.99. A good dart will probably be in tungsten rods and brass will start at £25

03:38and then if you want something exceptional that can go up to £200 plus for specific darts.

03:44And it's really about tailoring it to your own specific kind of feel isn't it?

03:49There's different flights, lengths of dart, weights and that kind of thing.

03:52Yeah, I mean there's loads of different variables you can do on a dart.

03:56So for a beginner you can go for a basic straight barrel going up to a scallop or a torpedo.

04:04As you develop through you can then change the lengths of your flight, your stems, your points.

04:09I mean that's a big thing now with all the kids want to change the points on the darts all to 40mm.

04:15They want to replicate it.

04:18Yeah, yeah totally.

04:19So what's your thoughts on a 17 year old becoming world champ?

04:22I mean it's just good for the sport, it's good you know and he's one of us and he's from Great Britain.

04:28So what's your thoughts on that?

04:30I mean I think it's good because he's still grounded, he's still a local lad from Warrington.

04:35He's one of us, he loves actually talking to kids, he's done a lot with the academies etc.

04:41And I think for a 17 year old he's exceptional, he's an exceptional ambassador for the sport.

04:47So Jenny if I came back here next year are you going to be beating the other half here at darts?

04:52I'll have a go.

04:53You'll have a go?

04:54I'll have a go.

04:55Thank you guys.

04:57So we've got Callum and we've got your dad.

04:59Warren.

05:00And where are you from guys?

05:01Penn.

05:02Penn, yeah yeah.

05:03How long have you been into darts then lads?

05:05I've been into it for about two years.

05:07Have you?

05:08Better do's mate.

05:09And who's best, you or your dad?

05:10Me.

05:11Is that true dad?

05:12Yeah.

05:13Is it?

05:14So we've even got the young generations here, even in the black country whipping the backsides off.

05:19Yeah.

05:20It's a nice family thing isn't it?

05:22Something you can do with your lad, you know what I mean?

05:24Yeah, and he's got his board up in the room.

05:27Have you?

05:28In the bedroom?

05:29Yeah, in my room next to my bed.

05:30Yeah yeah, great stuff.

05:31Well, do you aspire to kind of get to competition level?

05:34I mean, whatever, I just like to play for fun and then it goes off.

05:39Yeah yeah, cool.

05:40Nice one.

05:41Well, enjoy.

05:42Cheers lads.

05:43Totally, exactly.

05:44Yeah yeah.

05:45Well done lads.

05:46Cheers guys.

05:48And boss, what's your name?

05:49Ollie.

05:50And Ollie, you work here at the shop?

05:51Yeah.

05:52How old are you then Ollie?

05:53And is it darts your bag all, Paul and Snoke?

05:55Mainly darts.

05:56Yeah, how long have you been playing?

05:58Well, I played a lot when I was younger, but I've started getting into it again in the last year or two.

06:03Yeah yeah.

06:04What got you into it when you were younger?

06:05Did you have a dart board kind of set up at home?

06:07Yeah, I did and my dad played as well as my granddad, so they both got me into it.

06:12So you used to be a three generation thing?

06:14Yeah.

06:15Yeah, the granddad, the dad and, yeah, that's a lovely thing to know.

06:18What is it about darts that you enjoy?

06:21Every game can be different.

06:23Yeah.

06:24It can always be different.

06:25Everyone's throw is different.

06:26Everyone's darts are different.

06:27It's just very unique.

06:29And what do you reckon to this Lillen?

06:31I mean, it's great, isn't it really, for the sport?

06:34Yeah, he's brought so many different people in here.

06:37Yeah.

06:38We've been so much busier since he was a child.

06:40Well, I mean, I can see today they're queuing up now, isn't it, to get on the board.

06:43Do you know what I mean?

06:44Well, thank you boss and continue with your darting career.

06:47Cheers mate.

06:48Cheers mate.

06:49Ta-ra.

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