CHICAGO-“If you want to play dominoes, this is the place to be. I’ll always be posted up at 2558 W. Division St. Any day it’s open, I’m there,” said Cheo Gomez, leader of Pe Erre dominoes league, which operates out of the Pe Erre Domino Club in Chicago’s Humboldt Park.
Gomez wasn’t exaggerating. Every Sunday, Pe Erre hosts free dominoes classes for children aged 8 to 14 and for adults learning the rules as well. It’s one of many activities, competitions and community gatherings at the club. Whether helping the kids or adults, Gomez is there with his lively, exuberant self–helping others in the room and turning interactions into contagious bursts of laughter.
This energy set the tone for Pe Erre. Pe Erre isn’t just a dominoes club, it’s a place to “Create community, feel part of a community and have fun,” according to Miriam Velez-Rivera, co-owner of the club with husband Roberto Rivera.
Pe Erre opened its doors in August and since then, people from Humboldt Park and beyond have come for events and tournaments.
“When you’re here, it feels like you’re visiting your tíos [uncles] and tías [aunts],” said Lizette Torres, the bartender for Pe Erre.
“There is finally a space for people to play dominoes and enjoy each other’s company, and people like coming. They keep coming back” said Velez-Rivera, as she held back some laughs and motioned to the full room of players.
Frequent visitors Derrick Cabrera playing dominoes with friend Angel Flores. (Photo Credit: Hayley Gregoire)
Pe Erre, the Spanish pronunciation for “PR,” is a club that focuses on highlighting Puerto Rican culture through dominoes. Roberto Rivera, co-owner of Pe Erre, explained that dominoes is a “staple” in Puerto Rican culture, so it was important to open a dominoes club in a Puerto Rican neighborhood.
“At home, we play [dominoes] until 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning,” said Rivera. The Pe Erre co-owner also said that there wasn’t a spot to play dominoes in Humboldt Park.
“Typically, people would play dominoes at church or at the barber shop,” Rivera said. “But we wanted to create a space that was solely dedicated to dominoes.”
Miriam Velez-Rivera and husband Roberto Rivera met in Puerto Rico over a game of dominoes. That shared passion later led them to open their new business.
Luis Martinez, an architectural designer who helped design the store, is currently working to make the front of the business resemble the facade of a typical Puerto Rican house. Currently, the business is one-story, but Martinez has plans to add an upper floor and expand on one side, given the packed tables within minutes at each event.
Entrance of La Casa del Domino (Photo Credit: Hayley Gregoire)
“Just like sports or music, dominoes is a good way to connect with people. It allows you to open up, and it’s great for the elders because it requires a lot of brain function,” Martinez said.
Martinez and Rivera spoke of the hopes of reaching a large audience, ranging from children to the elders. They hope that through the free classes offered to kids, a larger demographic of people will come to play.
“We want to teach the kids because our abuelos [grandparents] won’t live forever. Someone has to teach the next generation,” said Rivera.
Hayley Gregoire is a graduate student at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, pursuing a specialization in sports media.
Cover Photo: Kids, families and adults gather to learn the rules of dominoes. (Photo Credit: Hayley Gregoire)