Seymour hasn’t had a bowling alley since Kingpins Bowl, formerly known as Starlite Bowl, closed in the summer of 2016.
But thanks to a couple of local investors, the city is closer to having a place to bowl once again.
J.D. Roberts said he and his father, Jerry, both of Seymour, purchased the former bowling alley last month. It is located at 643 S. Airport Road in Seymour.
Their plan after purchasing the property is to sell the business to investors who are interested in reopening the building as a bowling alley.
An event at the building is happening from 6 to 8 p.m. July 14 as an open call for business. It is an opportunity for people interested in running the bowling alley to look at the facility.
“I know there has been a lot of outreach about people interested in rehabbing this and running this as a bowling alley, and we have some interest in that if it makes sense for everybody,” J.D. said.
He said he and his father looked into buying the bowling alley several years ago, but at the time, it was a part of a bigger loan where multiple facilities had to be bought.
They had sold some property recently and were looking to reinvest in something else.
When looking at the bowling alley this year, they decided to purchase it. Roberts was upfront that he wants the building to stay as a bowling alley.
“I don’t want to see the bowling alley go away. (His father) doesn’t want to see the bowling alley go away,” he said. “We know with the facility being shut down for as long as it has, we want to be fair and honest with everyone who comes in.”
He is currently trying to get a company, Classic, to come in to assess all of the bowling lanes, mechanics and equipment to see what it would take to get the alley back to quality standards.
The reason for this is to help whoever wants to run the bowling alley to know what it will take to run it as a business and be successful, he said.
For the future business owner of the facility, they will have everything within the bowling alley donated to them by the property owners at no expense. Interior work and renovations will be the responsibility of the business owner.
According to the sales disclosure form for the property, the former bowling alley was purchased for $235,000. It sits on 6.945 acres of land.
The building was first opened in 1961 as Freeman Lanes but later was renamed Starlite Bowl. It was sold again and renamed Kingpins Bowl in 2013.
Until another business owner takes over operations of the building, the Robertses are rehabilitating the building to be in a functional state. Their priorities right now are to fix the roof and make sure the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system is working.
As for a timeline when local residents can expect the bowling alley to open, Roberts said, “I would like to see it rented and opened by the end of the year, for sure.”