SCOTTSBURG — For Lea Ann Doughty, it was bittersweet when her husband put up a red and yellow For Sale sign on the outside of Scottsburg Lanes on New Year’s Eve.
Many people in the Scott County community and surrounding area thought the bowling alley was going to close, but that was never Doughty’s intention.
Her parents bought it in September 1979, and she and her brother became involved in the business and later acquired stock in it.
After her father died in 2019 and her brother died in 2020, it was just Doughty and her mother running it.
Fortunately, Toby Lawson offered to help in any way he could. The Seymour native started bowling when he was 3 and later went to Vincennes University on a bowling scholarship and studied bowling lanes management and became involved in bowling leagues and tournaments.
For a few years, Lawson and Doughty had several talks about him taking over ownership.
On Feb. 3, just more than a month after the For Sale sign went up on the building, Doughty agreed to turn over ownership to Lawson and John Caufield. May 19 was the closing date, and the sign came down.
Doughty had shown the bowling alley to two groups before the sign went up and nine more after.
“Whenever it all came down to it, they were wanting contracts, and I knew that that wasn’t going to be a thing that would work for us. Then these two hooked up, and the rest is history,” she said, smiling, referring to Lawson and Caufield.
“I know it’s going to do good. I have no doubt in my mind,” she said. “I know that the potential is there. It needed young blood, and they can go for their 40 years.”
Lawson said Doughty’s brother, Doug Yocum, told him a couple of months before he died from pancreatic cancer to do whatever his sister needs and help her out since he knows a lot about the business.
Doughty’s mother, Wanda Yocum, called Lawson one day and asked about his interest in becoming an owner. Talks continued for a couple of years before the ball really started rolling.
On Thanksgiving in 2022, Lawson met Bryce Lanham at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, and he asked Lanham if he invested in small businesses. Lanham said he had a friend interested.
That friend wound up being Caufield, and the trio met one day at Scottsburg Lanes to talk. More than a week went by until Lawson and Caufield sat down to talk about what they could do to grow the bowling alley and help the community.
A business plan was submitted to Doughty, and she said it was tremendous and she knew Lawson and Caufield would be best to take over.
“I know (Lawson’s) love for it, and it reminds me so much of my dad. Then John came in and he’s interested and he’s got the input and he’s got business savvy, so I see the two of them together and I see the potential is there,” she said. “We kept working on it. (Lawson) never gave up, and I really never gave up. I had other people that had shown interest, but it was meant to be. I do believe that. It was actually meant to be.”
Lawson said it had been his lifelong dream to run a bowling center. Now, that dream has come true.
“For my passion, it has not really hit home yet of knowing what we have here and what we got from her,” he said.
Caufield said he’s trying to let the dust settle as he helps carry on the well-established business.
“We’ve got a couple of improvements we’re wanting to do that are going to be later on down the road. We’ve got some stuff coming,” he said.
Doughty said Scottsburg has had a bowling alley since 1955. It started in a downtown building and consisted of four lanes. It moved to the current location at 409 N. Gardner St. in the 1960s and eventually grew to 14 lanes.
She said the building has been remodeled several times with different scoring systems and pin setters, and a lot of different families have been involved throughout the years.
Now with two new owners, improvements will continue.
“We’ve got some wild cards up our sleeves coming in July,” Lawson said before Caufield said they have acquired some land just south of the building that will serve as overflow parking for now.
“John and I have really worked hard to put some plans in place,” Lawson said. “We’ve got a lot of things that we’re hoping that people in the community see within the next month and a half, two months.”
Already, the new owners have started Glow Bowl on Fridays and plan to offer a variety of tournaments and leagues, drawing all ages. They also want to host groups for team-building outings, parties and fundraisers and continue to host Indiana High School Bowling teams for practices and tournaments.
“Anything else that anybody wants to do, we’re open,” Lawson said.
He said the bowling alley staff is remaining the same, and they plan to increase the number of employees.
Even though she’s retired, Doughty said she will come back and help with leagues if needed. She realizes the community definitely needs the bowling alley, and she feels it’s in good hands.
“It’s going to stay the same. It’s just going to be added onto, and it will only get better,” she said.
To stay up to date with the happenings at Scottsburg Lanes, like the new Facebook page, facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092368447835.
The bowling alley may be reached by calling 812-752-2582.