Two Metro-Detroit bowling alleys closed for good.

**Danny** · February-06-12, 02:49 PM

After 40 years of service. Garden Lanes in Garden City Michigan has been closed since last year.

After 50 years of service Oxford Lanes in Dearborn, MI. is officially closed.

This is so pitiful! What more Metro-Detroit bowling alleys are closing?

**hhockey** · February-06-12, 03:12 PM

Oxford closed due to the Toyota dealer across the street buying them out.However you are correct in that many a bowling alley is going by the wayside.

Buy American · February-06-12, 03:21 PM

Bowling is such a big part of Detroit's history going back to the 1930's. I think the Stroh Brewing Company sponsored the first league....I may be wrong about that though.

**Danny** · February-08-12, 10:13 AM

Originally Posted by Buy American

Bowling is such a big part of Detroit's history going back to the 1930's. I think the Stroh Brewing Company sponsored the first league....I may be wrong about that though.

The famous Mike Totsky used to bowl on the Stroh's League from the 1950s to late 1970s. He will be missed, God bless is soul.

**Jimaz** · February-06-12, 03:26 PM

Another sign of the vanishing middle class. <sigh>

Expect a variant of dwarf tossing to emerge with peasants replacing the dwarfs.

**Fury13** · February-08-12, 09:43 AM

Originally Posted by Jimaz

Another sign of the vanishing middle class. <sigh>

Not sure why you'd say this... bowling has always been more a favorite recreational activity of the working class, rather than the middle class. And even though middle-class families who had come up from a lower socioeconomic level stayed with bowling in past decades [['50s through '80s), I don't believe this has been the case for some time.

Agree that the smoking ban probably hurt the alleys [["final nail in the coffin"), because a higher percentage of bowlers smoke than in the general population.

Someone once told me that bowling alleys are noisy, smoky places that serve bad beer and awful food, and that they couldn't see the appeal. Well, times are changing.

The new, super high-tech lanes geared to families of all classes [[read: smokers have to go outside to do their thing) have displaced the old neighborhood alleys. There will be fewer places to bowl overall as time goes on, but the ones that we'll have will be huge multi-activity centers.

Personally, I like outdoor bowling -- bocce.

**Detroit_uke** · February-06-12, 03:35 PM

I was really sad to hear about Oxford Lanes. Bowled on leagues there. Had birthday parties for the kids there. They were generous to the community. There's a book that was published in 2000 - you have to read it. It's called Bowling alone: The Collapse and Revival of the American community - by Robert D. Putnam. I drove by Garden City Bowl yesterday...so sad...I wish i could afford to buy it...

**jolla** · February-06-12, 04:20 PM

Does anyone here patronize bowling alleys?

**Smirnoff** · February-06-12, 06:46 PM

In all honesty.....I am surprised Garden Lanes was still around, bowled there in the 70's during high school gym class & it was Not a nice bowling alley.....it was severely outdated back then!

**douglasm** · February-06-12, 06:47 PM

Good point, Jolla. 20 years ago I was in a league, but I probably haven't picked up a ball in 10 years. Where I live, we used to have 2 facilities. One was torn down for a strip mall, and I swear, in the other one, the lanes are an excuse to have a lounge and card room.

**finster** · February-06-12, 07:03 PM

I bowled at Garden City quite a few times with friends a few years back. I think they were trying to open up a sports bar inside but it musn't have worked out or helped much. Sad to see them go.

There's a bar/restaurant next door that has struggled and closed/reopened a few times under different names. I wonder if they're still making it? Kinda have my doubts as that section of Warren between Inkster and Middlebelt has seen lots of places close down in the last few years. So sad.

**Danny** · February-07-12, 03:59 PM

I used to bowled at Garden Lanes in 1986 for the youth tournments. It was exciting. The owners didn't have electronic scoreboards unitl 1987. It was just projection lamps with plastic score sheets.

I also bowled at Oxford Lanes since 2006 I won 4 house league championships and won second place in 2008. I also bowled two perfect games during practice.

**CLAUDE G** · February-07-12, 06:54 PM

I will say this, Im 32 years old and im sick and tired of all the glow bowl crap and synthetic lanes some of these alleys seems to have these days.

I liked the good old days when the lanes where made of real wood, and you needed to keep a rag with you to wipe the greese off your hands from the food served at the grill.

**Johnnny5** · February-07-12, 07:13 PM

IMO the smoking ban has a lot to do with number of lanes closing recently. I don't smoke and I rarely bowl, but from the times that I have bowled it was obvious that smoking was far more popular among regular bowlers than the general public. Bowling was losing popularity as it was, but the smoking ban really put the nail in the coffin.

**CLAUDE G** · February-07-12, 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by Johnnny5

IMO the smoking ban has a lot to do with number of lanes closing recently. I don't smoke and I rarely bowl, but from the times that I have bowled it was obvious that smoking was far more popular among regular bowlers than the general public. Bowling was losing popularity as it was, but the smoking ban really put the nail in the coffin.

I personally like the smoking ban, but your right in what you say. The smoking ban did have a big effect on bowling alleys,

SteveJ · February-07-12, 10:31 PM

Last time I went bowling was 3-4 years ago and then it was probably 2004 before that. I used to be 8-9 years ago a few times a month but just lost interest.

**Smirnoff** · February-08-12, 09:07 AM

After many years of closet bowling ball storage - recently I located a local bowling alley with $1.00/game & $1.00 drafts, pizza, fries.....so, I sold my '80's vintage bowling equipment on eBay [[didn't work on synthetic lanes & I couldn't believe somebody actually bid), bought a new ball/shoes/bag & now learning how to bowl with/on new technology!

**jolla** · February-08-12, 09:27 AM

Originally Posted by Smirnoff

...recently I located a local bowling alley with $1.00/game & $1.00 drafts, pizza, fries

Where? I bowl once in a while.

**Carey** · February-08-12, 09:15 AM

When is the last time a bowling alley opened in metro Detroit?

**DLife** · February-08-12, 01:30 PM

Emagine--Royal Oak, last year.

**Islandman** · February-08-12, 09:30 AM

There's always Rock and Bowl!

**hhockey** · February-08-12, 10:13 AM

The largest detriment to bowling has become the cost. If you bowl in a serious league or for that matter a fun league most new bowling balls cost between $150.00 to 250.00 dollars. A league bowler who buys a few beers pays his bowling fee and maybe gets into a couple of jackpots it can end up costing the guy $50.00 bucks a night. I know i bowl in a league. On the smoking issue our league has many smokers but they just go outside between games.

**hhockey** · February-08-12, 10:15 AM

He also owned Bowlcraft lanes on Schoolcraft and Evergreen.

**Danny** · February-08-12, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by hhockey

He also owned Bowlcraft lanes on Schoolcraft and Evergreen.

Bowlcraft Lanes went to a different owner and called "Rocket Lanes". Its was closed in 1990 and a black church owns the building.

**lafontaine** · February-08-12, 06:05 PM

There is a nice little bowling alley that opened at Barrymore's in Clinton Twp about 3 or 4 years ago. Each pair of lanes has couches and large plasma TVs over the pins.

http://www.cjbarrymores.com/bowling.php