“I’m also almost double of what Shamrock was doing this time last year,” he said, but then threw in a qualifier, “but it had really gone down when I got it.”
Ison’s experience is isolated. Of the other six bowling alleys in the Champaign and Clark county areas, only Northridge Lanes has stayed about even in number of games bowled this past year. The rest reported loses.
Ison doesn’t think the economy is a bad thing for his business.
“In the history of bowling, a bad economy is actually good for us,” he said. “Typically open play goes up because our sport is more affordable than many of the family alternatives.
“Open play is up in America and up in my centers. It’s up at my center in Hillsboro about 5 percent.”
One would think it’s not the best of times to buy a bowling alley.
“I think it is a challenge, and a good thing for me,” he said. “Typically a bowler is a middle-class person, and they are looking for a cheaper way to be entertained.”
So he has approached the task of rebuilding in a different way.
“The league play is important, but the open bowling is more important,” said Ison. “I typically go after that market. The old days when they come in and drink a few beers and hang out with the guys are over.”
Despite all of this, he remains optimistic.
“I’m not a negative person,” he said. “I don’t look at the glass half-empty, but half-full.
“I don’t see the economy as hurting me, I think it is going to help.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0364 or krowe@coxohio.com.
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