Holiday Lanes to shut down after five decades

North-side bowling alley Holiday Lanes is scheduled to shutter after over five decades in business.

Manager Gary Clouse, who co-owns the 1111 W. Kearney St. center with Steve Wiemer, said he is retiring and Wiemer, the principal owner, did not want to invest to upgrade the facility.

“It’s a big, huge expense to do that,” said Clouse, 68. “He decided to close it rather than go ahead and upgrade.”

Holiday Lanes, which is scheduled to close by the end of May, opened in 1960 under Bob Speak. After an ownership change, the Wiemer family and Clouse purchased the center in 1986, he said.

“My wife and I have been here since then and we’ve met a lot of friends,” Clouse said. “It’s going to be hard to walk away.”

Wiemer, who could not be reached for comment by deadline, owns the 16-lane, 25,000-square-foot bowling alley, as well as adjacent, touching buildings. Clouse said Wiemer intends to sell the property for an undisclosed amount. According to Greene County assessor data, the 1.8-acre property has an appraised value of $976,100.

Wiemer also owns Sunshine Lanes and Enterprise Park Lanes, which are remaining open, according to Clouse.

“Probably a lot of our bowlers will move over to one of those two centers,” Clouse said.