The lanes will be replaced with isles of canned peas, and the shoes will disappear for magazines racks.
Pro Bowl East, 2757 E. Grand River Ave., closed its doors Aug. 14 and is set to be demolished Oct. 1.
“This would have been our 25th season,” former manager Ron Farlin said.
Pro Bowl East is located in Majestic Plaza, along with Oriental Mart, 2793 E. Grand River Ave.; Pistachio’s Restaurant, 2827 E. Grand River Ave.; Tuesday Morning Inc., 2825 E. Grand River Ave.; International House of Pancakes, 2771 E. Grand River Ave. and an abandoned building.
The bowling alley, Oriental Mart and the abandoned building will be torn down and used for a new Farmer Jack’s Supermarket.
The supermarket chain bought the land when the building’s lease ran out.
The Oriental Mart is moving across the street while the others will remain in the complex.
To celebrate the time spent in business, Farlin said residents can stop by the building on Sept. 10, 11 and 12 for souvenirs or to remember the good times.
“We can talk to people and sell shoes and pins for a $1,” he said. “(It’s) for all the students who wanted to steal the shoes and couldn’t.”
Farlin said he will miss the time spent with students.
“We had a lot of ties as far as the students,” he said. “They would come in, joke around and have fun.”
Since school started, many students have been calling the alley asking if it is open.
Students would bowl in leagues, with friends or just stop in for a drink. There was never a real problem finding business for the bowling alley, Farlin said.
“It was a gathering place for them,” he said. “There were nights where it was filled.”
With the loss of Pro Bowl East, other area bowling alleys have seen an increase in customers.
Holiday Lanes, 3101 E. Grand River Ave., has seen an increase in business, counter manager Joe Townsend said.
“We have had some leagues that came over from Pro Bowl East, so they will be starting in September,” he said.
Although there are still places for bowlers to go, Townsend said the alley was a favorite of many.
“In a way some people in the east side of Lansing don’t like to come over to the west side,” he said. “It was better access, you need a car to get over here in (Frandor Shopping Center, 300 Frandor Ave. in Lansing) because of the traffic and stuff.”
Townsend said he expects the college age bowlers to be coming in.
“I think the college kids will start coming over in our direction and that is going to help us with the productivity,” he said.
Erin Tobey, an English junior and founding member of the Downtown-Community Action League, said it’s common for leasors to sell out their buildings to larger corporations.
The league works to support independently-owned business and the alienation of corporate suburbs.
“The corporations are offering more money,” she said. “It is the case of the rent being jacked up, it seems the story I have been hearing from businesses closing down,” she said. “I am sad to hear about it with Pro Bowl.”
