MoodRight’s Plans Duckpins for Historic Savannah District

“MoodRight’s Duckpin Bowl & Boogie” is the name, duckpin is the game. The concept for this business has been in the planning stages since October 2018, but it may soon be opening to its first customers. Hoping to locate in the Thomas Square / Starland District of Savannah, GA, it will be located amongst other historic district businesses.

The owner, Christopher Moody, says that the business will provide “a kitschy and welcoming atmosphere”, duckpin bowling, and billiards in a “thoughtfully curated ambiance”.

At present, plans call for 4 duckpin lanes and, given the size of the existing structure, they will likely be short, non-regulation lanes without approaches. Moody intends to also focus on creating leagues for weekdays which he feels will add to the communal experience. For now, the decision on duckpin versus rubberband duckpin has not been made.

The building at the target location is not exactly what you would expect and will need some superficial work, as seen in the rendering. According to the permit materials submitted to the City, construction should take about six months. There is, however, some local opposition to the plan as parking in the area is challenging and the streets in the historic area are not well-suited to the many delivery trucks that are already found there. Increasing both of those is not a popular idea.

MoodRight’s has applied for their liquor license and much will depend on whether that is approved. However, Savannah residents and visitors may be seeing duckpin return within the coming months.

Update 2019-07-31: Moodrights has obtained their liquor license and is moving fuulspeed towards opening. Owner Moody recently gave a short interview on Savannah WJCL/22 during which he said that pins will be set manually and they will only use two balls per frame. From supplied video, it appears that they will be using regulation duckpins.

WJCL – “Duckpin” Bowling coming soon to Savannah

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A Historic Foundary, High Voltage Karting, and Duckpin Bowling in Medina, OH

A new 30,000-square-foot entertainment complex outfitted with a selection of games that will include duckpin bowling, billiards, bocce, pinball, classic arcade games and ping pong is coming to Medina, Ohio. Foundary Social will join Elyria-based Franklin Brewing and Medina’s own High Voltage Karting in the historic property at 333 Foundary Street. Owners Greg Cordray, Steve Madden, Brian Fontanella and Gene Whaley are the brains behind the new project.

“We are excited to bring Foundry Social to Medina,” Cordray says. “The Medina community has embraced us and supported High Voltage Karting since day one, and we are proud to bring such an exciting entertainment concept to Medina.”

The plans for Foundry Social include a full bar, kitchen and private event space, combining to create a “premier dining and entertainment spot,” according to Cordray. The entire complex is over 135,000 feet and will still have space leftover for expansion and future ventures.

Brian Fontanella tells us that they will be using lanes and string machines from Infinity Bowl, standard duckpins, and the Stelltronic System for lane management. There will be 8 lanes and each will be 26′ long. There will not be approaches. As in similar venues, this eliminates the need for bowling shoes and inventory, frees up space to create revenue for the operation, and moves the games along at a faster pace.

Clevescene.com – Foundry Social to Add Games, Food, Beer and Fun to Medina’s Foundry Building

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Duckpin in Connecticut in 1856?

While not a bowling “center”, the historic Roseland Cottage in Woodstock, CT, has a 1-lane setup that was built in 1846. Note that it served for both tenpin and duckpin and used manual pin-setting.

While we cannot find a record of when duckpin was first included (original or much later) but there is a reference in an 1856 letter to “bowling the small pins” while visiting Henry Bowen to discuss the “fermenting political ugliness in the South”. We have so far been unable to obtain a copy of the letter, but the information was shared by the letter’s owner, a private collector.

If accurate, that potentially moves duckpins presence in the USA back another few decades from its mention on the original building plans of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island in Michigan.

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Duckpins Return to Norfolk – Sort of

Circuit Social is the new kid on the block. Opened just before Memorial Day 2019, the establishment boasts current and vintage arcade games that run 25-50 cents per game, craft beer, and duckpin bowling.

There are 10 lanes installed by Infinity Bowl that are 32 feet long, use rubberband duckpins with string pinsetters, and regulation balls. There are no approaches which speeds up games and eliminates the need to stock and care for bowling shoes. Rubberband pins were chosen to reduce the noise level.

By early June, Circuit Social was still pretty crowded. The owner, Robert Lupica, has two other locations in Richmond, but they do not feature any type of duckpin bowling. He said he plans to open additional locations throughout the Southeast with planning already underway for Charlotte and Atlanta. Thew new venues will focus more on “social” games, such as duckpin bowling.

“I think things repeat themselves in culture and things come back. It changes maybe a tad.” he said. “I think it’s the same thing with the millennials and the parents. They want the ‘old school.’ They want that nostalgia feel.”

The Virginian Pilot – Want some nostalgia with that beer? Arcade bar industry hits Norfolk.

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Waco Texas to Get Duckpin Bowling in 2020

Mark Schulman has built several of his Schulman Movie Bowl Grille locations, but he wanted the one in his hometown of Waco, Texas, to be bigger and better. Besides a multi-screen movie theater, 30 lanes of tenpin bowling, an arcade, and a full-service restaurant, he will be creating a separate area for some form of duckpin bowling. The 300-plus acre complex will be owned under MKT Real Estate Holdings LLC and developed by 58 Aggie Development LLC. Schulman is targeting the Summer of 2020 to have the complex completed.

Since his plans are not final yet, we don’t know if the duckpin portion will be regulation lanes or the shorter entertainment-style 26-ft lanes, but any new introduction of the sport is a positive move. There is still an opportunity for someone in the duckpin world to reach out and try to convince him that a regulation-size setup brings more long-term potential.

In an interview with Mike Copeland of the Waco Tribune-Herald, Schulman mentioned that leagues are not their target nor a priority for the bowling business. However, he does describe a seasonal volatility and even short-season leagues for duckpin could help bring in business during the “valleys” in business revenues.

The complex is expected to bring in 275 jobs with 75 or more being full-time. Some of those positions will be seasonal.

The complex’s full-service restaurant, Billy’s Grille & Bar, will a “mix of George’s and Cheddar’s, and maybe toss in a little bit of Texas Roadhouse or Saltgrass.” The restaurant menu will include burgers, steaks, seafood, salads, pizza and appetizers. He expects to have at least 86 craft beers available, and TV screens will provide an array of viewing options.

Waco Tribune-Herald – Mike Copeland: More on Forthcoming Entertainment Complex

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“Duckpin” at The Rec Room in Fort Lauderdale FL

Owner Sam Solomon rescued a pair of short duckpin lanes from a closed bar in Ohio, although he wasn’t quite sure how or where he was going to use them. The opportunity arose when he and his partners developed and opened The Rec Room in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The lanes are the short 26-ft variety, regulation width. and have no approaches. Pinsetters are string-based and they are currently using rubber-band duckpins because they found they score higher which made them more popular with patrons. Bowlers don’t need shoes since there are no approaches. They merely take a stance at the end of the lane and roll the ball.

Solomon praises the setup saying that the string machines allow games to be played in about 20-25 minutes each, even with two 4-person teams. The short game time keeps the interest of customers in a day when so much competes for their attention. On a regular night, the wait for access to the two lanes can take hours. The bowling is such a low-cost operation with this setup that the lounge offers it for free.

The Rec Room is forming teams for a league starting in July and has signed up 7 four-person teams so far. Solomon has hinted that they might have a new project in the works and duckpin looks like it will most definitely be involved. When pressed for more info, he politely declined and said it is merely in the talking stages at this point.

SouthFlorida SunSentinel – SummerTimeOut: Duckpin bowling at Rec Room in Fort Lauderdale

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Mustang Alleys in Baltimore to Reopen

Great news for the Baltimore duckpin crowd: Mustang Lanes is being refurbished and will reopen under new ownership later this summer. The 12-year-old business, located on the second floor of the historic Tack Factory building at 1300 Bank St., has a new owner and is currently undergoing light refurbishment.

The bowling center near Little Italy in Baltimore City had closed this past April after the owners were unable to negotiate a new lease to stay open. In late May, a new ownership purchased the business and started the process of readying the 12-lane center for reopening.

Mustang Lanes offers duckpin bowling as well as a full-service bar, private event room and food service. Smith plans to upscale the food offerings by bringing in Chef Malcolm Mitchell, a former “Food Network Star” contestant and the Baltimore Sun’s “Best New Chef” of 2017. They will also add more local craft beers to their drink lineup.

Smith has said that the bowling alley’s facelift won’t include too many dramatic changes. He considers it “retro cool” and doesn’t want it to lose its appeal.

Baltimore Business Journal

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Duckpins Coming to Federal Hill and Ocean City Maryland

The Ropewalk Tavern on Federal Hill in Baltimore City is closing in July. But the closure is only temporary as they are adding 4 duckpin lanes to the second floor of the establishment.

The move comes as the owners, Marc McFaul and his wife, have seen a dramatic drop in people coming form outside of the city and they are positioning the business to attract more neighborhood and local patrons.

The project was inspired by Alley Oops, another concept that McFaul is developing at 131st Street in Ocean City, Maryland. Alley Oops is scheduled to open in July 2019.

McFaul added that the Federal Hill redux will take its cues from their other locations in Bethany Beach and Chincoteague. If the duckpin bowling terns into the kind of draw on customers that they expect, also extending patron time spent in the venue, they will consider adding lanes to those other locations as well.

Baltimore Business Journal

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Pins Mechanical to Open 4 New Locations

Troy Allen’s Rise Brands is on a roll, with three locations already open throughout Ohio. The concept of Pins Mechanical Co. combines pinball, duckpin bowling, and great drinks. Interestingly, none of the current venues serve food, but have food trucks and neighborhood food providers for hungry patrons. Its a complement to the company’s 16-Bit, an arcade-based venue.

Last week, Allen announced that four new locations have been procured and are in various stages of development. The new locations are Nashville, Charlotte, Indianapolis, and Cleveland. As they gain experience, they are making each location bigger to accommodate the crowds and to host large parties and corporate events. The Cleveland location is expected to start construction at the end of 2019 while the others are already being developed with expected opening dates in late 2019 or early 2020.

Allen added that additional locations in those areas are likely as their plan is to use a “hub-and-spoke model,” where one urban location is followed by additional suburban units. He also let slip that they are already researching markets in other states too.

It seems duckpin bowling is pretty popular these days and entertainment centers such as Pins Mechanical Co. seem to have the right formula to bring people in to bowl. They are currently installing 26-foot lanes with 8-foot approaches. As has become the norm, Qubica/AMF machines are used for the pinsetters.

An interesting aspect about this news is the location in Indianapolis. When completed, along with other recent announcements, Indianapolis will have 8 duckpin venues. This elevates the area and again raises the question as to whether regulation/sanctioned duckpin could grow in this midwest city.

News from Clevescene.com – Ohio City to Get a Combined 16-Bit and Pins Mechanical Co.

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