Tag: minibowling

The Eleanor Brings Social Duckpin to Silver Spring

Silver Spring’s newest night spot will soon be The Eleanor. A social-style venue with arcade games and 5 lanes of “social duckpin”, the entertainment and bar fusion is the second location for owner Adam Stein. The opening date is set for February 24.

Stein’s other Eleanor location is on Florida Avenue in NorthEast Washington, DC and is a good bit smaller overall. That location has only two bowling lanes but is extremely popular. The Silver Spring location will have a larger kitchen and offer a bigger menu. Look for top-tier foods here, not your typical chili-fries and Bud Light. They aim to offer craft beers and award-winning dishes. However, you will still be able to get wings and nachos.

While it is being called and marketed as “duckpin” bowling, it is actually mini-bowling, the variant being marketed by US Bowling. It is confusing since tenpin paraphernalia decorates the bar while duckpin posters and murals adorn the walls. Given their target demographic, customers are unlikely to notice the difference as most would not have grown-up with genuine duckpin bowling.

Thank you to Bethesda Magazine!

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Duckpin Returns to Busch Stadium in St. Louis

Until 2008, you could find duckpin in St. Louis. Granted, it was just 2 lanes in the exhibit area of the International Bowling Hall of Fame, but they were real duckpin lanes. Then the Hall of Fame moved to Texas and they didn’t include the duckpin lanes or most of the exhibit. However, in 2013 they installed two of the Highway 66 lanes from AMF/Quibica. They routinely switch up the pins in the machines to demonstrate duckpin, rubberband duckpin, tenpin, and mini-bowling.

Fast forward to 2019 when Ballpark Village, a development launched by the Cardinals and Cordish Companies surrounding Busch Stadium, is signing new tenants to space in the latest expansion. One of those tenants will be Sports and Social St. Louis, a family friendly restaurant and entertainment destination that will feature the currently successful form of short duckpin bowling. Along with the bowling will be foosball, arcade games, ping pong, skeeball, and a live music venue. To date, 92% of the properties in the current phase II expansion have already been leased.

The 9,000 square foot Sports and Social St. Louis is expected to open its doors in Spring 2020, just as the baseball season begins.

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10Pins Bowling Alley in Franklin Goes with Mini-bowling Over Duckpins

Several months ago, we wrote how developed Pat Hagan was planning to bring duckpin bowling to his new project in downtown Franklin, Indiana. Since that time, Hagan opted to install six mini-bowling lanes instead.

In a recent article for The Daily Journal, Hagan explained that he didn’t want to add just another place to play duckpin bowling. Instead, he went with US Bowling’s “mini-bowling”. Overall, he mentions that the dimensions of the lanes and equipment were a better fit for the building.

We made contact with Hagan those many months ago and he was surprised to hear there was a national duckpin organization and a somewhat large member-base for duckpin bowling. He was interested in hearing more, especially of any advantages it offered. During the conversation, we offered to share his information with both the National Duckpin Bowling Congress as well as the Duckpin Bowling Proprietors Association so he could gather more information.

Unfortunately, when we recently caught up with Hagan, he said he was never contacted and selected mini-bowling. Duckpin didn’t seem to present any clear advantages and mini-bowling offered a less-expensive package. However, even he says he might have gone a different way with more information on why duckpin could have been a better choice. After all, his original inspiration was bowling duckpin at Action Bowl at Fountain Square in Indianapolis.

Hagan mentioned, “I had done that many, many times, and I had thought earlier that (Franklin) would be a really cool place to do something like that. But I’d never put much thought into it. As we were bowling this time, people kept saying that we should do something like this, and I wanted to try it.”

10Pins also features arcade games, a bar stocked with craft beer choices and wine, as well as food menu. A partnership with nearby Greek’s Pizzeria and Tapp Room has helped him to expand the menu.

Describing his business, Hagan says, “We’re a bowling facility first and foremost. I just happen to have a bar. I would rather people come in and bowl, then if they want a beer or a soda or a hot dog, we can accommodate it…”

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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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Hoppin’ Vines or Hopping Ducks?

Cincinatti has yet another pseudo-duckpin venue at the happening bar called Hoppin’ Vines. Home to 6 lanes built by Infinity Bowling, each is 26′ in length and uses string pinsetters that can be reset for rubberband, 5-pin, and tenpin if desired.

Owner Steve Schoembs, also a founder of Mason Craft Brewery, built the concept combining great craft beer, good food, and duckpin bowling. They opted to use lanes without approaches to avoid the hassles associated with stocking, maintaining, and tracking bowling shoes. They also felt that by eliminating the shoes, people would be more inclined to play the game. The numbers are proving him correct as the lanes stay quite busy most nights and weekends.

As a business, Infinity Bowling reported, “The average length of guest stay is OVER 3 hours per visit with a 3 hour waiting list. This is bowling on steroids…”

Hoppin’ Vines Cincinatti

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Pinhouse Brings mini-Duckpin to Charlotte

Once a hotbed of duckpin activity, Charlotte, NC, has not had any version of duckpin sing about 1981. Well, no more!

Pinhouse, located at 2306 Central Ave., was recently developed by the owners of South End’s Hoppin’, Rich Moyer and Drew Nessemeier. It is designed primarily as a bar with self-pour taps featuring local craft beers.

The establishment will have a soft opening later this month and a grand opening July 27, 2019. It will consist of two floors, 72 self-pouring taps and a balcony overlooking Veterans Park. The decor will offer the feeling that you’ve stepped outside the city and into some Gastby-esque reality.

The lanes are 26 ft long, have no approaches, and use string machines.

CharlotteFive – Self-pour bowling bar sets opening date in Plaza Midwood

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Sioux Falls Gets a Taste of Duckpins

The Vinyl Social Club opened in February to large crowds. The club offers a lot in the way of dining and entertainment, including a DJ. But, our focus is on the pseudo-duckpin bowling.

The lanes are very short at only 16 feet, but the balls and pins are regulation. While it is not the actual game of duckpin bowling, it has proved itself to be very popular, which may open the way to a regular center being built by someone in the future.

SiouxFalls Business – Sioux Falls hasn’t seen anything like this

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Catalina Island ducks? Why not?

The Three Palms Arcade on Catalina Island has four lanes of mini-duckpin bowling for their guests. String pinsetters with slightly thinner pins sit at the end of short lanes (about 30 feet) and formal approaches. From the photos its obvious bowling shoes are not required.

The arcade even offers leagues and from the schedule on their website, seem to do a decent little business with that. Next time you visit sunny California, head out to the island for a bit and wander by to take a gander at the lanes.

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