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

July 16, 2019 0

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.

June 18, 2019 0

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

June 6, 2019 0

Ducks at Hi and Dry in Cleveland

Hi and Dry in Cleveland opened in 2017 in the historic Tremont district of the city. They offer beer and bowling, the perfect combination. The venue has four mini-bowling duckpin lanes with string pinsetters. The lanes are approximately 20 feet long and have no formal approaches.

The mini-duckpin lanes at Hi and Dry in Cleveland

Check out the all of the photos on their website.

December 9, 2018 0