The Arena Lanes Bowling Center in Oak Lawn has been family owned for more than 65 years. That will continue after Christmas, but with a different family.
Bill Bard, whose father of the same name built the bowling alley in 1956 on the northeast corner of 103rd and Cicero Avenue, is selling the building and the business to Bill Brennan and his sons, Bill Jr. and John.
Bill Brennan Jr. said it was an easy decision when Bard asked him if he wanted to buy Arena.
“It’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Brennan, whose family also owns the bowling business at Bluebird Lanes in Chicago.
Brennan said Arena is a well-run business and its size, cleanliness and how modern it is make it “one of the crown jewel bowling centers in the industry.”
The sale was expected to be completed Friday. Arena Lanes was closed over the holiday, with plans to reopen Monday at 9 a.m. sharp, Brennan said.
“We are excited to jump in immediately,” with no major changes, he said.
Bard said it was an off-the-cuff remark when he offered to sell Arena to Brennan.
“Young Bill was bowling here on Wednesday night about a year and a half ago (and) it popped out of my mouth,” Bard said.
Bard said he does not regret it. He has worked at Arena since he was 17, starting right after high school, and has done every job from porter to manager, including mechanic and bartender.
“I’ve been there for 59 years,” Bard said.
His wife, Millie, has been doing the bookkeeping and his daughter Mellissa and her husband, Daryl Durano, work there too. But Bard said he’s tired.
It was important he sell the property to someone who would continue to operate a bowling center.
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“I had two offers to buy for redevelopment, which means the bowling alley would be gone. I didn’t want to do that,” Bard said.
Arena had 24 lanes when it opened and his father added 16 more in 1962, Bard said. He said it was the first Brunswick center in the Chicago area with pin-setting machines.
“I was the first one on the South Side in 1984 to put in automatic scorers,” Bard said. “I thought that was the future.”
The machines that add up each bowler’s pins and project the scores overhead have become standard in bowling alleys.
While Bard’s father was alive in the 1970s, Arena expanded into the building to the east and added 18 more lanes. But the younger Bill Bard determined that was unworkable and took the lanes out in 1978, leasing the space to retail stores.
Not surprisingly, Bard became a good bowler, with two 300-score games in league play.
“That is nothing to brag about,” Bard said. “I have guys in here who bowl two 300 games a week.”
The improvement in bowling equipment has made 300 scores much more achievable, Bard said.
“The bowling balls are explosive and the surface is much better,” he said.
Bowling alleys used to have wooden lanes, but almost all have been replaced with a synthetic material that is easier to condition and maintain, Bard said. With wooden lanes, Arena used to close for one week every year to sand the lanes and recoat them.
Next year, the Bards and the Duranos plan to relocate to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where the Bards own a second home.
“I’m going to do it, but I don’t want to admit it. It’s too much of a change,” Bard said.
Many bowling alleys in Chicago have closed in the past 30 years, but people still have a choice of bowling centers in the southwest suburbs, such as Oak Lawn, Tinley Park, Palos Hills and Oak Forest.
Brennan said that’s because bowling remains “very affordable recreation.”
Depending on the time and the day, Bard charged from $3 to $4.25 per person per game or from $35 to $50 per hour per lane at Arena. The busiest time of year is December through March, when there are few options for outdoor recreation.
Arena has video gaming machines too. While gambling revenue from the machines has been important to his bottom line, Bard said, most significant are the bowling leagues.
“You work like mad to organize them. Then you’ve got them for 33 to 35 weeks and they pretty much run themselves.”
Revenue from the bar is also important, but it’s a bonus, Bard said. Some bowlers don’t drink at all.
“I’ve got one league tonight. It’s a church league and they don’t allow their members to drink,” he said.
Tom Spratt of Burbank has been bowling at Arena since he retired seven years ago.
“It’s an outstanding location and a very nice facility,” Spratt said.
He’s an avid bowler, having started in the 1970s. In addition to his Wednesday league at Arena, Spratt bowls on a Monday league in Palos Lanes, at Tinley Bowl in a men’s league every Thursday and in a mixed league with his wife every other Sunday.
“It’s a sport I can handle,” Spratt said.
He’s not concerned about Arena changing hands, as he knows the younger Bill Brennan well.
“I have bowled with him at least 15 years. He bowled his first 300 game against our team about eight years ago at Bluebird,” Spratt said.
Gary Thomas and his wife, Audrey, were bowling a few casual games last week.
“Everybody that comes here is extra nice. When we first got on the league, we didn’t have to feel our way around. People just reached out. The staff greets you. I believe they know everybody,” said Audrey Thomas.
The couple, who are pastors and live in Flossmoor, also bowl on a Friday morning league.
“It’s a very nice atmosphere. The people are very friendly,” said Gary Thomas, who has a 185 average.
Lannie Arnold, who has a 175 average, was just back to bowling after having bypass surgery and hoping to build up his energy level.
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“Bowling relaxes me,” Arnold said.
On adjacent lanes at Arena were the Thomases’ 20-year-old grandson, Javon, and Vernon Price, who is 93. Javon said bowling is a fun way to spend time with his grandparents.
Price, a Chicagoan, said she has bowled for years.
“I’m slowing down, but I don’t want to just sit at home because I am old,” she said.
It’s a great social activity and the Arena staff is friendly and helpful, said Donna Dubek, whose scores in three games rose from 180 to 193 to 213. Like golf, bowling has a handicap.
“You know what’s great about bowling?” Dubek said. “No matter how bad a bowler you are, the handicap keeps it competitive.”
Kimberly Fornek is a freelance reporter or the Daily Southtown.