The Cupertino Courier
Cover Story
Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Sumeet Haldankar (top) was among the bowlers who tried out the new lanes at Cupertino Strike during a grand opening July 19. Grace Mayeda, 85, prepares to bowl during a Monday morning bowling league at Homestead Lanes. Mayeda has been bowling for 33 years and comes to Homestead Lanes twice a week.
Super Bowls
New and old bowling centers offer entertainment options to spare
By Erin Hussey
The classic American sport of bowling seems to go in and out of fashion almost as regularly as wearing white after Labor Day. One year it's considered passé; the next, it's featured in Hollywood movies.
This year bowling is in and comes in two different forms: traditional and entertainment-based.
While each venue may dresses it up differently, the sport is basically the same as it was when it first appeared in 3200 B.C. in Egypt. One ball. Ten pins. One goal: knock down all the pins.
Thirteen years ago, Tom Shannon, then a 31-year-old businessman, was invited to a party at Bowlmor Lanes, an old bowling alley in New York's Greenwich Village. That party changed his life.
"In some ways bowling found me," says Shannon. "I walked in and thought, 'Wow, this could be something really special.'"
Strike Cupertino
Three years later he owned the property and began changing the face of bowling.
"When I bought that bowling alley a decade ago, there were no nice bowling alleys," Shannon says. "To go bowling, you sort of had to suffer some sort of deprivation. The food was bad, there was no service and most were pretty run down."
Through extensive esthetic renovations and the introduction of lane-side service of upscale, restaurant-quality food and beverages, the new, improved and sophisticated Bowlmor became the highest-grossing bowling alley in the world.
Shannon is now the CEO of Strike Holdings, LLC, a company headquartered in New York, which strives to create imaginative, exciting and memorable bowling and entertainment centers.
Within three years after buying Bowlmor, Strike Holdings opened new centers in Washington D.C., Long Island and Miami. While similarly stocked with plasma screens, extensive menus, stylish bars, black lights and music, each contains design elements reflecting the area's style and energy.
Strike Cupertino--the company's first center on the West Coast--opened July 20.
"It has some very unique design elements," says Shannon. "When you are able to do something with a clean slate like at Strike Cupertino, you can create something even more special.''
The 38,000-square-foot bowling and entertainment center was designed by Nobu's Chris Smith and has some Asian-inspired elements, including the wooden trellis that hangs above the entire seating area.
Strike is located on the ground floor of the Cupertino Square shopping center on Wolfe Road. It can be accessed through the parking lot adjacent to JC Penny.
"It will blow you away. It blows me away, and I have been involved in the whole process,'' says Shannon. "It's just stunning.''
In addition to 32 lanes of "black-light'' bowling, Strike Cupertino also has a high-end sports bar equipped with 15 large plasma televisions, an up-to-date sports ticker and drink specials such as the Strike Cupertini. There is also a 65-game arcade room, pool tables, dancing to music selected by a DJ, and a full-service restaurant that offers both classic American and Asian dishes.
"We think Silicon Valley is probably the best market in the country for our concept," says Shannon, who compares Strike Holdings to Apple in terms of its dedication to quality.
"What we do really appeals to a sophisticated, hip client base and I think that really captures the vibe of the Silicon Valley."
So far it appears that Shannon is right.
An average of 400 people daily have come through doors since Strike Cupertino opened, and a number of corporate events, as well as adult and children's parties, have been booked. Shannon estimates that 60 percent of the sales at Strike Cupertino will come from corporate and private party events.
"I think it is very fitting for Cupertino," says Mayor Kris Wang. "In the past, Cupertino's image has been more conservative, more for established residents, but this is really geared toward a younger generation. I think it will be very successful, not only in Cupertino, but regionally."
Wang, who says she loves to bowl, was one of the guests of honor at Strike Cupertino's "Ultimate Office Party"--an invitation-only VIP event held July 19 that was attended by more than 1,000 Bay Area residents. It was hosted by actress Angela Kinsey, who stars in the hit NBC television comedy "The Office.''
Homestead Lanes
Unlike Strike Cupertino, which presents bowling in more of a night-on-the-town entertainment setting, Homestead Lanes prides itself being a league-based center with faithful customers who are called family.
"There is nobody in this area that has as many leagues as I do," says Paul Foott, who is now in his sixth year as general manager of Homestead Lanes. "We like being a league-based center.''
There are currently 46 leagues that bowl at Homestead, and the number continues to grow. Each league must have at least 24 dues-paying members.
"It was something for me and my wife to do together," says Wes Frey of Sunnyvale. Frey and his wife Barb have been bowling together for almost 40 years. Today they belong to three leagues and bowl four times a week at Homestead Lanes.
"You get to meet different people, get a bit of exercise and get out of the house,'' says Frey.
While some leagues are more social, others are very competitive and have included bowling pros such as Tony Reyes and Tai Dawson. One particular league at Homestead has a prize fund of $95,000.
"We like to see people bring their bowling bags in here and put them right on the concourse because they think they are a part of this," says Foott.
"If you ever talk to a bowler they will say, 'This is my center.' "
Although close to 80 bowling alleys throughout California have been shut down and sold to developers, Homestead Lanes remains an extremely busy center that draws people from across the Bay Area. According to Foott, it is not uncommon for almost every one of Homestead's 32 lanes to be occupied at any given time of day, either by league players, children's camps, walk-in customers or birthday parties.
"Seniors bowl mornings and afternoons. In the evening is the generations from 25 to 60," says Foott. "During the school year, Homestead and Cupertino high Schools have leagues that are part of the P.E. programs."
On Friday and Saturday nights and Saturday and Sunday afternoons, Homestead Lanes turns on the black lights and music for and "cosmic" bowling.
"People like to get together, bowl, have a beer and a good time," says Foott.
The 33,000-square-foot building is located in a small shopping center on Homestead Road in Cupertino. Not only does Greg Malley own the center, he also owns the entire parking lot.
"This property is very valuable that we are sitting on and the developers would just love to get their hands on it, but I believe we will be here for another 15 years," says Foott.
While Homestead Lanes is not looking to change its welcoming old-time atmosphere, Malley has decided to start making some renovations.
"The two things we are going to do immediately are the snack bar and update all of the equipment in the arcade," he says. The menu will also be updated with more options and healthier snack alternatives.
Another project Malley is looking to undergo is remodeling the 11th Frame Lounge by adding new tables and stools as well as a jukebox that displays music videos.
"We would like to make it into more of a sports lounge," explains Foott. On Monday evenings the 11th Frame Lounge host the Bowling Proprietors Association of America's karaoke contest. Last year the national champion won $5,000.
"We also run bands here," says Foott. "We allow them to come in on Saturday without charge and play. We always get a bunch of their followers and they have a good time."
As for losing business to the new entertainment-style bowling venues like Strike Cupertino, Foott isn't too concerned.
"I'm probably going to lose some corporate parties that I have," he says, adding that local companies such as Apple, HP and VeriTech have held events there in the past.
"But competition is good. It's just going to make me do things better."
