It’s been a few years since the lanes at Sackville Bowling have resonated with the sounds of ten pin bowling, but the building’s owner is hoping they may again one day soon.
Debbie Johnstone of Birchwood Holdings is fixing up the building, with the hopes that it might one day be sold or leased to a new operator. Johnstone says Birchwood carpenter Tyler Carter is working on the space to make it safer and more secure. “A lot of things are coming down and being replaced at this point,” says Carter. The alleys themselves are in pretty good shape, he says, though they are due for some maintenance.
“We’ve contacted the guy that used to own [the alley],” says Johnstone, “and he’s going to come down and show us exactly how to get those lanes up and operational.”
Sackville Bowling first opened in 1939, meaning it predates both the Vogue Cinema, which has been for sale since the summer, and the former Mel’s Tea Room, which is now transformed into new restaurant, Oh Chicken!
The ‘COKE’ sign out front is showing some wear, with the words ‘Sackville Bowling’ nearly worn away, but Johnstone says she is focussed on the inside, making sure the structure is in good shape.
“The building is going to be totally safe and totally secure,” says Johnstone. “And we’ll have it all inspected once we’re done… And then I’ll be looking at either renting it to somebody, or selling the whole building.”
The last people to use the bowling alley were a group of entrepreneurial students from Mount Allison, who came close to re-opening the operation under the moniker ‘Strike Club’ in the spring of 2020. They faced delays getting insurance, and then the pandemic hit.
Johnstone knows that there’s appetite locally to see the alley back in business. “Everybody wants this bowling alley up and running, and I understand that, but I need to make sure things are done properly,” says Johnstone. Here late husband Don was the bowler of the family, and ran the alley. “It was really kind of his little baby,” says Johnstone. “But I just don’t have time to run the bowling alley.”
Johnston is hoping someone will rent the space from her, or propose a plan to run the bowling operation. She’s open to possibilities, says Johnstone, “but I have to have somebody that is willing to put some time and effort into it,” she says.
Carter says the work on the building could take awhile, and there’s not yet a timeline estimating when the building might be ready for prospective buyers or bowlers.
