By Patricia A. Scheyer
NKyTribune reporter
Florence Bowl has long been the best kept secret in the city of Florence.
But no longer.
It is a business a little off the beaten track, but it is just two turns off Industrial Road, a treasure at the end of the short road.
A new partnership is giving the tried-and-true business a facelift, and a chance for the community to come and see what Florence Bowl has to offer.
This represents an entire night out in a single place, a chance for every member of the family to come and bowl, and eat out while they are having fun.
“I basically grew up in a bowling alley in Ohio,” said Dean Arvin, who, along with Andy Campbell, bought the bowling alley in May. Arvin also coaches the Ryle bowling team, and Florence Bowl in their home alley. “Bowling has always been a great hobby for me and my wife, and when Andy reached out last year, I found out he has been a champion bowler too. We want people to enjoy the sport the way we do.”
The partnership formed when the two entrepreneurs bought Walt’s Lanes in the Newport shopping center in May of 2024. They have renovated and rejuvenated that well known bowling alley, adding golf simulators, and a full restaurant and bar.
Now they are tackling the Florence bowl, and they have big plans, but they don’t intend to close the business to start making it the best it can be.
“We have bumpers on every one of our 36 lanes,” said Arvin. “I remember being in a kids’ league when I was about seven years old, so we want to start leagues for kids here too.”
Florence Bowl is open seven days a week, and it just costs $11 to bowl for two hours Monday through Thursday, while Friday, Saturday, and Sunday the cost is $14 for two hours per person.
“We have already started renovating, with our front desk,” said Campbell. “We also put on a new roof and painted it. There was a small storage room behind the bar that we completely redid so it now has several tables, with retro furniture, so people can get a drink and sit back there and watch a game on tv. On August first we will add a pro shop.”
The pro shop is called Hitt’s Bowlers Store, and the original store is at Walt’s Lanes in Newport, but they are going to open their second location in Florence at the Florence Bowl.
Arvin said they currently have one league at the bowling alley, but they will be encouraging other bowling leagues, such as the ‘9 pin no tap’ ‘have a ball’ doubles league, where 9 pins are really a strike, and at the end of the season bowlers can get a ball package from Hitt’s pro shop.
Bowling has been around for centuries. Articles found in the tomb of an Egyptian child who was buried in 5200 BC included nine pieces of rudimentary stone, and one rock ball rolled through a marble archway, proving that they enjoyed the game too.
A more modern form of the game popped up in ancient Germany, as a part of a religious ceremony, and Martin Luther is said to have determined 9 pins to be the perfect amount.
Though the game was played sporadically through the centuries, it really hit its heyday in the mid-20th Century when post World War II families took the game to a whole new level of popularity.
Bowling alleys are great places to have birthday parties for kids. For under $17 per child there will be two hours of bowling, which includes shoe rental, a souvenir bowling pin that all the kids can sign, two slices of pizza, a 12 ounce drink, paper plates and napkins, and a photo to remember the occasion.
In addition, bowling can be set up anytime. If a family gathering planned for a park proves to be too hot, or too rainy, families can go to the bowling alley and be cooler and drier and still be active. Reservations will be available as soon as three hours if families want a more popular time.
Down the road, the partners want to add some golf simulators and maybe some redemption games for the kids.
For now, they are making small improvements, and polishing up what they have. They are making the change from wood lanes to synthetic lanes to help with wear and tear on the wood.
They want to share their fun with the community. On October 4 they will hold an open house, with a demonstration from the pro shop and fun things for the kids.
Florence Bowl is open seven days a week, but not on holidays. For more information, the website is Florencebowl.com.
“We would love for the community to come out and take a look at the best kept secret in Florence,” said Arvin. “Come out and have some pizza, and you can try our goetta hanky pankies! We want to share our secret so it’s not so secret anymore.”