New frontier coming down?
Denny Salatino
The old building is being taken down by a Monster Tonka Toy
building eater.
Denny.
Radem
"Denny Salatino" <salat...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:a476f80a.02042...@posting.google.com...
URRRRP!!! Tastes like bowling shoes...
Radem
mfmul...@hotmail.com
there, even heard at one time Walmart (but there isn't enough property
for that) plus wetlands in back.
Business was closed July 2000 for failure to pay various taxes, etc.
Many legal headaches were left by Don Freund and partners.
Rowland family sold to AD&D recreation in March 1999 (Don Freund, Alan
Sanford & Dave Husted (Husted owns two centers in Milwaukie Oregon),
the other two jerks owned Person Lanes in Auburn until the roof
collapsed.
Went thru foreclosure November 2000, sold for 1.4 million. Computer
scoring, synthetic lanes, ball returns were sold to Pacific Lanes in
spring 2001 and installed there.
Has sat vacant all this time, pinsetters were taken out recently by
Complete Bowling Service and sold for parts.
Lots of memories of that place, it was an Tacoma landmark (per quote
in the TNT) and had many positive bowling accomplishments there by
many people, including Earl Anthony, Dave Hanson (he bowled 278 300
300 for 878 in league while working the desk with me on a Monday nite,
setting a new state record just recently broken) and one of best
Senior bowlers I've seen: Ev Olson. Ted Tadich (another great bowler
in his day before all the fancy equipment of today) and Rose Mangrini
(sorry if spelling is wrong) were part of orig owners I undestand.
They sold to AMF Corp who damn near ruined it, AMF sold the business
to Ron Dittemore and Phil Cunningham in 1984. The place had 700 league
bowlers when Ron & Phil bought it, 2 years later and until it was
sold in 1999 there were 2400 league bowlers and was one of the busiest
in the state. Hosted PBA events and the first sold out World Team
Challenge event was at NFL. And now Bowlero is closing thanks to
AMF's inability to run a bowling center.
The back parking lot is owned by Home Depot so anything going in may
not have that part of the property for use.
Sad to see any part of recent Tacoma memories going away...but that's
what happens when you have people that don't know how to run business,
only the good ones survive. Now where to do bowlers go?
Pacific, Paradise Village, Towers in Tacoma for local ownership and oh
yeah Brunswick owned Narrows Plaza, which is losing it's bowlers as
well because of poor management. Oops, almost forgot Chalet with local
ownership as well and Lincoln.
From a former NFL employee and bowler of 35 years.
On 20 Apr 2002 13:29:18 -0700, salat...@yahoo.com (Denny Salatino)
wrote:
Denny Salatino
kept up on it more than anyone I know.
My sister used to work in the rest.food service there many years ago.
I bowled there a time or two myself years ago.
Now where will all the car sales curb stoners go?
Denny.
******
mfmul...@hotmail.com wrote in message
news:<3cc2f642...@news.harbornet.com>...
mfmul...@hotmail.com
Just a long time bowling fan and railroad fan too. Just like some of
the group here knows Tacoma history (I didn't move here until 1979
from north of Seattle), I've bowled probably every bowling center
between Bellingham and Tacoma over the years....many have closed in
Seattle and now Tacoma.
The car sales curb stoners and others who were NFL regulars at the
restaurant have gone to the Friendly Duck from what I've been told.
I've kept up on it because I first bowled at Frontier in 1970 and won
a tournament there in 1977, bowled 5 300 games and 3 800 series there,
led the scratch in hi average one year; saw the place go from one of
the best when Ted Tadich owned it, to AMF running it into the ground,
to it being revived again, then seeing it destroyed by the last
ownership.
Plus that's where I met a real neat lady who is now my wife.
But like with most things, they do change.
Just lots of good memories from the place. Last nite at moonlite
bowling at Paradise Village, NFL being torn down was the subject of
many bowlers and all had good stories to tell.
On 21 Apr 2002 09:59:16 -0700, salat...@yahoo.com (Denny Salatino)
Denny Salatino
> Denny:
>
> Just a long time bowling fan and railroad fan too. Just like some of
> the group here knows Tacoma history (I didn't move here until 1979
> from north of Seattle), I've bowled probably every bowling center
> between Bellingham and Tacoma over the years....many have closed in
> Seattle and now Tacoma.
*********
The only place I did any long term bowling was at the Tower lanes in
the 60's.
I was part of the Friday night foursomes. won 2 trophies there for
sweeps in high game and high series. 696 and 257. I was acused of
sandbagging during
the year by the sore loosers. haven't bowled in many years now but
still have my Don Carter Gyro 16 lb.ball with a reverse thumb hole
pitch.
(broken thumb at one time) full finger tip ball.
I did sponser some teams when I had my businesses years ago.
They were all girl's from different Country western band's and did
pretty
well. kinda miss the fun we had.
Denny.
April1201
all the lanes are taken up with leagues. I quit trying years ago.
mfmul...@hotmail.com
But there is a reason bowling centers have leagues.
It is guaranteed income for the center, in most cases 35 weeks in a
row. A league signs a contract say 10 teams at 5 persons per team,
equals 50 bowlers. Those 50 bowlers pay $9.00 for 3 games to the
center, that's $450.00 per week, New Frontier had 32 lanes so 160
bowlers times 9.00 = $1,440.00 per shift, plus food and drinks, plus
gambling on pulltabs, so bowling centers like leagues. You can't get
160 open play bowlers in a center in Tacoma during the winter to bowl
at the same time. Some centers aren't full with leagues because of
run down conditions of the building and equipment and poor management.
New Frontier was always full because of local ownership and the staff
tried to make it a fun place to bowl. Senior bowlers considered New
Frontier "their house", I even saw Seniors go over to open play
bowlers that were abusing equipment, lofting balls and hitting
pinsetters and telling them that's not what to do. You would have
thought they owned the center.
However in this town right now during winter months open play is
available at Lincoln Lanes near 38th and Yakima (I will not go there
due to prior car breakins in the neighborhood), and Narrows Plaza I
believe has lanes during "prime time" which is 6 to 9 pm.
With summer coming, open play specials will be at all centers.