Rolling down memory lane

Susan Schell

of the Gateway

Gig Harbor Peninsula residents may have to think twice before saying there are no indoor recreational facilities around.

Six local entrepreneurs plan to resurrect Tower Lanes, a Tacoma icon since 1957, and they want local residents to know there’s a large family friendly entertainment facility within their reach.

The entertainment center features 16 bowling lanes, an 18-hole indoor miniature golf course, a billiard room, arcade and a restaurant and lounge.

One of the new owners, Gig Harbor’s Gary Glein, produces a map with concentric circles drawn around the center’s 6th Street location.

“Most of Gig Harbor is within 10 minutes’ driving distance,” he said. “And the new bridge makes it very convenient.”

Tower Lanes never really went away, Glein said, and it continues to be open throughout the remodeling project.

Glein has owned and operated other Tacoma businesses. Two bowling professionals also sit on the team: Bob Hanson, general manager, is a Hall of Fame bowler with 15 years of bowling center management experience.

Jeanne Naccarato holds 10 national professional titles and will be in charge of promotional activities. She is a local pro, having won her first professional championship in Tacoma. She teaches bowling and is lending her decorating skills to the center’s face lift.

“We’ll have all new carpeting, paint and drapery,” Naccarato said. “We’re also remodeling the bathrooms. We want to make it clear to our customer base that we have a first-class facility here.”

Hanson said the color scheme will be burgundies, beige and green, and it will be a cross between modern and retroactive.

The semi-retro feel will welcome back customers who have bowled at the center for years, but the business partners hope it will welcome new groups as well.

Hanson said he literally grew up at Tower Lanes, working in the pro shop as a teenager. Throughout the years, he’s held many positions at the lanes, so when the building went up for sale, he made sure he could buy it.

“This place has been an institution for over 50 years,” he said. “People were fearful that it would go away.”

The neighborhood surrounding Tower Lanes is currently undergoing a revitalization.

Glein said the group strives to make the entertainment center a premier place for families to go for entertainment in a safe, friendly environment. The group also believes the Washington weather will be a boon for business, as large gatherings of people look for indoor activities during the dark days of winter.

“If you go to a movie, you just see a movie,” Glein said. “At the bowling center, you can bowl, play at the billiard tables or have dinner. We’re re-designing the golf course with a stream running through it, and people can eat dinner next to the stream where they play.”

Aside from drawing back regular clients, Hanson said the center wants to cater to younger people who may have lost interest in bowling for lack of a local facility.

“I would like to see the Gig Harbor schools get more involved,” he said. “Kids are really getting into it now. Bowling is the fastest growing sport around. I would like to see Gig Harbor and Peninsula high schools join the Tacoma schools in a bowling league.”

Glein said bowling centers are unique because they offer a place for large groups to participate in indoor sports.

“There are two aspects of bowling: the entertainment side and the sports side,” Glein said. “When kids start getting involved in something, it’s human nature to want to get better. When they get into bowling, they can keep coming back and get better and better.”

The center’s arcade can also supply a sense of challenge and adventure for young people.

“The arcades now are so sophisticated,” Hanson said. “We have driving machines that are side-by-side so friends can sit next to each other. We’ll also have Dance Revolution, where you can get a pretty good workout.”

Hanson said an arcade-class Guitar Hero may be on the horizon.

“My sons go to the arcades for things they can’t do at home,” Glein said. “We are meeting with new arcade vendors to meet the target market. We hope to have the remodel completed by next month. Right now, we still have a lot to do.”

The other three partners in the enterprise are bowling lane owner Lance Lorfeld, real estate broker Ray Schuler and CPA Andy Ritting.

Tower Lanes and Entertainment Center

Tower Lanes and Entertainment Center is currently open for business at 6323 6th Ave. in Tacoma. For information, call 253-564-8853 or visit www.towerlanes.com.

The remodeling project underway includes:

Bathroom remodel

Carpeting replacement

Mini-golf green replacements

Neon sign rebuilding

Painting — interior and exterior

Party rooms — remodel

New pins and house balls

Lighting repairs and improvements

Billiard and game area remodel

Lounge and kitchen improvements