Reopening bowling alleys: Squirt the finger holes with alcohol and use a tiny brush

King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties have made progress against the coronavirus.

And so bowling alleys were allowed to reopen Monday. While many are taking precautions, alley owners are wary of the uncertainty that comes with reopening amid the pandemic.

A

t Spin Alley in Richmond Beach, owner Joe Montero sat behind a counter with the lights off. It was four hours before he would open at 5 p.m., but he had come in early. He wanted to be ready. Because on that day, Spin Alley would open for bowling for the first time in months.

It wouldn't have the festive atmosphere many bowlers are used to. Instead, there's be two bowlers per lane and no spectators allowed. Masks would be required, of course. And the center's own bowling balls would be sterilized between users. Montero sprays alcohol in the holes and scrubs them with a bottle brush.

Montero said Washington's loosening of restrictions came just in time.

"We were teetering on the edge, so the new loosening of restrictions on February first ... it’s gonna allow us to survive, just barely.”

Montero, who just bought his bowling center in 2018, won't be taking a salary under those conditions. But he counts himself lucky. Bowling already had challenges drawing in younger fans. The pandemic stressed things even more.

"In [Washington State], we've seen three to five bowling centers that aren't going to reopen" after their pandemic closures, Montero said.

Montero said he may see some increased business from the closure of those lanes, but overall the sport will suffer.

"I'm concerned that we're going to be on a trend of reduction in customer base."

B

efore the pandemic, Kenmore Lanes employed almost 50 people. Lately, it's been down to a skeleton crew of 10 long time employees.

After Governor Jay Inslee signaled bowling centers would be allowed to reopen in some counties, Kenmore Lanes owner Joanne Evans spent the weekend contacting her old employees and offering them their jobs back.

She can’t offer them stability.

“I want to have you come back to work – but I can only guarantee you the next two weeks," she recalled telling them.

She said many told her they preferred to stay on unemployment. She doesn't blame them. After all, in two weeks, businesses could be shut down again, if the virus resurges. And so, she put an ad on Craigslist, looking for fresh faces.

The uncertainty of her situation costs her extra in small ways, too. For example, how do you stock the restaurant kitchen when you don't know how long you'll be open?

"What am I going to do with a case of green peppers ... or a case of heavy cream ... if I'm closed in two weeks? " she asked. "They'll be spoiled."

Evans said that, like Spin Alley, Kenmore Lanes is sterilizing public bowling balls between each use, and has invested in slip-on disposal shoe covers that allow people to slide around in their own shoes as if they were bowling shoes.

The challenges of reopening during the pandemic have brought Evans back to the early days in her family's 35 year history running Kenmore Lanes, when things were much less certain.

"It's like starting a brand new business," she said.

Is it fair to say Kenmore Lanes will outlast the pandemic?

"It's fair to say we have a good chance," Evans said.