Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | July 22, 2024 | Worcester Business Journal 7 Member FDIC The financing from Rockland Trust allows us to continue to build the capital stack of resources necessary to revitalize this large track of underutilized property at the former Saint-Gobain Abrasives property. For more information, contact: Eric Goodwine VP, Commercial Banking 508.361.3865 Eric.Goodwine@RocklandTrust.com Craig L. Blais, President Worcester Business Development Corporation drink. ey can bring their kids if they want to send them to the game room." Despite his tech background, Shook has kept one old school feature: manual scoring. "People really like that," he said. "ey say, 'Oh, it's good, because my kids have to learn math.'" Big bowling While the sport may be nearly im- possible to truly master, the less-cum- bersome playing equipment can make it easier for children, the elderly, and people with disabilities to play, said Shook. But perhaps the biggest appeal of can- dlepin is its homegrown feel, particular- ly compared to its more nationally-pop- ular sibling sport. Candlepin centers in Central Mas- sachusetts are all small businesses with local roots. is stands in contrast to ten-pin, which has seen private equity snatching up alleys. Bowlero Corp., a Virginia-based firm operating ten-pin centers in locations including Shrewsbury and Auburn, operates over 326 centers across the country, appearing to be on a quest to establish control of the industry. Longtime bowlers have accused the company of understaffing centers and cutting back on maintenance while in- creasing pricing, according to an article by e Lever, an investigative news site. Efforts by large corporate entities to wedge their way into the candlepin scene have been rebuffed by existing owners, said Angelotti. "About 10 to 12 years ago, a big cor- poration came in and started approach- ing all of the centers, and it fell flat," she said. "Depending on property size, they were offering anywhere between $1 and $4 million to become part of this franchise, and not one person accepted it. So that tells you what the culture is of candlepin bowling. ere is no room for that." Central Mass. candlepin bowling Candlepin Business Address lanes Notes Acton Bowladrome & Arcade 257 Main St., Acton 16 Apex Entertainment 21 Apex Drive, Marlborough 6 Also features ten-pen bowling Bogey Lanes 199 North Brookfield Road, East Brookfield 12 Brian's Bowlaway 123 Main St., Gardner 14 Harvard Lanes 204 Ayer Road, Harvard 14 Hopedale Community 43 Hope St., Hopedale 5 House membership House required Mohegan Bowl 51 Thompson Road, Webster 14 Putnam Street Bowling Lanes 14 Putman St., Fitchburg 10 Sawyer's Bowladrome 13 Blake St., Northborough 6 Open for league play and private parties only Sparetime Recreation 117 Church St., Whitinsville 12 Source: International Candlepin Bowling Association, various media publications, company websites Equipment issues e lack of national popularity and the absence of big business does have some drawbacks, though, as replacement equipment can be tough to come by. Steve Shomphe is the third-gener- ation owner of Gold Crown Service in Auburn, a company which builds and services bowling lanes and related amenities. Shomphe estimates about a third of his business is candlepin-related. ese projects can be tricky. "ey're really old machines. ey don't make parts for them anymore," he said. "You can take an old machine and replace everything on it, but that's a costly thing to do." When a lane closes, other owners scramble to acquire parts. Some people have used 3D printing technology to make parts no longer available, said Shompe. "Everything was made out of wood before, so now if you replace it with plastic, it seems to be more durable," he said. Despite challenges, new candlepin lanes have been built in the last decade. American Flatbread, a restaurant chain where some locations have candlepin, opened a new facility in the Boston Landing development in Boston's Brighton neighborhood in 2017. e company now intends to bring the sport back to Worcester as part of e Cove, a 173-unit, mixed-use building under construction on Green Street. ose waiting for the day the pas- time will make a return to the city it was invented in will have to be patient for now; American Flatbread did not respond to WBJ requests regarding the project's status or timeline for opening. Based on his knowledge of the project, Shompe said he doesn't expect it to open this year. Chasing perfection Candlepins connoisseurs are keen to bring up this fun fact: While tens of thousands of ten-pin games a year end with a score of 300, known as a perfect game, there has never been a docu- mented perfect game in the 144-year history of candlepin. In fact, no one's even really come close: e best recorded score is 245, a mark hit by two bowlers: Ralph Semb of Erving in 1984 and Chris Sargent of Haverhill in 2011, according to Mass. Bowling Association records. With 10 candlepin centers in op- eration in Central Massachusetts and an apparent return of candlepin to its hometown of Worcester, Angelotti feels there's a chance someday, perfection will be achieved. "e hope is still out there," she said. "New Englanders are hearty. Someone, someday is going to make that perfect score." Candlepin alleys like Harvard Lanes require specific machinery that is no longer mass produced. W

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