NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio — After a year of gutter-ball rumors related to the potential demise of the cherished Buckeye Lanes, the news is nothing but strikes and spares for bowlers regarding the future of the iconic Lorain Road venue in North Olmsted.

That’s because earlier this month Rollhouse Entertainment, which owns five other bowling centers in Northeast Ohio, took over as the new owner with plans next year to invest roughly $4 million in renovations into Buckeye Lanes.

“It’s a good building that has a few challenges for us but we’re used to that so we’re really excited about it,” Rollhouse Entertainment Glenn Gable CEO said. “The community loves that bowling center.

“I kind of thought I bought an old crappy bowling alley and it turns out I bought a West Side iconic landmark. It’s like everybody loves the place. It’s kind of funny, I’m getting a very warm reception there. I’m not used to that.”

Opened in 1958, the 48-lane Buckeye Lanes includes a pool room and lounge with full bar. Rollhouse Entertainment is known for creating entertainment venues that boast a scratch menu and a quality sound system.

Gable said it’s a hybrid business where they concentrate on bowling leagues during the week and weekends along with parties and cosmic bowling on the weekends.

“We’ll be making all kinds of improvements between now and April 1 when the big improvements are coming,” Gable said. “We’ll be tearing out the current food and beverage and doing a small addition to the building for nice new bathrooms.

“We’ll be taking out some lanes and putting in a huge game room. We’re going to add six escape rooms. We’ll have a brand-new bar and nice lounge areas. We’re all about building special places people want to recreate in. Authentic entertainment is one of our internal taglines. We want to be authentic. That’s our core focus.”

Keeping Buckeye Lanes open was the sole focus of former co-owner James Sutherland, who said over the past few years they were approached by buyers interested in demolishing the venue for retail development.

While that was a nonstarter for Sutherland, operating a profitable bowling alley was becoming increasingly difficult.

“We were keen to entertain offers from people who were going to keep that property a bowling center for North Olmsted so when we got interest from Rollhouse, which has a lot of great bowling centers, we took that seriously,” Sutherland said.

“We worked with them and came to a deal. We’re excited that this ensures that property will remain a bowling center and mixed entertainment center for quite a long time now. I hope bowlers and the community give Rollhouse a chance.”

Someone happy about the future of Buckeye Lanes is frequent bowler and North Olmsted resident Dave Peltz, who can’t wait to see what RollHouse has in store.

“I was very excited as well as all my teammates that we no longer have to visit other facilities to host our league,” Peltz said. “I know the community is very happy that we still have our iconic bowling alley to patronize.”

North Olmsted Director of Planning and Community Development Kimberly Lieber added, “It’s great to see these buildings updated and expanded, but also remaining their previous restaurant and entertainment uses.

“Buckeye Lanes has been a recreation destination for decades and it will continue to serve North Olmsted residents of all ages. The new owners have plans for renovations and additions to their offerings that will attract new folks and keep this community landmark vibrant.”

Something local bowlers will be happy to know is Gable can be considered Buckeye Lanes bona fide. He first visited the bustling venue as a wide-eyed 11-year old in 1976.

“The first time I was there was with my dad for a pro-tour stop,” Gable said. “I come from a long lineage of ballers and my dad was a pro tour sponsor. Being there as a kid was overwhelming. At that time, it was probably the nicest center in Ohio. That really left an impression on me.”

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