Local Buzz covers new businesses, restaurants, closures, local politics, goings on around town and other buzzworthy items in the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County. Have a lead? Contact us. Click here for an archive of Local Buzz postings.
Local Buzz covers new restaurants, closures, local politics, goings on around town and other buzzworthy items in the Conejo Valley and Greater Ventura County. Have a lead? Contact us. Click here for an archive of Local Buzz postings.
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Lucky Strike will be opening its new, 40 lane bowling center in the former Dick’s Sporting Goods at 706 E. Los Angeles Ave, Moorpark on Friday, December 8th. The facility will also include a large bar area, food and arcade. More information at luckystrikeent.com/location/lucky-strike-moorpark or call 805-222-3757.
Snippet of architectural plans for the planned 4-lane addition to Sunset Terrace.
The last time a bowling alley operated in Thousand Oaks was 1995, when the 40 lane Conejo Village Bowl closed its doors. There has been talk of other alleys from time to time, but nothing has transpired.
Sunset Terrace Restaurant & Lounge at Janss Marketplace may change that, as they are in process of building a four-lane bowling alley in the 4,200 sq ft adjacent space previously occupied by Edible Arrangements and a karate studio. Let’s see if they can make this happen…stay tuned.
In other local area bowling news, as mentioned in August, Bowlero is looking to develop an alley in the former Dick's Sporting Goods in Moorpark - subject to city council approval.
For existing local area bowling alleys, visit THIS PAGE.
Learn more about Sunset Terrace at sunsetterracerestaurant.com. They offer California cuisine, a large bar with 40 seat capacity, pool tables, shuffleboard, darts, dance floor, plenty of TV with live sports and more. Daily food and drink specials include Mat Tai Mondays, Taco Tuesdays, Waffle & Wing Wednesdays, Sushi Thursdays, NFL Game Specials and more at sunsetterracerestaurant.com/daily-specials.
The space where the alley is being planned for.
Bowlero is now open at The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard, offering black light bowling, high definition video walls, arcade and a sports bar. They also serve food at a laneside lounge that includes things like wings, burgers, pizza, sundaes and more. Learn more at www.bowlero.com/location/bowlero-oxnard or call (805) 288-8953.
There's a grand opening event from 11am to 2pm on 11/13. RSVP at www.bowlero.com/bowlero-oxnard-grand-opening.
About Bowlero Corp (from their website):
In 1997, entrepreneur Tom Shannon purchased the original Bowlmor Lanes and revolutionized the industry. His vision for upscale bowling and events turned Bowlmor into a Manhattan nightlife hotspot and catapulted it onto the national stage, resulting in new locations throughout the US.
In 2013, Bowlmor purchased AMF Bowling Centers. The deal rescued AMF from bankruptcy and expanded Bowlmor’s portfolio to hundreds of locations across America.
The next year, Bowlmor AMF launched Bowlero—a dynamic new brand that would take bowling to an entirely new level. The company made headlines again that year, acquiring Brunswick Corporation’s bowling center business and uniting two longtime industry rivals—AMF and Brunswick—for the first time in history.
In 2019, we made another big acquisition: the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). With our partners at FOX Sports, we’re reenergizing the PBA and bringing the sport to millions of fans.
Today, the company is now Bowlero Corp—a global media company and the largest owner and operator of bowling centers in the world. Our team is over 8,000 strong, our lanes number over 12,000, and more than 28 million guests visit our locations every single year.
Harley’s announced today that it will be reopening its Harley’s Valley Bowl (east Simi Valley) and Harley’s Camarillo Bowl locations as “training and fitness” facilities per CDPH guidelines starting March 24th. The Harley’s Simi Bowl location will not be operating at this time.
Guidelines announced include:
Reservations must be made in advance at harleysbowl.com
Bookings are for practice/training bowling sessions.
Masks must be worn at all times.
Outside food and beverages are prohibited (water bottles available for purchase).
All bowling sessions are for 1 1/2 hours at $30 per lane, including shoes,if needed, for up to 4 people per lane.
UPDATE Feb 2021: The Collection at RiverPark recently announced that the new Bowlero will be opening in Fall 2022.
Bowlero has signed a long-term lease and will be building a 32,000 square foot bowling alley and entertainment center at The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard.
Slated to open in late 2020, Bowlero will feature signature blacklight bowling lanes, laneside lounge seating, video walls a giant arcade and a menu that includes upscale food and beverage offerings.
Bowlero Corp operates 42 bowling centers throughout California under the Bowlero, Bowlmor, and AMF brands, including Bowlero Woodland Hills that opened in March 2016. Visit BowleroCorp.com for more information.
This is great news for Ventura County, which currently has bowling alleys in Ventura, Camarillo and Simi Valley. What a fantastic addition to The Collection! Interestingly, this is only about a mile away from the former Wagon Wheel Bowl on the other side of the 101 that closed in May 2015 to make way for a housing development.
The Ventura County Star reported yesterday that the Wagon Wheel Bowl is set to close at the end of this month. Built in 1953, the Wagon Wheel Bowl was designed by Arthur Froehlich, who also designed Hollywood Park Racetrack and Hanna Barbera Studios in 1962.
We just so happen to have stopped by recently. A blast to the past this place is...soon to be was. As much as the Wagon Wheel is in need of upgrade, we are vary sad to see it go.
You don't see many of these scoring devices in more modern bowling alleys.My bowling shoes had quite a worn in feel at the Wagon Wheel Bowl...
DISCOVERY VENTURA CLOSED IN 2020
Last month, Discovery Ventura opened its doors at 1888 E. Thompson Boulevard, Ventura at the former home of the Ventura Bowling Center that closed its doors in December 2012.The facility has been beautifully renovated as a restaurant and lounge, accompanied by a nine-lane bowling alley, several pool tables and shuffleboards.
The boys and I stopped by Discovery Ventura this past Sunday to try out the bowling. It was just before lunchtime and the bar area was well occupied with folks socializing and enjoying Sunday morning NFL on the too-numerous-to-count flat screen TVs.
It was not crowded when we got there so we were able to quickly get situated. Bowling lanes are first come, first serve and cost $15 per hour (plus shoe rentals). As a novice that bowls perhaps twice a year, I was reminded once again that bowling shoes run large. My kids and I took 2 to 3 iterations apiece to get the best fit, but the hostess was patient with us.
The boys were able to find lighter bowling balls (6 to 8 lbs) and the hostess was able to meet our request for "bumpers" to pop up during the kids' turns as we bowled away. After my first roll I did a double take, as after 8 pins fell down, ALL of the pins were lifted up by strings. Quickly thereafter down plopped the two remaining pins. Traditionalists may not be thrilled with this more efficient "StringPin" technology but for a "boutique" non-league bowling alley like this I don't think it will be an issue with most social bowlers. See video below for a close-up of the StringPin action.
The lanes were full sized, though a bit cramped lengthwise and the little black dots used to position your starting point are pretty close to where the tables were. But we managed and had a great time. The boys were hungry and one had the Four Cheese Pizza ($10.95) and the other tried the BBQ Bacon Burger ($11.95), which came with fries. They both remarked how delicious the food was...so much so that my burger eater wouldn't even give me a sample taste. It certainly smelled good. My Caprese Salad ($9.95) was also excellent. And the family a few lanes down dining on Chicken Wings ($10.95) and Nachos ($9.95) remarked that they were both outstanding.
I asked the hostess how they would describe Discovery Ventura...is it a bowling alley, a nightclub, a restaurant, or ? There wasn't a clear answer as it is really all of the above. On its Facebook page it is described as "Simplistic and repurposing best describe the theme throughout the development of the California-lifestyle project. All are welcome to enjoy the laid-back, fun, and easy entertainment with 9 lanes of bowling, a locally-sourced restaurant with delectable California-cuisine, crafted cocktails, and the region’s largest and most fun private event facilities." Having been there, I would agree with that assessment.
Learn more at www.discoveryventura.com or call 805.856.BOWL (2695).
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